Grant Writing for Startups (SBIR/STTR)
Tech and science startups can win non-dilutive SBIR/STTR funding, but the proposals are notoriously dense and reviewers reject weak commercialization and innovation narratives fast.
The grant-writing challenge for startups (sbir/sttr)
Founders are technical but not grant writers, and SBIR proposals demand a specific structure — innovation, technical objectives, commercialization plan — that trips up first-time applicants.
How WinMyGrant helps
WinMyGrant structures your startup's technology and market into an SBIR/STTR-style narrative — the problem, technical innovation, work plan, and commercialization potential — so you clear the format bar and focus on the substance.
Grants startups (sbir/sttr) typically pursue
- SBIR Phase I feasibility grants
- SBIR Phase II development grants
- STTR grants (with research institution)
- State innovation and matching grants
- Agency-specific innovation programs
Grant-writing tips for startups (sbir/sttr)
- Nail the innovation claim: what's genuinely novel and why it's non-obvious.
- Reviewers weight commercialization heavily — show a real market, customers, and revenue path.
- Break the technical work into clear objectives with go/no-go milestones.
- Address risk honestly and show your mitigation; naive proposals get rejected.
- For STTR, make the startup–research-institution division of labor explicit.
Write a funder-ready proposal in 60 seconds
Answer a few questions about your organization and project — get a complete, structured grant proposal tailored to your funder.
Start free →Frequently asked questions
Does it understand SBIR/STTR proposal structure?
Yes. It frames your technology into the problem, technical innovation, work plan, and commercialization sections that agency reviewers expect from a competitive application.
Can it help with the commercialization plan?
That's where technical founders lose points, and it's especially useful there — turning your market knowledge into the persuasive commercialization narrative reviewers score.
Is this enough to submit to an agency?
It produces a strong, structured draft. You must tailor it to the specific solicitation's requirements and technical detail before submitting.
Grant writing for other organizations
- Grant writing for nonprofits
- Grant writing for small charities
- Grant writing for individual researchers
- Grant writing for phd students
- Grant writing for artists
- Grant writing for teachers & schools
- Grant writing for community organizations
- Grant writing for healthcare clinics
- Grant writing for environmental organizations
- Grant writing for women-owned businesses
- Grant writing for minority-owned businesses
- Grant writing for arts organizations
- Grant writing for food banks
- Grant writing for animal rescues