POSTPONED - Virtual Lunch & Learn: Navigating Non-Dilutive Funding-the SBIR-STTR Edition

THIS EVENT IS BEING POSTPONED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR A LATER DATE. 

Discover Non-Dilutive Funding Opportunities for Your Innovation

Find out how the government’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs can provide a source of R&D funding between the initial development of your innovative idea and proof that it has potential in the marketplace. The two programs make over $4 billion in high-risk, non-dilutive capital available to innovative small companies annually!

Whether you're just beginning to explore commercialization or you're ready to take your research to the next level, this session will introduce you to the structure, goals, and benefits of the SBIR and STTR programs.

Don’t miss this chance to unlock funding that could help turn your big idea into a market-ready solution.

Speaker:

Dr. Mary Phillips joined VertueLab in January 2024 as Federal Funding Assistance Manager, where she:

• Coaches and mentors early‑stage entrepreneurs in Oregon (any sector) and climate‑tech startups across the Pacific Northwest
• Helps them identify, apply for, and win Small Business Innovative Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Research (SBIR/STTR) federal grants

Key strengths & experience

• Leader & Connector: Over 25 years guiding researchers and startups through every stage—from technology transfer to commercialization
• Scientist & Patent Agent: Holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Imperial College London and is a USPTO‑registered patent agent
• Entrepreneur & Mentor: Co‑founded Qualtura (a microbiome‑tech C‑Corp) in 2018 and later launched STEMMbridge LLC to teach women‑led tech founders how to turn ideas into funded businesses

Entrepreneurial journey
In 2018, while building Qualtura, Mary realized most mentors and books preach the need for a clear purpose and vision—but rarely explain how to develop them. That insight became the foundation of STEMMbridge LLC, a step‑by‑step program that helps early‑stage, women‑founded tech companies:

1. Clarify their mission and vision
2. Navigate the grant‑funding process
3. Commercialize their inventions

Additional roles & interests

• Past President, Board of Directors, Corvallis Business Enterprise Center
• Volunteer mentor at the Oregon Bioscience Incubator, Oregon Bioscience Association, OSU Advantage Accelerator, Oregon UAS Accelerator and Nutrition Capital Investors Network
• Avid trail runner in the MacDonald & Dunn forests (training for her next ultramarathon)
• Proud wife, mother, and dog‑lover

Sponsored by RAIN Catalysts

This program was organized by Oregon Bioscience Incubator. http://www.otradi.org