10 Government Funded Innovations Every Tech Lover Will Appreciate

The Small Business Innovation Research program, affectionately known as America’s Seed Fund, is the nation's largest source of early stage, high risk R&D funding for small businesses. SBIR fuels thousands of innovative high-growth companies through non-dilutive funding totaling almost $2.5 billion a year.

Here are 10 government funded companies making an impact through disruptive innovation.

1. iRobot Roomba was originally funded to clear landmines in war zones but commercialized to clean our floors too. The original minesweeper does not get any better than this...

iRobot was funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) and one of the first to receive the SBIR Hall of Fame award.

2. 23 and Me, the personalized genetics company that gives you ancestry and health information has it's roots tied to America's Seed Fund. Nothing like finding out you got a little bit of a mix in your DNA.

Via BuzzFeed

23 and Me has received 8 SBIR funding awards for over $4 million from the National Institute of Health (NIH).

3. Harry Potter Skele-Gro, anyone? CEO and Co-founder Nina Tandon made it happen IRL with EpiBone, the first company growing living human bones for skeletal reconstruction.

EpiBone, Inc received $1.1 million in SBIR seed funding from NIH.

4. EnChroma glasses help the colorblind experience life in color and literally change the way they see the world.

Enchroma emerged from three NIH SBIR funded studies on the feasibility of correcting color vision deficiency.

5. Eat with confidence with Liftware's spoon, designed with empathy to help those with hand tremors retain dignity and independence.

After initial SBIR funding, Lift Labs went on to be acquired by Google.

6. Is it a boat? Is it a buoy? No, it's E.M.I.L.Y, the Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard. Robotocists Without Borders tapped EMILY to help save Syrian refugees crossing the sea whose boats capsize.

Via Gifs

Hydonalix received $2.8 million seed-funding from the DoD's SBIR Program, and the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also provided funds to further develop the Emily robot.

7. Green Millennials will appreciate Ecovative Design's sustainable mushroom based products and it's mission to rid the world of unsustainable, toxic plastics. You can grow your own lamps, wine bottle packaging, or perhaps snag a MycoFoam TeddyBear...

Ecovative Design

Ecovative Design was seed funded by multiple SBIR agencies: EPA, USDA. and the National Science Foundation (NSF)

8. Zero-Gravity 3-D printing on board the International Space Station (ISS) was made possible by Made in Space, think of all the possibilities those astronauts could manufacture...

Made in Space

NASA took Made in Space's tech to new heights with SBIR funding.

9. Described as the Minecraft for education, check out ECO, where players build a civilization by interacting with the ecosystem. Talk about making science fun.

Strange Loop Games

Strange Loop Games was funded by the Department of Education to build the environmental science game.

10. Mmm...Cricket Powder. Bringing us the protein of the future. Almond Walnut Cacao Cricket Powder Balls, anyone? I'll try one if you do...

All Things Bugs

All Things Bugs received over $750,000 in funding from the USDA.

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Develop amazing technology using equity free funding from the government through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

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