National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF), established in 1950 and located in Alexandria, Virginia, is an independent federal agency dedicated to advancing fundamental research and education across all scientific and engineering disciplines. With an annual budget of approximately $7.8 billion, the NSF operates America's Seed Fund, which allocates nearly $200 million each year to support startups and small businesses through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. This initiative provides non-dilutive funding of up to $1.5 million to assist in research and development efforts, thereby facilitating the transformation of scientific discoveries into commercially viable products and services. By helping to de-risk technology, the NSF plays a crucial role in fostering innovation and addressing societal challenges through scientific advancements.

James Donlon

Program Director

Sean L. Jones

Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Sethuraman Panchanathan

Director

Ben Schrag Ph.D

Program Director and Policy Liaison, SBIR / STTR

Past deals in Digital Media

MWCC provides relevant, high quality learning opportunities and services that respond to diverse student and community needs, foster student success, and stimulate civic, workforce, and economic vitality.

Makefully

Grant in 2021
Makefully is a media company committed to creating meaningful, purposeful, and influential learning environments and educational media. The company's headquarters are in Kansas City, Missouri.

MileMarker

Grant in 2021
MileMarker is a web-based assessment platform designed to enhance medical training through real-time evaluations. Developed by leaders from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, it addresses the challenges of evolving competency requirements in medical education while reducing training costs. The platform enables residents to log operative cases and conduct self-assessments, which are then followed by evaluations from attending surgeons. These assessments can be completed swiftly, integrating seamlessly into the workflow of medical professionals. By capturing real-time data on resident performance, MileMarker allows for continuous monitoring and comparison of individual progress against peers, facilitating a more efficient training process. The software not only improves communication and efficiency within residency programs but also has the potential to significantly increase program revenue and reduce training duration. Accessible on any mobile device or computer, MileMarker positions itself as a vital tool for residency programs aiming to meet regulatory demands and enhance the quality of medical education.

Steg.ai

Grant in 2020
Steg AI solves media protection and authentication with AI-powered tools. It enables its customers to identify images and videos that their users are uploading to their platforms- even if that media has been broadcast over television and recaptured with a smartphone camera, which other content attribution tools are unable to identify. It was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Multisensor Diagnostics (MDx), LLC, is a diversified health and wellness company primarily serving the high-acuity patients.

eBibelot

Grant in 2019
eBibelot is a stealth mode technology company in digital media where education meets entertainment and creates a totally new dimension, empowered by augmented reality and artificial intelligence technologies

Vidrovr

Grant in 2019
Vidrovr Inc. specializes in video processing technology that organizes and enhances video content through advanced multimodal computer vision and machine learning systems. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in New York, the company offers solutions that automatically index, tag, and understand videos, allowing users to efficiently search and retrieve specific content. Its platform includes a Metadata API that facilitates direct video uploads and provides time-stamped metadata for improved searchability. Additionally, Vidrovr features a Clip Generator that creates social media-ready clips, seamlessly integrating them back into content management systems. The company's technology is particularly tailored for various domains, including sports, government, and media, enabling users to link video content with other media such as photos and text.

Filament Games

Grant in 2019
Operator of a digital studio intended to provide learning game development services. The company develops educational video games specializing in the creation of game-play mechanics that are also accurate representations of educational content, helping players transform their play experience into real-world knowledge, and learn while they play.

Scribe Biosciences

Grant in 2019
Our fundamental technology, Printed Droplet Microfluidics (PDM), is a flexible and reconfigurable fluid handling system to perform picoliter-scale manipulations. By leveraging fluorescence-activated microfluidic droplet sorting and a specialized substrate, PDM enables the flexible and deterministic handling of single cells and fluid aliquots at extremely high throughputs. ​

Makefully

Grant in 2019
Makefully is a media company committed to creating meaningful, purposeful, and influential learning environments and educational media. The company's headquarters are in Kansas City, Missouri.

Digital Promise

Grant in 2018
Digital Promise provides support to advance technologies that can transform teaching and learning. It is a non-profit organization originated by the U.S. Congress as part of the 2008 re-authorization of the higher education opportunity act. Digital Promise was founded in 2011 and is based in Washington, District of Columbia.

eBibelot

Grant in 2018
eBibelot is a stealth mode technology company in digital media where education meets entertainment and creates a totally new dimension, empowered by augmented reality and artificial intelligence technologies

DFusion

Grant in 2017
dfusion is focused on developing innovative technology to promote behavior change. The company builds upon evidence of effectiveness, science-based behavior change models and learning theories to facilitate behavior change for health, prevention and adherence. A passion for innovation drives unique applications of cutting-edge and classic technologies to health and prevention. dfusion delivers smartphone, tablet and web apps designed to improve health outcomes and built on behavior research to ensure the best user experience. dfusion is staffed by a team of scientists and innovators who question the status quo and are committed to making a difference in the health and well-being of people across the lifespan. dfusion has offices in Scotts Valley and Oakland, California.

DFusion

Grant in 2017
dfusion is focused on developing innovative technology to promote behavior change. The company builds upon evidence of effectiveness, science-based behavior change models and learning theories to facilitate behavior change for health, prevention and adherence. A passion for innovation drives unique applications of cutting-edge and classic technologies to health and prevention. dfusion delivers smartphone, tablet and web apps designed to improve health outcomes and built on behavior research to ensure the best user experience. dfusion is staffed by a team of scientists and innovators who question the status quo and are committed to making a difference in the health and well-being of people across the lifespan. dfusion has offices in Scotts Valley and Oakland, California.

Multi3D

Grant in 2017
Multi3D develops 3D printing filament for the printing of electronics. The company manufactures radio frequency and microwave components out of highly conductive 3D printing filament.

Misapplied Sciences

Grant in 2017
Misapplied Sciences is a mind-bending innovation that allows a hundred or more viewers to simultaneously share a digital display, sign, or light and each sees something different. The PARALLEL REALITY displays were invented by scientists, engineers, and designers with a history of transforming technology into amazing experiences. It was founded in 2014 and is based in Redmond, Washington.

PlayPosit

Grant in 2016
PlayPosit, Inc. operates an online learning platform that allows users to create and share interactive video lessons, transforming passive video content into engaging learning experiences. Founded in 2012 and based in Washington, D.C., PlayPosit serves both educational institutions and corporate clients, facilitating training for employees, partners, and customers. The platform supports various learning environments, including K-12, flipped classrooms, and blended learning settings. Users can enhance videos from sources such as TED and Khan Academy with interactive elements like quizzes, annotations, and peer reviews, enabling educators and trainers to monitor and assess learner engagement and understanding effectively. PlayPosit was previously known as eduCanon Inc. and rebranded in 2016. The company has received backing from notable organizations, including AT&T and Stanford’s startX, and has been recognized as a leading open educational resource.

Vidrovr

Grant in 2016
Vidrovr Inc. specializes in video processing technology that organizes and enhances video content through advanced multimodal computer vision and machine learning systems. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in New York, the company offers solutions that automatically index, tag, and understand videos, allowing users to efficiently search and retrieve specific content. Its platform includes a Metadata API that facilitates direct video uploads and provides time-stamped metadata for improved searchability. Additionally, Vidrovr features a Clip Generator that creates social media-ready clips, seamlessly integrating them back into content management systems. The company's technology is particularly tailored for various domains, including sports, government, and media, enabling users to link video content with other media such as photos and text.

Filament Games

Grant in 2016
Operator of a digital studio intended to provide learning game development services. The company develops educational video games specializing in the creation of game-play mechanics that are also accurate representations of educational content, helping players transform their play experience into real-world knowledge, and learn while they play.

Digital Dream Labs

Grant in 2016
Digital Dream Labs provides hands-on educational technology for children ages 4 to 9. Its products satisfy the need for engaging, language- and system-agnostic designs that allow pre-readers to interface with both on-screen environments and other devices such as educational robots, smart speakers and other smart devices, and drones. The company was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Diesel Labs

Grant in 2016
Diesel Labs, Inc. is a mobile video analytics company based in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 2016. The company specializes in empowering marketers to enhance their television ad campaigns by translating them into targeted mobile video campaigns. Utilizing proprietary technology and advanced machine learning techniques, Diesel Labs analyzes media consumption and engagement data to enable clients to effectively target audiences based on their viewing habits across various platforms, including short-form videos and premium streaming content. By leveraging social media analytics, Diesel Labs facilitates coordinated cross-channel messaging, streamlining the media planning process and helping clients make informed marketing, programming, and sales decisions. The team at Diesel Labs comprises experienced professionals, including former senior members from Bluefin Labs, a notable social TV analytics firm.

Misapplied Sciences

Grant in 2015
Misapplied Sciences is a mind-bending innovation that allows a hundred or more viewers to simultaneously share a digital display, sign, or light and each sees something different. The PARALLEL REALITY displays were invented by scientists, engineers, and designers with a history of transforming technology into amazing experiences. It was founded in 2014 and is based in Redmond, Washington.

Mental Canvas

Grant in 2014
Mental Canvas is a software company that is developing a new class of graphical-media-design system that lies between today's 2D digital draw-and-paint systems and 3D computer-aided design systems, combining the ease and fluidity of sketching with expansive 3D capabilities. Using the Mental Canvas system, you can quickly draw out your ideas just as you imagined them in a new interactive and shareable media type. Similar to what the word processor has done for text or Photoshop has done for photography, Mental Canvas reimagines the sketch, imbuing it with new capabilities and bringing it fully into the digital age.
Townsend Communications engages in two distinct markets for higher education marketing and visual and cinematic arts. They provide quality content and services to local communities.

Nanopixel

Grant in 2013
The new ultimate digital experience for your customers!
We bring economic efficiency and ease to the process of advertising campaign creation, selling, pricing, inventory allocation, and scheduling for TV (linear and digital), streaming, Internet display, game, mobile, and cross-media advertising. We are a systems and technology provider for sellers of advertising. Our systems run in the cloud but can also run on-prem. Our products truly optimize the selling of advertising campaigns and/or allocation of inventory to campaigns. Based on ground-breaking advances in optimization, they are the only products that can do this in a scalable way, taking into account unlimited targeting, unprecedented campaign controls and guarantees, and the entire planning horizon. Optimized Markets, Inc. is a spinout from Carnegie Mellon University's Electronic Marketplaces Laboratory. It is based on $16M of R&D into optimization technology and market design for advertising sales and advertising inventory allocation. Our Founder and CEO is Dr. Tuomas Sandholm, an esteemed professor and serial entrepreneur. In the previous startup that he founded, he fielded 800 optimization-powered markets for sourcing, with a trading volume of $60 billion and savings to customers of over $6 billion.

Dynamic Ideas

Grant in 2013
Dynamic Ideas’ mission is to publish scientific books that have quality and originality in the areas of Applied Mathematics, Operations.

Folio Photonics

Grant in 2013
Folio Photonics is developing an optical data storage disc with two Terabyte capacity manufactured using a highly scalable, low-cost method. It also redefines archival data storage with its modern optical solution. Their patented solution, the data film disc is disruptive in cost, capacity, and archival lifetime. The company also develops optical data storage discs and systems. Folio Photonics was founded in 2012 and is based in Solon, Ohio, USA.

ArchieMD

Grant in 2013
Developer of a web-based medical learning platform designed to offer an immersive learning environment for nursing education through the application of 3D health animations and graphics. The company's platform combines an automated virtual patient capable of providing case-based, non-linear, clinical training scenarios that incorporate the full range of nursing skills and also integrates the virtual patient with physiologically accurate visualizations and an automated feedback module to provide a comprehensive learning environment, enabling medical professors to present visual models in an interactive manner that can convey scientific process in a way which makes learningmore

ArchieMD

Grant in 2013
Developer of a web-based medical learning platform designed to offer an immersive learning environment for nursing education through the application of 3D health animations and graphics. The company's platform combines an automated virtual patient capable of providing case-based, non-linear, clinical training scenarios that incorporate the full range of nursing skills and also integrates the virtual patient with physiologically accurate visualizations and an automated feedback module to provide a comprehensive learning environment, enabling medical professors to present visual models in an interactive manner that can convey scientific process in a way which makes learningmore

Neon Open

Grant in 2013
Neon Labs specializes in enhancing digital marketing effectiveness through innovative technology. The company utilizes a unique neuroscience-based machine learning system that predicts user engagement with images, helping marketers achieve higher click-through rates and improved audience interaction. Neon's enterprise-scale platform, Neon for Video, optimizes visual content in real-time, resulting in an average increase of 24% in video views. Additionally, Neon Open serves as an open-source platform that employs artificial intelligence to analyze advertising inventory, predicting which images and videos will generate greater engagement. This platform leverages deep learning models to assess the emotional impact of visual content, making it valuable for a diverse range of users, including journalists, artists, and non-profit organizations. Neon's collaborations with established deep learning frameworks like TensorFlow and Caffe further enhance its technological capabilities.

Mental Canvas

Grant in 2013
Mental Canvas is a software company that is developing a new class of graphical-media-design system that lies between today's 2D digital draw-and-paint systems and 3D computer-aided design systems, combining the ease and fluidity of sketching with expansive 3D capabilities. Using the Mental Canvas system, you can quickly draw out your ideas just as you imagined them in a new interactive and shareable media type. Similar to what the word processor has done for text or Photoshop has done for photography, Mental Canvas reimagines the sketch, imbuing it with new capabilities and bringing it fully into the digital age.

Zipreel

Grant in 2013
Zipreel is a software development company based in Princeton, New Jersey, focused on creating reliable and scalable solutions for media processing. The company specializes in media classification, transcoding, and metadata generation, providing tools that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of media management. By leveraging advanced technology, Zipreel aims to streamline the handling of media assets, making it easier for businesses to organize and utilize their digital content.
MWCC provides relevant, high quality learning opportunities and services that respond to diverse student and community needs, foster student success, and stimulate civic, workforce, and economic vitality.

Dynepic

Grant in 2013
Dynepic is powering corporate digital innovation, training, and engagement with its DX-Platform technology. The DX-Platform is a fully immersive app and training creation, distribution, and management platform. Founded originally as a product design firm in 2011, Dynepic had the pleasure of developing a number of products for clients, helping take them from a seed of an idea to released products. In the course of this work, Dynepic even reinvented the common handle and spun out its patented Spiral Strength grip technology to Dynepic Sports, LLC where it is the basis of a number of sporting good products.

ADM Diagnostics

Grant in 2013
ADMdx specializes in brain image analysis to enable diagnosis, prognosis, and drug effect detection for Alzheimer's disease and various other forms of dementia. We provide pharmaceutical companies with powerful information to improve clinical trial success. ADMdx provides image data analysis and full CNS imaging study services with structural MRI, amyloid PET, tau PET, FDG PET, ASL, fMRI BOLD, and DTI. We are developing diagnostic products to enable early, accurate disease detection supporting optimal patient care.

Ruckus Media Group

Grant in 2012
At Ruckus Media, they are reinventing family entertainment—and taking it on the road—with original apps for iPad, iPhone, Droid, and other mobile media platforms. They bring Jon Scieszka, Rosemary Wells, Andrew Clements, Patricia MacLachlan, Alan Katz, David Carter, Kevin Lewis, Mike Austin, and Caitlin Friedman, among many other bestselling authors and illustrators, animators, celebrity performers and musicians together with talented editors and software developers to create a completely new form of storytelling. When children open Ruckus apps, turning and tilting pages, touching words and art, they read, see, and enter a story. Words, pictures, music, and dynamics made possible only by touch screen technology are woven to tell original stories to entrance and expand their imaginations. As with their favorite picture books, children will be enriched by and return to Ruckus apps again and again.
Townsend Communications engages in two distinct markets for higher education marketing and visual and cinematic arts. They provide quality content and services to local communities.

Filament Games

Grant in 2012
Operator of a digital studio intended to provide learning game development services. The company develops educational video games specializing in the creation of game-play mechanics that are also accurate representations of educational content, helping players transform their play experience into real-world knowledge, and learn while they play.

Anchovi Labs

Grant in 2012
Anchovi Labs is developing a new way to organize, browse and share your personal photos.

inStream Media, Inc.

Grant in 2012
inStream Media, Inc. is a targeted marketing technology company based in Waltham, Massachusetts, specializing in enhancing customer engagement for brands and retailers. Founded in 2007, the company provides a marketing platform called SmartConnect, which delivers tailored advertisements to customers at the point of sale. This software utilizes various factors, such as store location, time of day, and customer spending patterns, to optimize marketing efforts. inStream Media offers a range of services, including SmartConnect Receipts, SmartConnect eReceipts, and loyalty program integration, as well as in-store marketing and promotional analytics. The company collaborates with national retailers and Fortune 100 brands, including notable names like TimeInc., Kraft, Purina, and Unilever, to transform everyday transactions into effective marketing opportunities that enhance the shopping experience and drive sales.
The Learning Chameleon, Inc. is a worldwide leader in developing models of how students develop 21st century problem solving skills. The company's IMMEX™ software assisted learning in more than 150,000 students in classrooms internationally by integrating these multimedia simulations into a unique web-based learning platform for modeling strategic thinking and problem solving. These models help teachers teach, students learn, and administrators make informed educational decisions through the continual, and real-time evaluation problem solving progress. We accomplish this by leveraging existing proprietary libraries of tasks, data sets and advance intelligence-derived performance models, and then extending them with cutting-edge technologies such as second-by-second Cognitive Electrophysiology models. During the past several years The Learning Chameleon, Inc. has applied these technologies and developed Team NeuroDynamics. While most people can recognize if a team is in the groove or out of synch, it is more difficult to predict when changes in the state will occur, yet having this ability would be important for dynamically adapting team performance. If we can predict when a team is going out of synch, we can provide real-time feedback to help prevent performance errors, lapses in communication or lapses in attention. In this way the company, like its name sake successfully blends within and across educational, training and assessment environments.

Synoptos

Angel Round in 2011
Synoptos is a media monitoring and intelligence company based in Washington, D.C. It specializes in providing comprehensive news and social media insights to a diverse clientele, including Fortune 500 companies, government entities, and non-profit organizations. By employing proprietary technologies and algorithms, alongside rigorous human analysis, Synoptos delivers focused business intelligence that assists clients in intelligence gathering, performance measurement, and decision-making. The company’s services include media monitoring, media analysis, and influencer identification, which help organizations understand media dynamics and the flow of information. Synoptos utilizes data visualization tools to create models that map influencer relationships and media landscapes, facilitating a deeper understanding of the media environment.

LectureTools

Grant in 2011
LectureTools is a web-based platform designed to enhance communication and engagement in educational settings by facilitating interaction between instructors and students using laptops and mobile devices. Originating as a research project at the University of Michigan, it has evolved into a technology spinoff focused on providing a seamless learning environment. The platform features an intuitive interface that allows instructors to pose various interactive activities during lectures, track student comprehension through a Presentation Dashboard, and manage real-time inquiries from students. This fosters an inclusive atmosphere where all students, including the more reticent, can participate actively. LectureTools also integrates lecture slides, student notes, and other learning materials, offering tools for note-taking and slide bookmarking to support student learning. Operating in the cloud, LectureTools requires no special hardware or software installations, making it accessible and user-friendly for both instructors and students.

Bluefin Labs

Grant in 2008
Bluefin Labs is a social TV analytics company providing solutions to brand advertisers, advertising agencies and TV networks. Bluefin Labs’ technology, data and professional services enable clients to tap into data at scale that links people’s social media commentary to the shows and commercials they watch on TV. Grounded in 15 years of cognitive science and machine learning research at the MIT Media Lab, Bluefin Labs was founded in 2008 and has offices in Cambridge, MA and New York, NY. Bluefin Labs was acquired by Twitter on February 5, 2013. For more about Bluefin Labs, visit www.bluefinlabs.com.
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