You can find more stories and background information in the introduction to the series.
This is one post in a series of behind-the-scenes stories about industrial policy. The introduction to the series puts them all in context and links to the other posts in the series.
Perspectives from tech entrepreneurs and builders
Far too often, entrepreneurs and investors only interact with the government when there is a problem (concerns about anti-competitive activities and mergers, new market regulations, etc.). In this piece, we bring forward the stories of two entrepreneurs who found real value and new opportunities based on their involvement with the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines program, even after Terra found out that she wasn’t a good fit as an applicant! Below are their stories about what the launch of the NSF Engines program meant for them personally and professionally.
- Dr. Kaitlyn Suarez, deep tech startup founder (NY)
- Scott Resnick, entrepreneur and investor (WI)
Dr. Kaitlyn Suarez, deep tech startup founder (NY)
“My start up would not exist today without NSF or the Engines program…While we did not win in 2022, the essence of what we proposed still moves us and we slowly build toward that North Star.”
I’m Dr. Kaitlyn Suarez, a startup founder at Terra Watts. I was halfway through my PhD for geology when the NSF Engines program was announced. It inspired me to take a leap into a new field I was determined to pursue: underground wireless power transmission. My academic co-founder and I started Terra Watts with the sole intention of applying for Engines Type 2. While we did not succeed in our endeavor, it did teach us a lot and gave us the foundation to continue the start up development. I then won an Activate fellowship, discovered through the Engines partner building process, and most recently an NSF Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR). My start up would not exist today without NSF or the Engines program. The world would have less super cool underground wireless power transmission. While we did not win in 2022, the essence of what we proposed still moves us and we slowly build toward that North Star. Thank you to all who made that opportunity possible.
Scott Resnick, entrepreneur and investor (WI)
“I was surprised to receive the invitation. I am not an academic or a scientist. I am an entrepreneur who has spent much of my career translating university research into startups.”
Serving as a merit reviewer for the National Science Foundation’s inaugural Regional Innovation Engines program was a deeply rewarding experience. I was surprised to receive the invitation. I am not an academic or a scientist. I am an entrepreneur who has spent much of my career translating university research into startups. The NSF made a deliberate effort to include diverse perspectives by bringing together academics, angel investors, and founders. Once together, we reviewed assembled proposals and spent two to three days deliberating the merits of each. It felt like a giant group project, where, in a short timeframe, we learned to rely on each other’s strengths. Panelists built strong connections by sharing their unique experiences. All work had to be completed by the deadline, and sure enough, our panel delivered a final product. It was especially meaningful to see how my feedback, grounded in entrepreneurship and practical execution, was welcomed and valued by the NSF team and fellow reviewers.
This experience provided me with a clear understanding of how seriously the NSF takes fairness and transparency. There is no perfect process for awarding funding, but the NSF took great care to ensure that each reviewer’s voice was heard and that bias was minimized. Although I only participated in a few panels, this process was repeated multiple times throughout the selection period. I was encouraged to see that perspectives from entrepreneurs like me played a meaningful role in shaping the process and in supporting ideas with the potential to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems.
Key Lessons
- It is critically important to make the front door from federal programs as accessible as possible, rather than over-engineer who you want involved as an applicant or even reviewer of applications. There are massive spillover benefits that are not always accounted for in how we measure program outcomes.
- We need to do more than pay lip service to our desire to have entrepreneurs, investors, and industry at the table. This means moving beyond quotes in press releases, roundtables, and coffee chats and finding new ways to create shared value for all parties, like including them in review panels and site visits.
- We need to expand our view of who these programs are built by and for. Far too often, people would tell me that the National Science Foundation should only fund research universities and the only people capable of effectively reviewing complex NSF proposals were scientists who had received NSF awards in the past. That narrow mindset leads you to a narrow set of outcomes and it is exciting to see places like the Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Directorate bring new voices and awardees into the fold.
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