America’s Seed Fund Road tour begins southern swing April 2 in Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK — America’s Seed Fund Road tour will start its swing through the South with an April 2 stop in Little Rock at the headquarters of the Cooperative Extension Service.
The 2024 Road Tour is hosted by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center in cooperation with the Arkansas APEX Accelerator. The program, which begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs to 2:30 p.m., includes an overview of America's Seed Fund, panel and networking with Arkansas-based resources for innovators, pitches from representatives of federal agencies to businesses, and one-on-one meeting opportunities with federal agency representatives.
Melanie Berman, head of the Arkansas APEX Accelerator, says the Seed Fund Tour stop in LIttle Rock could mean extra tools for enterpreneurs. (U of A System DIvision of Agriculture file photo).
Cost to register is $55 and the registration deadline is April 2, at 3 p.m. Central. Participants can register online. The event will be held at the extension service HQ at 2301 S. University Ave., Little Rock, Arkansas.
The tour is a national outreach effort meant to connect innovators and entrepreneurs to technology funding opportunities provided through the Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR programs. (See related story)

Melanie Berman, who is the director of the Arkansas APEX Accelerator, said, “Participants of the Arkansas stop of America’s Seed Fund Road Tour will be connected to the program directors who manage America’s Seed Fund, enabling participants to take their SIBR/STTR journey to the next level.”
“They will learn about the SBIR/STTR program grants for small business innovation research/ small business technology transfer and receive assistance in matching their innovative ideas to a federal agency,” she said.
“The Arkansas APEX Accelerator is actively trying to identify for-profit entities in Arkansas that operate in the key technology areas the U.S. federal government needs,” Berman said. “Anyone interested in this space should attend the event and request a one-on-one meeting with federal agency representatives.”
Stops on the Southern Road Tour include Jackson, Mississippi, on April 3, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on April 4; and Houston on April 5.
The Arkansas APEX Accelerator is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense. It is embedded with the Cooperative Extension Service, the outreach arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.