Whether you are planning to apply to NC IDEA SEED or just exploring your options, the below resources can help better inform you of the opportunity and assist in determining if it is a good fit for your company.
See below for a comparison of eligibility criteria between NC IDEA MICRO and NC IDEA SEED. **Note: You may only apply to either MICRO or SEED (not both) during a grant cycle.**
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Geography | |
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Industry and Company Type | |
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Market Opportunity | On a path to become a multi-million dollar company, have 50+ employees or be investable in 5-7 years | On a path to become a multi-million dollar company, have 50+ employees or be investable in 3-5 years |
Stage of Development | Working to demonstrate proof of concept (existence of a problem, market readiness and an MVP) to move to a quantifiable next step of validation | Demonstrated proof of concept (existence of a problem, market readiness, and an MVP) and ready to scale the business |
Team | At least one FT team member within 6-12 months | At least one FT founder |
Revenue | Revenue in last 12 months of $50K+ less likely to be considered | Revenue in last 12 months of $250K+ less likely to be considered |
Prior Investment | Past investment of $50K+ equity or $1M+ non-dilutive less likely to be considered | Past investment of $250K+ equity or $1M+ non-dilutive less likely to be considered |
Impact of Grant | Enable company to validate key assumption(s) and catalyze the development of the business | Enable company to scale to the point that it could raise institutional investment, win grants or increase revenue to ensure its continued growth and sustainability |