[Tempe] — May 26, 2020 — Today, EnKoat announced that they have been selected for the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award. As a Phase-I awardee, EnKoat will receive non-dilutive funding of $225,000 to further the development of their energy efficient coatings. The SBIR Phase I grant process is highly selective with a funding rate of about 15% and the proposals are rigorously vetted by a team of subject matter experts before any decision is arrived. The proposals are judged on several key criteria including innovation, commercial potential and broader societal impact of the idea, and the awardees are companies working on discoveries in fundamental science and engineering solving high-risk problems.
The EnKoat team has made several accomplishments till date in their brief journey and getting this award is cementing their place as a viable startup in the building infrastructure industry. As part of this Phase I SBIR, EnKoat would work to demonstrate the technical feasibility and performance of their innovative coatings and thereby bring the innovation closer to commercialization. The EnKoat team was delighted to get the funding decision in their favor after several months of wait. CEO Dr. Aguayo said, ‘The NSF’s decision to fund our technology is a major milestone for us. It gives us great confidence as a startup to get awarded by one of the top scientific agencies in the US.’
CTO Dr. Arora says, ‘The timing of this award couldn’t be better given the uncertain circumstances that startups like ours are facing during these times. We are extremely pleased to have received this Phase I award. We thank the NSF to provide us with this opportunity which helps us continue to move forward and execute our mission at EnKoat to reduce global carbon emissions. This award provides us the necessary impetus to accelerate the development of our technology.’
This award follows a string of recent successes for EnKoat in the last few months. Earlier this year, EnKoat was selected as one of ten housing-based startups for the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), one of eight cleantech startups to take part in the Joules Accelerator and also stood runners-up at the 2020 EarthX climate-tech prize competition. With all this traction, EnKoat is one step further along in their journey and one step closer to bringing their technology to market.
About EnKoat
EnKoat is a clean-tech and advanced materials company. EnKoat has re-engineered traditional architectural coatings like paint, plaster and stucco into energy saving coatings. Our coatings can provide up to 30% savings on heating and cooling costs by automatically regulating the internal building temperatures. These coatings can be applied to interior/exterior walls or roof of new construction, pre-existing buildings and retrofit applications.
About NSF SBIR
America’s Seed Fund is a program within the National Science Foundation and housed within the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships within the Directorate of Engineering. NSF is a federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, currently with an $8.1 billion budget. Through the merit review process, NSF funds the most innovative ideas in science and technology. Notable NSF-supported advances include Doppler radar, the Internet, web browsers, bar codes, magnetic resonance imaging, inkjet printers, computer-aided design systems, tissue engineering, and other technology-based innovations that spur economic activity and improve the quality of life for all Americans.
