Local small businesses receive state grant for technology development –

“These grants are so impactful and powerful for someone like us,” O’Connell said. “We can really multiply that effect with education, outreach, building networks and relationships, for us it’s more than just expanding our business.”

She said Equiti Foods’ grants have empowered them to release their recipes online for customers, enabling them to make the meals themselves and gain education about nutrition and dieting.

“Having things like grant funding sometimes allows us to operate a little bit differently than a pure for-profit only business,” O’Connell said. “We have these side missions that we’re trying to accomplish, such as education and outreach.” 

The grants are also used to fund small businesses’ initial development. 

“Our company wouldn’t exist without these grants because they provided the only funding we currently have,” Sorbenta co-founder and UNC chemistry professor, Frank Liebfarth said.

Sorbenta, a company that works to remove PFAS, or forever chemicals, from water, received grants from the National Institute of Health, UNC’s Kickstart Venture Services and the One North Carolina Small Business program. 

Liebfarth said these grants have allowed Sorbenta to hire two employees, rent lab space, send their product to customers and work with legal and accounting firms.

Although Liebfarth lives in North Carolina, he said he didn’t have to start his company here, but he chose to because of the grants the state offers. He said North Carolina’s grant opportunities make it an attractive spot for small businesses, giving it a competitive advantage when it comes to innovation. 

The executive director of the Office of Science, Technology, and Innovation in the N.C. Department of Commerce, John Hardin, said North Carolina was one of the first states to implement a grant matching program in 2005. 

He said the program is an important economic development tool because a little bit of state funding can go a long way, leading to job creation and follow-up funding from other sources. 

“The aggregate impact is very large,” Hardin said. “We’ve funded more than 500 companies and a good number of those, like 70 percent or so, are still in business, and most of them are growing.” 

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