The Manufacturing Hardware Accelerator, funded by the Economic Development Administration and offered in partnership with the College of Engineering at Cornell University, is a cohort-based program that supports hardware startups ready to bring their prototypes into production.
Donor Name: Economic Development Administration
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Accelerator
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 08/11/2022
Details:
The tools and knowledge required to identify a customer need and create a working prototype are different from the process of designing and creating a reproducible product and working with manufacturers to scale production at the required quality while keeping costs reasonable.
Participating entrepreneurs benefit from programming, significant manufacturing expertise and advice, business mentorship, access to local manufacturers, and introductions to investors to enable them to advance from the prototype stage into production and bring their products to market.
Program Details and Expectations
The 8-10 accepted cohort teams will have access to valuable programming, mentorship, and networking opportunities over the course of the 60-week program. The cohort gathers virtually two weekdays each month for a focused workshop and will gather in Ithaca, NY approximately three times during the program for immersive experiences and manufacturing tours. Each startup is required to meet with their assigned mentor for one hour each month and additional ecosystem events, networking opportunities and training sessions will be available, but are not required.

Mentorship & Networking

Manufacturing consulting
Regular meetings with entrepreneurs-in-residence from a variety of fields
Manufacturer visits and introductions
Networking events


Workshops

SBIR, funding, investing, and financing
Design for X (manufacturing, assembly, test)
Manufacturing processes
Electronics subassemblies
CAD and software tools
Intellectual property
Quality systems and regulatory
Packaging, distribution, and logistics
Sales
Pitching
Negotiations
Product and project management
Bill of Material and Bill of Process



Who is this Program For?
The manufacturing hardware accelerator is designed for startups based anywhere in the U.S. that have already developed a fully functional prototype and identified its customer market. Hardware and physical product startups with innovations geared towards businesses or consumers that include electronics, plastics, enclosures, mechanisms, and or machines are encouraged to apply.
Ideal candidates have a:

Legal entity company with the rights to the intellectual property behind their design
Dedicated full-time team (prefer at least two people, but one person can qualify)
Validated business model, including technical feasibility and business viability
Identified market size and customer problem
Viable, working prototype that meets customers’ needs
Funding plan to make initial prototypes

For more information, visit Manufacturing Hardware Accelerator.