SBA Launches 6th Annual Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, Debuts SBIR Catalyst The US Small Business Administration announced its 6th Annual Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) with the addition of a new component aimed at spurring investment in underrepresented communities within the innovation economy at scale. The 2021 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Catalyst programs will recognize the nation’s most innovative organizations with inclusive approaches towards supporting entrepreneurs in research and development (R&D). New to this year’s competition, two tracks will run totaling over $5 million in cash prizes. “The Growth Accelerator and SBIR Catalyst programs are important parts of our efforts to support high-tech, deep-tech startups, by developing a network that targets the unique needs of pre-revenue, R&D-focused businesses,” says SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. “We are committed to equity and will award prizes to organizations that are finding ways to inclusively support underserved entrepreneurs—including women, people of color, and individuals living in underrepresented geographic regions—so that they can participate, contribute, and benefit from the US innovation ecosystem.”