Government grants and SBIR for startups.
SBIR and STTR awards are non-dilutive federal funding for small US businesses doing research and development. You need active SAM.gov registration with a Unique Entity ID, SBA Company Registry registration and an account on each agency's portal, plus a proposal, budget and support letters. A grants folder set keeps registrations, proposals and award compliance in one place.
Grants and SBIR room
- 01 Registrations
- 02 Eligibility
- 03 Topics and pitches
- 04 Proposals
- 05 Budgets
- 06 Partners
- 07 Awards
How it works for a startup.
Eleven federal agencies run SBIR programs, and five also run STTR, which requires a partnership with a research institution. Phase I funds a feasibility study and Phase II funds fuller development. Each agency has its own topics, deadlines and portals, and some, such as NSF, ask for a short project pitch before a full proposal is invited.
Eligibility rules include being a for-profit US small business with 500 or fewer employees, including affiliates, and meeting ownership tests. Registration takes time: SAM.gov must be active and renewed every year, and the SBA Company Registry issues the control ID that proposals require. Many first-time applicants lose a cycle by starting registration too late.
Awards bring obligations: progress reports, invention disclosures, cost records and, for larger awards, audit requirements. Investors and acquirers later ask for these records, along with any government rights in inventions developed under the award.
Top 10 data rooms for this job.
Our five measures, re-weighted for grants and sbir. Places 11 to 17 are listed below the cards.
- Setup speed 21%
- Investor experience 12%
- Access control 21%
- Diligence tools 19%
- Startup pricing 27%
- 1 9.4/10First-rate
- $149 monthly
- 14-day free trial
- 8/12 feature checks
- Investor Q&A
- NDA e-signing
- Dynamic watermarks
- View-only and download control
- SOC 2 (hosting)
- 2 8.2/10Strong pick
- $250 monthly
- Free trial offered
- 8/12 feature checks
- Investor Q&A
- NDA e-signing
- Dynamic watermarks
- View-only and download control
- SOC 2
- 3 8.2/10Strong pick
- Quote only
- Free trial offered
- 9/12 feature checks
- Investor Q&A
- Dynamic watermarks
- View-only and download control
- Viewer activity log
- SOC 2
- ISO 27001
- GDPR
- 4 8.0/10Strong pick
- Quote only
- Free trial offered
- 7/12 feature checks
- Investor Q&A
- Dynamic watermarks
- View-only and download control
- Viewer activity log
- SOC 2
- ISO 27001
- 5 8.0/10Strong pick
- Quote only
- Free trial offered
- 8/12 feature checks
- Investor Q&A
- Dynamic watermarks
- View-only and download control
- Viewer activity log
- SOC 2
- ISO 27001
- 6 7.9/10Strong pick
- $299 monthly
- Free trial offered
- 7/12 feature checks
- Investor Q&A
- Dynamic watermarks
- View-only and download control
- Viewer activity log
- SOC 2
- 7 7.9/10Strong pick
- Quote only
- Demo, no trial
- 10/12 feature checks
- Investor Q&A
- Dynamic watermarks
- View-only and download control
- Viewer activity log
- SOC 2
- ISO 27001
- GDPR
- 8 7.8/10Strong pick
- $55 monthly
- Free trial offered
- 9/12 feature checks
- NDA e-signing
- Dynamic watermarks
- View-only and download control
- Viewer activity log
- SOC 2
- ISO 27001
- HIPAA
- 9 7.6/10Good option
- Quote only
- Free trial offered
- 6/12 feature checks
- Investor Q&A
- Dynamic watermarks
- View-only and download control
- Viewer activity log
- SOC 2
- ISO 27001
- 10 7.5/10Good option
- Quote only
- Demo, no trial
- 8/12 feature checks
- Investor Q&A
- Dynamic watermarks
- View-only and download control
- Viewer activity log
- SOC 2
- ISO 27001
- GDPR
Show places 11 to 17
- Intralinks 7.4
- Onehub 7.4
- SmartRoom 7.3
- Digify 7.1
- ShareVault 7.0
- DocSend 6.8
- Venue by DFIN 6.6
Folder index.
A starting structure for this room. Rename folders to fit your company and keep the numbers.
SAM.gov record and UEI, SBA Company Registry control ID, agency portal accounts, CAGE code.
Ownership and size documentation, affiliation analysis, cap table at application.
Solicitation topics, project pitches, invitations to submit.
Technical volumes, commercialisation plans, submitted versions with timestamps.
Budget and justification, indirect cost basis, subcontract budgets.
Research institution agreements for STTR, letters of support, consultant letters.
Award notices, contracts or grant agreements, terms and conditions.
Progress and final reports, invention disclosures, iEdison records.
Timesheets, cost records, drawdown records, audit reports if required.
Need every file by stage? Use the startup data room checklist.
Must-have features.
| Provider | Bulk folder upload | Viewer activity log | Investor Q&A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellty | |||
| SecureDocs | |||
| iDeals | |||
| Firmex | |||
| Ansarada | |||
| CapLinked | |||
| Datasite | |||
| Citrix ShareFile | |||
| DealRoom | |||
| Drooms |
- Bulk folder upload
- Drag a whole folder tree in at once and keep its numbering.
- Viewer activity log
- Shows which investor opened which file, for how long and when, and exports the record.
- Investor Q&A
- Funds and buyers ask questions against a file; you assign, answer and publish replies, and the thread stays on record.
Set up the room in 6 steps.
- 1
Register early
Start SAM.gov registration and the UEI weeks before the deadline, then the SBA Company Registry and the agency portal.
- 2
Check eligibility in writing
Document ownership and employee counts, including affiliates. Venture-backed companies should check each agency's rules on investor ownership.
- 3
Collect partner letters
Ask partners, research institutions and potential customers for letters well before the deadline.
- 4
File the submitted version
Keep the exact submitted proposal and confirmation, not just the last draft.
- 5
Set up award compliance
Once awarded, create folders for reports, invention disclosures and cost records, and set renewal reminders for SAM.gov.
- 6
Share with investors on request
Investors will ask about government rights and reporting status. Share the awards and reporting folders view-only.
Common mistakes.
- Starting SAM.gov registration days before a deadline.
- Missing invention disclosures required under the award terms.
- Letting SAM.gov registration lapse during an active award.
- No record of time and costs charged to the award.