SBIR, STTR, and non-dilutive funding strategy + execution
Build the right funding path for deep tech
BW&CO helps founders and R&D leaders choose the right innovation funding opportunities, build stronger projects, and execute complex pursuits tied to technical, commercial, and production milestones. We are a Houston-based firm working with deep-tech, R&D, and advanced-manufacturing companies on SBIR, STTR, and other federal and non-dilutive funding.
$350M+ secured for clients. 350+ companies served. As of 2026.
The best technology does not get funded. The best-positioned technology does.
Deep-tech companies rarely need another list of grants. They need to know which opportunities fit the company, what project is worth pursuing, what evidence the funder needs, and how to execute without overwhelming the team.
- Internal teams know the technology but are not continuously studying funder priorities.
- Traditional consultants often stop at the published solicitation.
- AI tools speed up drafting but do not replace fit, agency context, reviewer judgment, and accountable leadership.
Why deep-tech companies work with BW&CO
Experience
Your proposal benefits from lessons learned across 3,000+ funded proposals and $3 billion awarded.
Front Door + Back Door
Your proposal should respond both to the solicitation and to what the funder is really trying to fund.
Front Door means the published opportunity: requirements, deadlines, evaluation criteria, forms, instructions, eligibility, and compliance.
Back Door means the context behind it, built from research, permitted stakeholder outreach, agency-priority analysis, program-gap assessment, customer discovery, and positioning validation. It never means inside information, special access, or influence over evaluators.
The strongest fit
We track new funding opportunities as they publish and match them to each client. Before recommending a pursuit, we compare your technology, stage, project, agency alignment, commercial path, timing, and likelihood of success.
How BW&CO works
- Choose: decide whether, where, and when to pursue, based on fit with your technology, stage, and milestones.
- Position: shape the project, evidence, team, budget, narrative, and the funder-specific case.
- Execute: develop, coordinate, review, check, approve, and prepare the submission.
- Advance: record the result and lessons, decide the next pursuit, and build the evidence the next proposal needs.
Ways to work with BW&CO
- Full-service proposal development: single proposal. One defined opportunity, from qualification through submission readiness.
- Full-service proposal development: multiple proposals. An ongoing engagement to choose, sequence, and develop pursuits tied to your company milestones.
- Fractional proposal services. Funding strategy and opportunity selection, project and proposal strategy, proposal writing, proposal review, or compliance and submission readiness, bought on their own.
- Funding specializations. SBIR/STTR, BAAs, CSOs, OTAs, grants, state and foundation funding, and industrial-base programs.
Recent client results
A sample of published engagements across NIH, NSF, NASA, CDC, and DoD. Each shows the funding challenge, what BW&CO contributed, and the verified result.
NIH SBIR Phase I
Zircadia
An in-ear sleep diagnostic needed a fundable NIH case. BW&CO led funding strategy, proposal writing, and project management, and Zircadia received an NIH SBIR Phase I award.
CDMRP JWMRP
Neurotechnology company
An early-stage neurotechnology company pursued the Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program. BW&CO supported the pursuit from strategy through award execution, and the company secured more than $3 million.
NSF STTR Phase I
Senphonix
SleeveSense, a continuous vitals-monitoring wearable, needed an STTR proposal built around a research partnership. BW&CO handled strategy, the proposal, and compliance, and Senphonix received an NSF STTR Phase I award.
CDC SBIR Phase I
Women-owned medtech startup
A startup reducing healthcare-acquired infections needed to turn preliminary research into a competitive application to the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. The company received a $312,559 SBIR Phase I award.
NASA STTR Phase I
Olfera
Olfera's OChip, an olfactory brain-on-chip for studying Parkinson's disease aboard the International Space Station, needed a NASA-aligned case. BW&CO supported the proposal, and Olfera received a NASA STTR Phase I award.
AFWERX SBIR Phase I
AI technology company
A California AI company found a DoD opportunity without the time or proposal capacity to pursue it. BW&CO led strategy, writing, and administration, and the company received a $148,880 Phase I award, going from start to award in under four weeks.
Each client supplied the technology, data, and team, and the funding agency made every award decision. Results vary by program, client, and proposal; past results do not guarantee future awards. Program names are used for identification only. BW&CO is not affiliated with or endorsed by the sponsoring agencies.
What clients say
"BW&CO provided invaluable guidance throughout the SBIR process, especially in navigating company registration and ensuring full compliance with DoD requirements."
Aliaksei Stratsilatau, CEO, UAVOS
Who we work with
- Deep-tech founders and early-stage companies building their first funding path
- R&D-intensive companies moving from research toward commercialization
- Established technology companies and manufacturers pursuing major federal scale-up opportunities
Find open funding opportunities
Our non-dilutive funding database tracks open SBIR, STTR, BAA, and OTA opportunities from DoD, NIH, NSF, DOE, NASA, and other agencies, with deadlines, budgets, and fit guidance. Browse by area: biotech, medtech, defense and dual-use, aerospace, AI and machine learning, advanced materials and manufacturing, and more.
Program names are used for identification only. BW&CO is not affiliated with or endorsed by the sponsoring agencies.
Frequently asked questions
What does BW&CO do?
BW&CO is an innovation funding strategy and execution firm. We help deep-tech companies choose the right funding opportunities, build stronger projects, and execute competitive funding pursuits, including SBIR, STTR, BAA, CSO, OTA, grant, and state funding proposals.
Who is BW&CO for?
Founders and R&D leaders at deep-tech, R&D-intensive, and advanced-manufacturing companies, from early-stage startups pursuing a first SBIR award to established manufacturers pursuing federal scale-up funding.
Does BW&CO write SBIR and STTR proposals?
Yes. Proposal writing is one part of our work. BW&CO is a funding strategy and execution firm, and most of the value comes from choosing the right opportunity, positioning the project, and running a disciplined pursuit.
Does BW&CO guarantee funding?
No. Agencies make every award decision, and no consultant can guarantee one. BW&CO can guarantee defined service standards it controls, such as the money-back term on its compliance package.
Where is BW&CO based?
BW&CO is based in Houston, Texas, and works with companies across the United States pursuing funding from DoD, NIH, NSF, DOE, NASA, ARPA-H, and other federal and state programs.
How do I get started with BW&CO?
Book a call through the Assess your funding path page. We review your technology, stage, and milestones and tell you which funding paths fit, which do not, and what to do next.
Find out which funding paths fit your technology
One call covers your stage, milestones, and the opportunities worth pursuing.