“Each award includes $150,000 for a total investment of $45 million.”
NASA split $45 million across 249 small businesses and 39 research institutions, $150,000 each. Winners can apply for $850,000 Phase II grants. The money is small. The real product is the NASA logo on the pitch deck, which venture investors read as a demand signal. Taxpayers fund the risky early stage and the VCs collect the upside.