A new capital channel for proven energy technology: DOE explains SBIC-E

Federal awards fund the work that proves a technology. Scaling the company behind it takes private investors, and SBIC-E gives companies in DOE's priority technology areas a dedicated channel to funds that can back them. Whether you are building one of those companies, or you invest in critical energy technology or are weighing it, this session is for you.

On August 24, DOE and SBA signed a Memorandum of Agreement establishing the Small Business Investment Company-Energy (SBIC-E) Initiative. It builds on SBA's SBIC program, which has put $147B into small businesses since 1958, holds $58B in portfolio value today, and has backed companies that created or supported 10.6M jobs since 1995.

Under the agreement, DOE's Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) sets the priority technology areas while SBA's Office of Investment and Innovation licenses and administers the funds, which invest in small businesses working in those areas. SBIR, STTR, ARPA-E and TCF awards all continue alongside it.

On September 17, two DOE leaders will join FedTech's Ben Solomon to discuss SBIC-E live.

We'll cover a variety of topics, including:
- SBIC-E in plain terms, and how it compares to a federal award
- DOE's priority technology areas and how DOE thinks about readiness
- How SBIC-E relates to SBIR, STTR, TCF and ARPA-E awards
- How companies and investors can get involved

Initial priority technology areas include:  
- Traditional energy production, infrastructure, and storage
- Next-generation nuclear and baseload power systems
- Advanced materials, metals, and critical minerals
- Grid equipment and supply chain technologies vital to national security