Courtesy of Prince William County Economic Development Agency
Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chair Deshundra Jefferson announced the three IGNITE Startup Grant Program winners last week at the annual Make Your Mark Business Community Celebration. The county’s signature entrepreneurial development program provides education, funding and networking opportunities at a critical time for startups and fast-growing companies to expand.
Each representative took home $100,000 for their company.
- Polaris Genomics is leasing lab space at Innovation Park’s Prince William Science Accelerator. The company is blending technology and biology to reduce reliance on subjective questionnaires and develop precise tools and diagnostics for a range of conditions, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, ADHD, TBI and substance use disorders.
- Manassas-based Smart Response Technologies has developed Delphini™, cloud-based intelligence software for emergency responders designed to eliminate misunderstandings and missed calls, leveraging a patented, real-time AI engine to transcribe live radio and 911 calls.
- The Spaceport Company is based in Woodbridge and has a team with over 30 years of combined experience in the space and infrastructure industries. The company has developed an innovative launch tracking system built into a transportable container, allowing the technology to be rapidly deployed wherever it is needed to support launch missions into space.
From left to right: Dr. Tshaka Cunningham (Polaris Genomics), Christina Winn (PWCDEDT), Chair Deshundra Jefferson (BOCS), Tom Marotta (The Spaceport Company), Roger Mann (Smart Response Technologies), and Chris Shorter (Prince William County Government).
“We are excited to welcome new faces and recognize the achievements of companies that continue to make their mark on our community,” Jefferson said. “I’m proud that this group of IGNITE Startup Grant recipients is such an impressive group of innovative companies from a variety of industries.”
The pilot IGNITE program was funded by the CARES Act in 2020, with final grant funding totaling $600,000 in 2021 and 2022.
Relaunched in 2023 and funded by ARPA funds, the grant program includes an additional category for awards of up to $100,000 with successful performance metrics and new criteria to ensure applicants are outside of NOVA EDA (Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax City, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fauquier, Loudoun, Manassas and Manassas Park) to honor commitments to community partners.
“Our team learned so much from the pilot program; this group not only stands out for its novel technology, but also for its sound business practices,” said Christina Winn, executive director of the Prince William County Economic Development and Tourism Agency. “From launching our small business program when I arrived in 2019 to celebrating with over 200 business owners at our annual event, this has been one of the benchmark programs that has established our entrepreneurial community.”
Apply now at pwcded.org/IGNITE. Applications are due July 1.
