58 CLEARING THE HURDLES: WOMEN BUILDING HIGH-GROWTH BUSINESSES
Government-Supported Investments
Unlike equity investors who expect to own part of the new business, spe-
cial equity investments are grants from programs created to stimulate
small business start-ups or technological innovation. The funds typically
support initial product or technology development and the granting
agency does not share in ownership of the business. Federally sponsored
special equity programs include the Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) Program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Pro-
gram. At the state level, such grants might come from programs manag-
ing employee pension funds, or from state high-technology development
programs. Detailed information ...