Startup Talk: SBA launches ‘Startup in a Day’ in six cities, more to come

Editor’s note: Each Thursday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Startup Talk,” a round-up of startup, technology and entrepreneurial news.

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SBA LAUNCHES ‘STARTUP IN A DAY’ SOLUTIONS IN SIX U.S. CITIES
Six U.S. cities – Los Angeles, Boston, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, Washington, D.C., and Jackson, Mich., – have launched their “Startup in Day” (SIAD) projects initiated by the Obama administration to make it easier for businesses to get started.

According to the SBA, several additional cities will be launching their solutions over the next month. Last year, as part of the initiative, 25 cities and two Native American communities were each awarded a $50,000 prize as part of the Startup in a Day – Start Small prize competition.

For more details about Startup in a Day, visit here.

USDA ANNOUNCES R&D INVESTMENTS FOR 76 SMALL BUSINESSES ACROSS COUNTRY
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that 76 small businesses around the country will receive $7.4 million in grants to conduct research related to food security, natural resources, and agricultural issues.

The grants are made through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, a competitive funding source that is coordinated by the Small Business Administration and administered by 11 federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to encourage domestic small businesses to engage in high-growth research and development that has the potential for commercialization and could lead to significant public benefit.

PENTAGON ESTABLISHES NEW INNOVATION UNIT AT CENTER OF AUSTIN’S TECH COMMUNITY
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced Wednesday (Sept. 14) that the Department of Defense will establish a new Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, or DIUx, presence in Austin, Texas.

Like the existing DIUx offices in Silicon Valley and Boston, the team in Austin will link the department with America’s leading innovators to help address national security challenges and ensure America’s warfighters remain on the cutting edge of technology, Carter said. Initially, the new DIUx reserve presence will occupy space within the well-known Austin technology incubator Capital Factory.

It will be led by Christy Abizaid, who previously served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia and on the National Security Council staff. The rest of the staff will primarily be filled by local reservists and National Guard members already working within Austin’s tech community.

The goal of DIUx is to use technology innovation to tackle some of the nation’s toughest defense challenges – from autonomy, artificial intelligence and machine learning to cybersecurity and analytics. To date, DIUx has signed five agreements for $3.5 million. Another 22 projects are in the pipeline, totaling an additional $65 million of forthcoming investment. Further information about DIUx and its work with the tech community may be found here.