Any US citizen interested in zero equity seed money from the US government should investigate SBIR (of which this is the NSF component), a program overseen by the Small Business Administration, but run through the departments. (You end up paying in other ways — but you should be aware of it as an option.)

Every US government research program must provide 3% of its R&D to small businesses, with the goal of seeding American innovation outside of major conglomerates.

Personally, I view results driven government seed money as a viable answer to many questions the US faces — but it requires we pull together behind a vision of free people engaged in small commerce, something the US left wing seems to vehemently oppose.

I’m a capitalist, though: I believe the best way to cause human flourishing is expansive commerce coupled with individual freedoms, and suggest anyone disputing the social value of that show me a system that’s uplifted as many minorities out of poverty as, say, McDonalds franchising.