Notice of NSF Award - July 2025
Cache Awarded Competitive Grant from the National Science Foundation
Small Business Innovation Research Program Provides Seed Funding for R&D — Cache DNA
[SAN CARLOS, CA], July 22nd, 2025 – Cache DNA, Inc. has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $1.25 million to conduct research and development (R&D) work on a way to preserve biomolecules at room temperature.
This innovative method removes the need for expensive refrigeration and cold chain dependencies, which are often inaccessible around the world. This breakthrough could transform biomedical research by enabling researchers anywhere to collect, store, and analyze the molecular signatures of human diseases and unique biological organisms. Built on fundamental advances in polymer chemistry, this technology protects fragile biomolecules in microscopic capsules that can remain stable without power.
Cache’s Co-Founder, Dr. James Banal remarks, “We're reimagining how humanity stores its biological future, saving millions of irreplaceable samples from failing freezers that could unlock tomorrow's breakthroughs. Cache is building the foundational infrastructure to preserve biology's raw data at a planetary scale, making master records of molecular information as accessible as software, ensuring that transformative discoveries reach every corner of the world, regardless of geography or wealth."
Co-founders of Cache DNA (Michael Becich, James Banal) & Velocity Bio (Daniel Mokhtari, Ali Lashkaripour)
Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant (up to $275,000), it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II (up to $1,000,000). Small businesses with Phase II funding are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investment or sales.
Entrepreneurs who submit a written Project Pitch (https://seedfund.nsf.gov/apply/get-started/) will know within about a month if they meet the program’s objectives to support innovative technologies that show promise of commercial and/or societal impact and involve an appropriate level of technical risk. Startups and small businesses with innovative science and technology solutions, and commercial potential are encouraged to apply.All proposals submitted to the NSF SBIR/STTR program, also known as America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, undergo a rigorous merit-based review process. To learn more about America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, visit: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/ (https://seedfund.nsf.gov/)
About the National Science Foundation's Small Business Programs: America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.
For more information about grant collaborators, visit: