Stack the Odds in Your Favor: 5 Smart Steps to Take Before You Apply
Maybe someone told you to apply for an SBIR. An investor, an advisor, your cousin who read a LinkedIn post about "free money."
Non-dilutive funding can extend your runway, validate your science, and make you more credible to investors, all without giving up equity. But it has costs too: weeks of writing, months of waiting, and time pulled away from customers, data, and fundraising. That makes whether and when to apply critical strategic decisions. Grants aren't right for every company or every stage, and part of this session is how to tell whether a grant pipeline is worth your time right now.
If the answer is yes, the next question is where. The NIH SBIR is a great option, but it's not the only one. Other funders are actively looking to support startups, and some move faster or draw far fewer applicants. The key is knowing how to find them, and how to make sure you're investing in applications where you're a realistically competitive candidate.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: THE "STACK" METHOD
In this 50-minute webinar, you'll see the full map of funding options, including the ones most founders miss. You'll learn the free tools insiders use to size them up, and you'll run the research on your own company as we go.
Scan for opportunities
Target your agency, institute, and mechanism
Analyze who's already funded
Check your fit
Know who to reach out to
LIVE-ATTENDEE BONUS
Three live attendees will win a free 30-minute Grant Strategy Session with Melanie. You'll fill in a brief intake survey (or send your one-pager), then we'll talk for 30 minutes. You'll leave with your next 3 moves: where to apply and how to approach it.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Founders and scientists at biotech, medtech, diagnostics, and digital health startups who are considering grants or other non-dilutive funding. Whether you've never applied or you've been rejected before, you'll leave knowing whether grants make sense for you right now, where you're most competitive, and what to do next.
ABOUT BRAINWAVES CONSULTING, LLC
BrainWaves Consulting provides non-dilutive grant strategy and writing for life science startups. Founder Melanie Das, PhD, is a biomedical scientist who works directly with every client, from funding strategy through submission. She and her team have helped clients secure over $50 million in federal and foundation funding, including NIH, NSF, and SBIR/STTR awards.
OFFICIAL RULES:
Sponsor: BrainWaves Consulting, LLC
No purchase necessary. Registering for and attending the free live webinar on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 is the only way to enter.
Eligibility: 18 or older, US resident, and representing a company that plans to apply for non-dilutive funding. Not open to grant consultants, grant writers, or other service providers, or to BrainWaves current clients.
How to enter: register and be present at the live session. Attendance is confirmed from the webinar platform's attendance report.
Prizes: three prizes, each one 30-minute Grant Strategy Session with Melanie Das, including a brief intake survey or review of the winner's one-pager. Sessions must be held by January 31, 2027. No cash value; not transferable.
Drawing: held by Saturday, November 7, 2026 by random selection from all eligible entries. Odds depend on the number of eligible attendees.
Notification: winners are emailed and must reply within 5 business days, or an alternate winner is drawn.
Other: void where prohibited.