Liv Labs Awarded Competitive Digital Health Innovation Grant from the NSF

Liv Labs has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $256,000 to conduct research and development (R&D) work on a digital health platform to treat urinary incontinence.

“By combining good-old-fashioned human caring with artificial intelligence, we will make first-line incontinence treatment more affordable, convenient and common for over 30 million Americans who need it. The beauty of NSF funding is it obligates us to go deep and really innovate on what’s possible, not just chase what’s expedient,” says Liv Labs Cofounder and CEO, Melody Roberts.

Liv Labs seeks to change how uncomplicated urinary incontinence is initially managed, moving the care workflow from clinic to home and optimizing health coaching for busy lifestyles. This new model of care will be convenient for patients, relieve overburdened clinicians, and expand treatment access to Americans living in places without hands-on specialists.

To make this vision a reality, Liv Labs has engaged clinical consultants and hired a small team of experts in health informatics and software engineering. Every member of the team has both R&D and commercial experience building innovative software that improves everyday human experience in services industries.

“NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering,” said Andrea Belz, Division Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. “With the support of our research funds, any deep technology startup or small business can guide basic science into meaningful solutions that address tremendous needs.”

Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR grant, it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II (currently 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.


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.

Startups or entrepreneurs who submit a written Project Pitch will know within one month if they meet the program’s objectives to support innovative technologies that show promise of commercial and/or societal impact and involve a level of technical risk. Small businesses with innovative science and technology solutions, and commercial potential are encouraged to apply. All proposals submitted to the NSF SBIR/STTR program undergo a rigorous merit-based review process. To learn more, visit: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/