Funding Plan
Funding in support of Triton project will be requested from the National Science
Foundation under the SBIR grant program. Total budgeted cost for phase 1 of the
project is $98,879.
The SBIR program distributes funds in two distinct phases. During Phase I,
$98,879 will be needed for the development of the Triton prototype. This development
work will include planning, identification of requirements, hardware setup, design,
coding and testing. The SBIR program’s funding limit of $100,000 for phase I will cover
the costs of this work.
Upon successful implementation of a prototype, an additional $672,166 will be
requested for Phase II work. This funding will cover ongoing development from Phase I,
additional hard resources, technical documentation and actual beta testing of the
system at a park.
Having acquired the necessary funding in Phases I and II to complete the
prototype, the Orange Team will be in a position to enter production and
commercialization in Phase III. At this point, no additional funds can be solicited though
the SBIR program. In order to cover these costs, funding will be sought through venture
capital from outside investors. The major tasks for phase III include finalizing
manufacturer selections and distributor channels, advertising, and hiring of office. Total
phase III costs are budgeted to be $245,494. It is anticipated that after Phase III, Triton
will have obtained the necessary investor support and become a financially viable
product.
The total cost for all phases is $1,016,539. Grants total $850,000, so that leaves
a difference of $166,539 to recover.
In the out years, additional funds will be needed to cover the day to day
operations involved in maintaining and selling the product. These costs are budgeted at
$221,054 and cover personnel such as office and customer care representatives.
Deadlines for submission of proposals to the SBIR program are December 14,
2007. Work will begin shortly after approval and funding amounts have been awarded.
Additional funding sources available outside of the NSF include a Proposal
Assistance Award and Growth Acceleration Program (GAP) from the CIT. The Proposal
Assistance Award can be used to pay for Phase I and II proposal preparation and
review costs. Amounts available under this program include $1,000 for Phase I and
$2,000 for Phase II. The CIT’s GAP Investment program provides up to $100,000 and
will be available as an additional funding option for Phase III and in the Out Years.
Additionally, the Orange Team will solicit rich uncles and other wealthy family members
to support Out Year operations.