LATERAL Awarded $100,000 Matching Grant from Business Oregon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PORTLAND, OREGON, December 11, 2025 – LATERAL.systems LLC (LATERAL), a AgTech Platform Company, announced that Business Oregon awarded LATERAL with matching SBIR Phase II funds. LATERAL was named with five Oregon Phase II recipients to catalyze new innovations.
LATERAL is entering a pilot phase of the LATERAL Edge MVP V1 Technology Preview whose motivation is to provide smart agriculture technologies as the world’s relationship with food is changing in response to pressures related to health, climate, energy, and scarcity of fresh water.
“LATERAL is thrilled to announce recognition from Business Oregon in awarding a $100,000 matching grant to our USDA NIFA SBIR Phase II grant from October 9th. 2023. This award demonstrates Oregon's commitment in the advancement of AgTech startup companies.” – Dr. Jennifer Wells, CEO
PRESS RELEASE EXCERPT FROM BUSINESS OREGON
Business Oregon Awards $1 Million to Support Oregon Innovators
December 11, 2025
17 entities were awarded a total of $1,099,545 to help get their products to market.
Business Oregon announces the awardees of the 2025 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Matching Grant Program, designed to help Oregon’s small businesses bridge the gap between federal research funding and successful commercialization. Twenty-eight applications were received and 17 awardees were selected to receive a total of $1,099,545.
The mission of the federal SBIR/STTR programs, often called America's Seed Fund, is to support science and technology innovation to build a strong economy. The SBIR/STTR programs provide funding to help Oregon companies accelerate commercialization that doesn’t dilute ownership, preserving control and flexibility for entrepreneurs. Business Oregon’s SBIR/STTR Matching Grant program is designed to leverage this federal investment in innovation in Oregon, encouraging businesses to develop new technologies and grow their companies locally without giving up ownership.
The Matching Grant program helps address gaps in the federal SBIR/STTR funding and supports companies trying to get their product into the marketplace. The Matching Grants can also help better position the companies for future fundraising and growth after the federal grants have completed. In the previous funding round, Business Oregon awarded over $1.5 million in SBIR/STTR Matching Grants to 20 Oregon companies, leveraging nearly $20 million in federal awards for the recipient companies.
“These awards reinforce Oregon’s commitment to helping innovative companies move beyond technical validation and into the marketplace,” said Sophorn Cheang, Director of Business Oregon. “By supporting commercialization activities, we ensure that groundbreaking technologies developed here in Oregon can grow into successful businesses that create jobs and strengthen our economy.”
SBIR Matching Awards: Phase II Matching Grants
LATERAL.systems - $100,000 - Edge-based smart farming platform enabling continuous, offline environmental monitoring to boost yields and efficiency in hydroponics, aquaponics, and nursery operations.
Full Business Oregon Press Release can be found here: