Please note that the application deadline for the Tech Metal Transformation Challenge is January 15th, 2026 at 11:59pm PT. Apply here today!
<aside> Webinar #3 Recording
https://start2-group.zoom.us/rec/share/PSM3IkTNy8_4jcjmwL-c9xnVO9gV7O9tUjMJ5t7syJeoCM2KImr5VoCGGlSQBYbM.8eNi-jxIu7A0GUJH?startTime=1767898837000 Passcode: [email protected]
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<aside> Slides:
STRIDE Ventures TMT Info Webinar 12182025.pdf
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<aside> Additional Q&A Session:
(01/08/2026) Question: Is this considered a prize or NSF grant or contract?
Answer: This is a fixed term contract with Start2. Please refer to the Participant Agreement on the STRIDE Ventures website.
(01/08/2026) Question: Is critical metal extraction from mining waste excluded?
Answer: No - it is not excluded. The starting material (shredded PCB + HDD blend) was selcted to represent the complex waste streams that the TMT Challenge is primarily concerned with. This material will be used as a benchmark to quantify your team’s technological development over Stage 1. For commercialization and scale, each company will be able and encouraged to pursue whatever feedstock / waste stream makes most sense for them.
(01/08/2026) Question: What if I don't submit the optional material? Does it negatively affect my chances if I convey every important detail in the main pages?
Answer: Lack of optional material will not penalize an applicant.
(01/08/2026) Question: Looking for clarity on defining the budget for the initial application. How much granularity do you want? More detail? Less? 1,000 word limit in the work plan to both answer the prompts, explain the plan, and detail the budget makes granularity in the budget seem constrained.
Answer: The application due on January 15th, 2026 requires an overview of how funds will be spent throughout the year across major funding categories. Applicants will be screened and pre-selected for in-person pitches by February 4th. If an applicant is selected for pitching, the NSF will provide a budget template to be filled out for increased budgeting granularity.
(01/08/2026) Question: Since the NSF is teaming here into the STRIDE Venture, what type of contracts are allowed here? And is the 15% cap for indirect costs applied to the price proposals? Is fee allowed?
Answer: IDCs and Fees are allowed, without specific caps. The challenge has a strong interest in funding efficient projects and will be observing fees and IDCs as evaluation criteria, where lower rates are viewed favorably.
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<aside> Webinar #2 Recording
https://start2-group.zoom.us/rec/share/9tqYJeVopTm8kg7ImbAQ6S2OJ8yxAVoHEZH7tBhF0QQlRTLaOQ-EB90IxLF9Orib.2m_XeCebRWCv93vw?startTime=1766084419000 Passcode: .BC.8!Ad
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<aside> Additional Q&A Session:
(12/18/2025) Question: What if our technology mitigates (completely) the use of critical minerals? Does that fit into the challenge?
Answer: Critical metal substitution technology is unlikely to be in scope of this challenge.
(12/18/2025) Question: Under How to Apply, it was mentioned "A work plan covering all three stages of the challenge," could we update the work plan for the 2nd and 3rd stages once we start working on Stage 1 if funded?
Answer: Yes! We expect that the work plan will have some variation between phases. Budget estimates, on the other hand, are only required for Stage 1.
(12/18/2025) Question: Final product: in the form of metal oxide acceptable or it has to be metal?
Answer: The final product should be coordinated with relevant industrial off-takers. Stages 2 and 3 are designed to allow teams to coordinate their products with relevant partners. This may be metal oxides, metals with a specific purity, or other functionalized products (ex. specific alloys).
(12/18/2025) Question: Does the feedstock have to be the materials you prvide or we could select our feedstock which aligns with this call?
Answer: NSF/Start2 will provide PCB reference materials as a validation test for Phase 1. This material is not intended to be each team's ultimate feedstock. Teams can select their own waste metal feedstock.
(12/18/2025) Question: We have applied for NSF STTR? can we apply the same concept for this call? Is the call considered a grant or prize?
Answer: Applicants will need to assert the are not currently receiving funding for the same topic. This is a challenge program, where teams will be funded at the start of each stage. Funding will be issued as yearly contracts.
(12/18/2025) Question: Who owns the IP rights should something innovative come out at Stage 1 with the reference test materials?
Answer: Teams retain all IP rights. Please refer to the participant agreement in the TMT application.
(12/18/2025) Question: Are the reviewers academics or internal?
Answer: Start2 will convene a jury of industry professionals and subject matter experts to review in-person pitches. Applications will not be processed using a typical NSF review process.
(12/18/2025) Question: Will the timeline affected by a government shutdown?
Answer: Due to Stride Venture's management of the challenge, a potential future government shutdown should not affect the proposal selection timeline.
(12/18/2025) Question: Is cost-share required?
Answer: No, cost share is not required. In latter stages, teams will be encouraged to find additional investments and funding, and the TMT challenge is able to provide coaching for teams to interact with VCs and outside funders.
(12/18/2025) Question: Where is the budget spreadsheet located?
Answer: The application as available in the relevant links does not have a template. A shortlist of teams will be selected to pitch in-person to a panel of jurors - these teams will be notified by February 4th, 2026 and will be asked to fill out a budget template spreadsheet.
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<aside> Webinar #1 Recording Link: https://start2-group.zoom.us/rec/share/EHs8jhgnG3CijElWsqa-EcGYvJFj7ZuXdKbbVy39Mu6Ara-fbI8cSy9uPZhKtROT.TsuXvgYhARjbmrta Passcode: p=%jww8N
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<aside> Additional Q&A Session:
(12/11/25) Question: You mentioned 10-month proof of concept for Stage 1. This is similar to DOE SBIR Ph 1, which has not been reauthorized. Can small businesses as Applicants construe this as a single topic replacement for SBIR?
Answer: Small businesses that apply and address the scope of the challenge outlined in the solicitation will be considered for funding. This program is not related to and does not intend to replace the SBIR program.
(12/11/25) Question: SBIR has IP protection and security embedded in the application process. what protection do our ideas receive from stride venture
Answer: The STRIDE Ventures team and associated reviewers are all under NDA. The tools and platform used by the team to collect and review the application materials comply with a wide range of security standards (including SOC 1/SSAE 16/ISAE 3402 (formerly SAS 70 Type II), SOC2, SOC3, FISMA, DIACAP, FedRAMP, PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 27001, ITAR, HIPPA, and Cloud Security Alliance). Applicants are not required to submit confidential information but are recommended to mark specific confidential components of the submission accordingly.
(12/11/25) Question: Does STRIDE request cost sharing? Is cost sharing encouraged or simply allowed? In other words, does cost sharing count towards merit of the proposal?
Answer: Cost sharing is allowed and should be documented. It may help demonstrate commitment and capacity, but it is not a required or weighted factor in review.
(12/11/25) Question(s): TMT vs. NSF
Answer(s): TMT significantly differs from a typical NSF RFP. These differences include: 1) program structure and format, 2) focus on end-to-end solutions, 3) application, evaluation and selection process, 4) market integration requirements, 5) funding model and participant agreement, and 6) speed.
(12/11/25) Question: What is the contracting mechanism? OTA, Cooperative Agreement, etc.?
Answer: The contracting mechanism is a year-to-year contract with Start2 Group, Inc. – the terms and conditions are laid out in the Participant Agreement (linked).
(12/11/25) Question: Respectfully, it must be asked for the record as to whether or not Stride Ventures is a venture capital or private equity group? The name would be a good name for any venture capital fund.
Answer: STRIDE Ventures is not a traditional venture capital or private equity group – all of the funds received through STRIDE Ventures challenges and the Tech Metal Transformation Challenge specifically are equity-free and non-dilutive.
(12/11/25) Question(s): Funding:
Answer(s): The terms and conditions of the funding are in the published Participant Agreement(linked). Semifinalists, or teams invited to Pitch Day, will be required to submit NSF style biosketch and current and pending documentation for all key personnel.
(12/11/25) Question: Thanks for the presentation. I found the stage 1 period is only for 10 months. Could you elaborate what TRL3 means (examples) at the beginning of the project, and what TRL you expect at the end of stage 1?
Answer: TMT is a milestone driven program focused on accelerating the recovery of critical metals of industrial importance. At the end of Stage 1, the milestones outlined in the solicitation (proof-of-concept, quantitative performance, integration pathway, etc.) are more important than a specific TRL.
(12/11/25) Question(s): Application Criteria
Answer(s): Anyone can apply, and yes, you can submit a proposal even with limited preliminary data. This is a high-risk, high-reward program that prioritizes concept validation and breakthrough innovation over extensive prior results, and it is willing to fund approaches that other opportunities might shy away from. Early-stage ideas are welcome if you clearly outline your technical approach, provide minimal feasibility evidence (such as small-scale tests or literature benchmarks), explain why your method is novel and scalable, and address how you may address the Stage 1 End-of-Year Milestones.
(12/11/25) Question: Is the solution required to integrate biology, chemistry, and computational elements?
Answer: No, the solution is not required to integrate biology, chemistry, and computational elements. Interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged because they can strengthen innovation, but any method that meets the challenge goals is acceptable. The challenge goals are outlined in the solicitation.
(12/11/25) Question(s): Standardized Starting Materials (PCBs)
Answer(s): At the end of Stage 1, teams will be evaluated on a number of different metrics. One of those metrics includes recovery of metals from the provided “feedstock” (more aptly named reference starting materials). STRIDE Ventures will provide each team with 1 kg of shredded e-waste that is a mixture of printed circuit boards and hard drives. TMT is not exclusively interested in metals from PCBs—the challenge focuses on technologies that can recover and transform critical and strategic metals from complex domestic waste streams.
(12/11/25) Question: what is the reference material? are there different types for different metals? (e.g. batteries for lithium, electronics for others...)
Answer: STRIDE Ventures will provide each team with 1 kg of shredded e-waste that is a mixture of printed circuit boards and hard drives.
(12/11/25) Question: Do the selected companies start with the same waste stream material?
Answer: All teams will start with the same reference material to provide quantification metrics for Stage 1. The reference material was selected to represent metals that are not typically recovered from waste streams today, but the challenge itself is feedstock agnostic.
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<aside> Upcoming Webinar Dates:
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<aside> Upcoming Program Dates
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<aside> <img src="/icons/tabs_blue.svg" alt="/icons/tabs_blue.svg" width="40px" /> STRIDE Ventures STRIDE Ventures is a national platform for breakthrough innovation, launched by the U.S. National Science Foundation and Start2 Group. It supports bold, milestone-driven efforts to translate emerging technologies into real-world capabilities that advance U.S. competitiveness and resilience. By minimizing bureaucracy and maximizing momentum, STRIDE empowers teams to move fast, take risks, and deliver impact where it matters most.
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<aside> <img src="/icons/microscope_blue.svg" alt="/icons/microscope_blue.svg" width="40px" /> NSF
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