The National Science Foundation is a US federal government agency that funds fundamental research and education in all non-medical fields of science and engineering. For startups, NSF provides critical non-dilutive funding through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs ('America's Seed Fund'), which provide Phase I ($275K) and Phase II (~$1M) awards to technology companies.

NSF SBIR/STTR has funded a wide range of neurotech and neuroscience-adjacent companies at the earliest stages, including BCI hardware, neural signal processing, neurofeedback, cognitive tools, and brain monitoring devices. NSF funding is particularly important for technical founders before they are ready for venture capital.