State supports companies commercializing new technologies with grants of up to $50K
SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) Secretary-Designate Rob Black announced today that the Office of Strategy, Science and Technology has awarded Science & Technology Business Startup Grants to seven burgeoning technology companies.

The grants are available to New Mexico-based for-profit science and technology companies with high-growth potential. Eligible businesses must work in one of the following fields: advanced computing, advanced energy, aerospace, bioscience, and water technology. The grant specifically seeks to support companies that provide a unique product or service, have a clear and compelling business proposition, demonstrate a scalable product and business model, have the potential to create jobs in New Mexico and/or garner private investment, and can provide economic benefit to the state greater than the award amount.

Award amounts for fiscal year 2025 were increased to a maximum of $50,000 from a previous maximum of $25,000, enabling the department to provide additional critical support for the commercialization of new technologies. The higher award amounts are made possible with the New Mexico Legislature and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's continued support for economic development initiatives in science and technology.

"EDD's science and technology grants spotlight the innovative entrepreneurial activity happening right here in New Mexico," Black said. "The expansion of this program underscores the state's commitment to advancing homegrown technology and business growth."

The Office of Strategy, Science and Technology (OSST) and the Technology Research Collaborative (TRC) Board reviewed over 40 applications in a very competitive field. Final award recommendations were made to EDD leadership by the TRC Board based on utility of the grant award and the potential for community and economic impact.

The seven companies receiving Science and Technology Business Startup grants are:

EnviTrace LLC (Santa Fe), awarded $42,000 - EnviTrace LLC is developing cutting-edge Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) tools for Artificial intelligence (AI) analyses, characterization, and prediction of geologic reservoir processes. The company focuses on consulting and research related to renewable energy and climate mitigation problems such as energy production and storage, geothermal extraction and utilization, carbon sequestration, and waste management.

SciVista, Inc. (Santa Fe), awarded $42,000 - SciVista, Inc. was founded in Santa Fe in 2018 and has developed SummitVR™, an immersive and collaborative Virtual Reality, Data Visualization software engine, and is launching FireVista™ in the fall of 2024. In training, FireVista™ can simulate fire scenarios in a safe and controlled environment for use in firefighter training, assist in planning and executing prescribed burns, and be used for public education on the importance of tree thinning and prescribed burns in wildfire management.

Sentiré Medical Systems, Inc. (Santa Fe), awarded $32,000 - Sentiré Medical Systems, Inc. is developing an intraoperative monitoring device to make the 15 million laparoscopic and robotic assisted surgical procedures performed annually safer, more efficient, and more cost effective. Sentiré is a National Science Foundation award winner and is using cutting-edge gas sensing and detection technology to address the most devastating and costly complications associated with laparoscopic surgery. Sentiré is also a New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program fellow company.

Solstar Space Co. (Santa Fe), awarded $50,000 - Solstar Space provides internet-based communication solutions that keep people, spacecraft, and devices connected in space. The company supports space-based communications requirements from the Low Earth Orbit and suborbital requirements of today to the cislunar and lunar surface requirements of tomorrow, blazing new pathways in space communications for all types of on-orbit assets including satellites, space stations, launch vehicles, lunar gateways, habitats, landers, rovers, and more.

Spiritus Technologies PBC (White Rock), awarded $50,000 – Spiritus stands at the forefront of high-quality direct-air capture (DAC) carbon removal, bringing to life a groundbreaking solution that captures and sequesters megaton-scale CO2 from the atmosphere. Their approach integrates a novel sorbent material, an innovative process design and a modular approach that promises cost-efficient and scalable carbon removal.

Undesert Corporation (Los Alamos), awarded $42,000 - Undesert's patented technology purifies dirty water into pure water and dry salt, condensing water eight times the concentration of seawater (200,000 PPM) to ultra-pure (5 PPM) water. Their SWAP water purification technology leaves zero liquid discharge and is modular, scalable, and requires very little energy.

VastVision Technologies, LLC (Albuquerque), awarded $42,000 - VastVision bridges physical assets with digital automation that enables organizations to attach inexpensive passive chips to every asset in an environment and deploy a network of readers and antennas to monitor asset movement. The company then implements a software layer to control and automate digital processes associated with those assets, eliminating the need for manual status updates.

###