ACCEL-KS at Groover Labs Proof-of-Concept Program is sponsored by Groover Labs. Helps Kansas innovators transform ideas from concept to commercialization, offering early funding, mentorship, and resources for scalable product development.

Groover Labs is one of two statewide partners implementing the Kansas Department of Commerce ’s Accelerating Concepts to Commercialization in Kansas Proof-of-Concept Program.

Announcing the ACCEL-KS Award Recipients Groover Labs announces the recipients of ACCEL-KS Proof-of-Concept (POC) grant funding, part of a Kansas Department of Commerce initiative administered by Groover Labs to help founders transform early-stage ideas into commercially viable products and companies.

Udpates: ACCEL-KS Round 1 Grant Applications We received more than 50 applications during Round 1 of the ACCEL-KS at Groover Labs proof-of-concept program. We’re incredibly excited by the early response, which shows once again that founders across the state of Kansas are innovating.

Groover Labs visits emporia main street Last week, the Groover Labs team hit the road to meet with several rural partners interested in participating in the ACCEL-KS at Groover Labs grant program. The ACCEL-KS at Groover Labs grant program helps Kansas innovators transform ideas from concept to commercialization.

Awards provide early funding, mentorship, and access to resources that help founders test, validate, and launch scalable products. Two tracks: Software and Hardware ACCEL-KS at Groover Labs is open to any Kansas resident or to founders starting or growing a business in the state. We’ve built several layers of flexibility into the program to meet the needs of early-stage founders.

Two customized tracks are available, tailored to different types of technologies: Software Track - Designed for startups building software and/or mobile platforms and digital tools. This track includes support for early product development and testing. Hardware Track - Designed for startups creating physical technology products.

Participants will have supervised access to the Maker Labs, fabrication tools, and a vast network of support. ACCEL-KS at Groover Labs offers structured programming that includes expert-led startup courses, mentoring, and networking opportunities. Founders across Kansas can participate in person or virtually, depending on the program format.

In addition to programming, eligible founders can receive a membership at Groover Labs, which includes access to our coworking space, weekly coaching sessions, supervised use of the Maker Labs, and connections to our startup community. Programming course topics include customer discovery, hardware prototyping, business model design, capital strategy, “Design-for” experimentation, commercialization, and more.

Participation in the educational track is optional but can strengthen a founder’s grant application. We’ll award grants of up to $25,000 to founders with strong product concepts and development paths. These grants are designed to support the proof-of-concept stage, helping founders build, test, and refine their early-stage products.

Grant recipients are required to submit quarterly progress reports. Grant recipients can use the funds for consumables, project-specific materials, software licenses, tools, equipment, expert support, training, and outreach, but not for general overhead, salaries, financing expenses, or other unrelated costs.

Depending on the needs of each grant recipient, we’ll either provide technical support in-house or connect founders to trusted ecosystem partners.

These include NXTUS for customer engagement and capital access; the Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub: Kansas for “Design-for” bootcamps; Wichita State University’s College of Engineering for “Design of Experiments” sessions; Kansas State University’s Technical Development Institute for technical consultation and prototyping support, and more.

Reaching Rural Founders in rural kansas We’re partnering with rural economic development organizations across the state to identify founders in rural communities, review applications, and award grants. Throughout the year, we’ll travel to participating communities for rural roadshows to promote the program, support local startup ecosystems, and build regional momentum.

Rural grant recipients can participate in our programming remotely or through on-site sessions in their area. Interested in being a rural partner? Contact us here .

ACCEL-KS is a statewide effort to build innovation in Kansas by combining funding, mentorship, and technical support with strong regional partners. We’re thrilled to be selected, along with the KU Innovation Park , and we look forward to working with Kansas innovators across the state.