Julie Kunkle hails from the South Carolina Department of Commerce, heading up the Office of Innovation's Relentless Challenge grant series. Julie shares how the program works, the impact it's having on the state and what organizations can expect when they apply. She also gives the inside scoop on what she and the review board are looking for, along with tips and insights on how to create a compelling application. Tune in for the grant guru and as a bonus, hear Julie's advice for startups that she learned from her early days at AOL.
2:03 - Julie’s career progression from newspapers to AOL to SC Dept of commerce
5:13 - An overview of the Relentless Challenge grant program and who it supports
6:24 - The three goals of the grant
7:37 - Julie releasing the next round of funding
8:52 - The difference in programmatic grants & infrastructure or company funding
12:15 - Julie’s “Favorite” programs the grant has funded
16:11 - The value of treating incubators & accelerator as startups themselves
18:17 - How Julie and her program help make the grant application as accessible as possible
21:11 - What applicants should do if they’re stressed about completing the application in time
22:56 - Criteria Julie looks for in organizations that are applying
25:56 - How the same criteria for grants apply to companies seeking investors
26:16 - The importance of the team
28:18 - It’s ok if a project needs to change or pivot - as long as the end goal stays the same
29:27 - Tips for getting your organization grant ready
32:12 - Things Julie learned from AOL that she advises startups and organizations to follow now
36:18 - How everyday folks can get involved and foster innovation