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AMES, Iowa – America’s Small Business Development Center Iowa (SBDC) Associate State Director, Austin Strawhacker, testified before the United States Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship on May 5th. The hearing, titled "Golden Age of American Innovation: Reforming SBIR-STTR for the 21st Century," examined the effectiveness of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Strawhacker emphasized the critical role these programs play in fostering innovation, supporting small businesses, and driving economic growth. He also highlighted the need for reforms to improve accessibility, streamline the application process, and ensure more equitable funding distribution, particularly for rural entrepreneurs and first-time applicants. The hearing sought to identify reforms that would strengthen these programs’ ability to support small business innovation and maintain the United States’ competitive edge in technology and research.
A recording of the hearing can be found here:
https://www.sbc.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2025/3/golden-age-of-american-innovation-reforming-sbir-sttr-for-the-21st-century
Austin Strawhacker is the Associate State Director of the Iowa SBDC, hosted by Iowa State University. The Iowa SBDC operates 15 centers across the state, providing expert business counseling to entrepreneurs and small business owners. Austin oversees the Iowa SBDC’s Technology and Commercialization team, which supports innovative entrepreneurs in leveraging federal and state resources in all 99 Iowa counties.
Strawhacker holds bachelor's degrees from Grand View University and a master's of Public Administration from Drake University, where he was inducted into the Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society for Public Administration. He chairs the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) Research and Data Committee and serves on the Iowa Rural Development Council. In 2022, Strawhacker was recognized as a national ASBDC 40 Under 40 honoree.
America’s SBDC Iowa is an outreach program of Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business and the Office of Economic Development and Industry Relations. Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity, 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612, Hotline 515-294-1222, email eooffice@iastate.edu.
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, America’s SBDC Iowa has 15 regional assistance centers located strategically across the state. Since the program's inception in 1981, the SBDC has helped Iowa businesses and entrepreneurs through no fee, confidential, customized, professional business counseling and practical, affordable training workshops.
For more information on America’s SBDC Iowa programs or services, call (515) 294-2030 or visit www.iowasbdc.org, https://www.facebook.com/IowaSBDC, or https://twitter.com/IowaSBDC.
Press Contacts:
Austin Strawhacker, America’s SBDC Iowa, 515-294-2030, astraw@iastate.edu
Leah Pitts, America’s SBDC Iowa, 515-294-0041 lmpitts@iastate.edu
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