AI-powered platform creates a direct pathway for startups, operators and growth-stage companies to explore funding, infrastructure and business expansion in Nevada
RENO, Nev. (May 27, 2026) — Nevada Battle Born Growth Escalator Inc., which operates Nevada’s State Small Business Credit Initiative program, Battle Born Growth, under contract from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development, has launched Build Nevada, a new AI-powered platform designed to connect founders, operators and growth-stage companies with capital, infrastructure and expansion opportunities across the state.
The platform creates a more direct pathway for companies nationwide to explore Nevada as a place to build, hire, manufacture, scale and access funding. Through Build Nevada, companies can engage with Nevada’s innovation ecosystem and identify potential pathways to venture capital, growth lending, equipment financing and expansion support.
GOED is currently deploying a $38.5 million second tranche of SSBCI funding, with a pathway to a final $38.5 million tranche. Together, the program is expected to reach up to $112.9 million in total venture and lending capacity.
Build Nevada Creates a More Direct Path to Capital
Build Nevada serves as a national front door for both in-state and out-of-state founders seeking growth opportunities in Nevada. The platform is designed to help companies evaluate the state’s funding tools, industry priorities, infrastructure assets and business expansion resources.
Companies using the platform submit structured project profiles outlining:
- What they are building
- Current traction and market opportunity
- Team and leadership background
- Growth plans
- Funding or financing needs
- Potential Nevada operations, hiring, manufacturing or expansion activity
Projects are then matched with relevant capital pathways, financing tools and strategic partners across Nevada’s innovation ecosystem. Typical opportunities range from $250,000 to more than $3 million, including venture equity, equipment financing, growth lending and expansion capital tied to Nevada operations.
“Build Nevada is a public-facing tool that gives us a clearer signal on who is aligned with what we’re trying to do,” said Kyle Ferguson, NBBGEI Chief Program Officer for Venture Capital. “We’re focused on companies building real products in industries that matter to Nevada. This helps us spend more time on the right opportunities while giving founders a better way to engage with the ecosystem.”
AI-Powered Platform Supports Nevada’s Innovation Economy
Build Nevada is designed to connect founders with Nevada’s broader innovation infrastructure, including digital engagement through the platform and in-person programming at The Oddie District, described as the world’s largest makerspace and innovation campus under one roof, located in the Reno-Sparks metro area.
The platform helps Nevada identify companies aligned with the state’s target sectors while giving entrepreneurs a clearer understanding of where Nevada is investing and how they may qualify for support.
“Most founders have no idea programs like this even exist, or whether they qualify,” said Nick Smoot, Co-Founder of Build_ and Co-Developer of The Oddie District. “Build Nevada changes that. Founders can now see where Nevada is investing, position their company accordingly, and engage through a much more direct and efficient process.”
Nevada Targets High-Growth Industries for Investment and Expansion
Build Nevada is structured around industries where the state has competitive advantages and long-term growth potential.
Key target sectors include:
- Energy and electrification
- Advanced manufacturing
- Robotics, automation and drone systems
- Industrial AI and infrastructure intelligence
- Defense and industrial resilience
- Supply chain and logistics technologies
- Rural industrial growth
Nevada continues to attract founders and operators seeking faster timelines, lower operating friction and direct access to infrastructure, workforce and growth capital.
“In the current market environment, startups and small and medium sized enterprises are seeking environments where they can move fast and execute quickly,” said Karsten Heise, who leads innovation-based economic development at the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “We are bringing together infrastructure, talent, and capital in a way that allows companies to grow efficiently while building long-term value for economic development impact.”
Open to Founders Nationwide
Companies do not need to be based in Nevada today to use Build Nevada. However, participating companies must demonstrate a clear path to building, hiring, manufacturing or expanding operations in the state.
The platform is now live, with active industry opportunities and early company engagement already underway.
Founders can submit their company through Build Nevada at: https://tinyurl.com/buildNV
Strengthening Nevada’s Startup and Business Expansion Pipeline
The launch of Build Nevada adds another tool to Nevada’s economic development strategy by connecting companies with capital, infrastructure and industry-specific growth opportunities.
For site selectors, founders, operators and investors, the platform provides a clearer view of Nevada’s target industries and funding pathways. For the state, it creates a structured process to identify high-potential companies that can contribute to job creation, business growth and long-term economic competitiveness.
About the Governor’s Office of Economic Development
Created during the 2011 session of the Nevada Legislature, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development is the result of a collaborative effort between the Nevada Legislature and the Governor’s Office to restructure economic development in the state. GOED promotes a robust, diversified and prosperous economy in Nevada by stimulating business expansion and retention, encouraging entrepreneurial enterprises, attracting new businesses and facilitating community development.
About the State Small Business Credit Initiative
The State Small Business Credit Initiative is a nearly $10 billion program designed to support small businesses and entrepreneurship in communities across the United States by providing capital and technical assistance to promote small business stability, growth and success.
SSBCI is expected to catalyze up to $10 of private investment for every $1 of SSBCI Capital Program funding, increasing access to capital for small businesses and entrepreneurs, including those in underserved communities. Nevada’s SSBCI program, Battle Born Growth, is overseen by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
About Nevada Battle Born Growth Escalator Inc.
Nevada Battle Born Growth Escalator Inc. is a Nevada-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation created in 2016 by the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development to promote, aid and encourage economic development across the state.
NBBGEI operates Nevada’s federal and State Small Business Credit Initiative program, under contract from GOED, to support high-growth startups, small and medium-sized businesses and underserved entrepreneurs.
Learn more at www.nvsmallbiz.org.
About Build_
Build_ is an AI-powered socioeconomic network that helps communities organize talent, projects, companies, funding and resources around real-world opportunities. The platform gives cities and regions a practical operating system for entrepreneurship, workforce development, local investment and community problem-solving.
Functioning like an AI-enabled city-building game for the real world, Build_ turns scattered ideas, talent, funding and local challenges into a coordinated system for collaboration, investment, measurable progress and long-term community growth.
Learn more at www.buildcities.com.
