Balfour Technologies
Bethpage, NY 11714
Highlights: Recipient of 22 SBIR Awards showcases the SBIR program
Founded in 1999 by twin brothers, Robert and Richard Balfour, Balfour Technologies began as a consultancy with expertise in simulation and training. The company’s chief offering was a software program, which they decided to develop themselves rather than use someone else’s product.
“That’s a hard thing to do,” says Rich, Balfour’s president. Indeed, this strategy left the brothers “living from contract to contract over the years … looking for a place to land.” Ultimately, Balfour found a home with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) research arm, its Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). Its door to this pay dirt: The SBIR Program.
“The SBIR Program is what got us our start,” says Rich. “DHS S&T saw some value in what we were doing. We had Phase I, Phase II, and are in commercialization stages now...