How ARPA-H Is Opening New Doors for Small Businesses: Sam Gussman-Toh on Funding, Commercialization, and Breakthrough Health Innovation

In this episode of BioTalk with Rich Bendis, Sam Gussman-Toh, Portfolio Manager for the Small Business Program at ARPA-H, joins the conversation to discuss how the agency is creating new pathways for small businesses developing ambitious health technologies. Sam explains how the ARPA-H model differs from traditional federal funding programs, with a focus on moonshot health solutions, program manager-led portfolios, milestone-driven contracts, and a strong emphasis on moving technologies toward real-world use. He also discusses how the Small Business Program supports SBIR and STTR performers through Phase I, Phase II, Direct to Phase II, and Fast Track awards. The conversation highlights how ARPA-H is working with ambitious small businesses, including non-traditional companies and early-stage startups that may be working with the federal government for the first time. Sam also shares how commercialization support is built into the program, including ARPA-H's Entrepreneur-in-Residence partnership with BioHealth Innovation. Through that relationship, BHI EIRs help performers strengthen regulatory strategy, intellectual property planning, go-to-market strategy, reimbursement considerations, and other key commercialization needs. Sam also discusses ARPA-H's draft Small Business Program solicitation, the upcoming virtual Proposers' Day on June 11, and what companies should know about the application process, topic areas, technical pitches, and future funding opportunities. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant. Sam Gussman-Toh is Portfolio Manager for the Small Business Program at ARPA-H, where he coordinates and oversees the agency's SBIR/STTR awards and commercialization support services for participating small businesses. Sam joined ARPA-H in 2022 and wrote the agency's first SBIR/STTR solicitation. He has held several roles in the Office of Commercialization and has worked closely with Program Managers to build the agency's commercialization infrastructure and strategy. Previously, Sam designed and managed rapid prototyping programs across agencies in the Department of War. His technical background is in computer science, with interests in computer vision, autonomous robotic systems, and computational pathology.