May 25, 2026
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.