Commercializing Technology Through New Business Incubators by Raymond W. Smilor. Considers the new business incubator as a means of leveraging resources to develop new companies. The new business incubator - otherwise known as the innovation center, among other names - has been evolving since the late 1970s to give new firms, especially high-technology and manufacturing firms, structure and credibility. As a company's innovative management system, the incubator's director, board of directors, advisory council, and consultant network provide knowledge and enthusiasm, improved efficiency, and the perception of success, among other things. These resources, and more specific assistance related to facilities support, administrative assistance and business expertise, give the company a competitive edge. A national survey of new business incubators was administered in July-August of 1985, followed up by onsite analysis and in-depth interviews with incubator managers and directors in the United States.
The Role of Incubators in the Entrepreneurial Process. Technology business incubators: how effective as technology transfer mechanisms? Abstract Technology business incubators provide a mechanism for technology transfer, promote the concept of growth through innovation and application of technology, support economic development strategies for small business development, and encourage growth from within local economies. This study provides a profile of technology business incubators in the United States, reviews previous research, and reports results of research on the technology transfer activities of technology business incubators.
It is not surprising that universities and other research organizations are major developers of technology business incubator programs. The study found that technology business incubators have not had a high incidence of technology transfer despite the fact that many were established with that goal in mind. Keywords Technology business incubators; Technology transfer; Economic development; University-based economic development programs Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. Entrepreneurship and university-based technology transfer. A Terry College of Business, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-6256, USAb Lally School of Management and Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180-3590, USAc Leads School of Business, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA Available online 10 November 2004 Choose an option to locate/access this article: Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Check access Get rights and content Abstract The success of business incubators and technology parks in university settings is often determined by how well technology is transferred from the labs to their startup firms.
Based on interviews with 128 UTTO directors, we show that whereas for-profit UTTO structures are positively related to new venture formation, traditional university and nonprofit UTTO structures are more likely to correlate with the presence of university-based business incubators. Keywords. The dirty secret behind the incubator boom. “It’s people. Soylent Green is made out of people. They’re making our food out of people. Next thing they’ll be breeding us like cattle for food.” Detective Thorn, Soylent Green By its very nature, entrepreneurship involves a certain amount of throwing spaghetti against a wall. Our “spaghetti” is called a minimal viable product, and we launch them because nobody really knows what’s going to stick. But while watching a recent demo day for one of the countless incubators that have sprung up in the last 18 months, I was struck by a horrifying revelation.
While the decreasing cost of launching a startup has been almost universally celebrated, one of the downsides has been a flood of would-be entrepreneurs into the Internet space. As market forces dictate, when there is an overabundance of a certain resource, the value of that resource decreases. For many incubators, entrepreneurs have reached this point. Another characteristic of markets is that value accrues to the scarcest resource. Business Incubation to Support Business Growth | Ontario Business Report. So you have a great business idea. But how do you turn that idea into reality? What do you need? What are the steps? How do you create a successful business? Many of the answers can be found in a business incubation program. More than 130 business and technology incubation centres are currently operating across Canada, including about 30 in Ontario. Each one is designed to nurture the success and growth of new and early stage businesses to the point that they are stable and profitable.
“The goal of business incubation is to help businesses flourish in the community, create jobs in the community, and pay taxes in the community,” explains Ed Hobbs, Chair of the Canadian Association of Business Incubation (CABI) and General Manager of the Toronto Business Development Centre. “Incubation provides entrepreneurs with professional support, practical advice, physical space and the benefit of a network,” he adds. In Canada, two out of three new businesses do not survive their fifth year. Go Inside Google Garage, The Collaborative Workspace That Thrives On Crazy, Creative Ideas | Fast Company | business + innovation.