Preconference Institute

Add some focused, subject-specific training to your conference experience by registering for a Preconference Institute workshop. Please note that all fees listed are early-bird rates. Register by March 3 to take advantage of these rates.

Sunday, April 30

Developing a Successful Incubator
9 a.m. — 5 p.m.
This comprehensive course on all aspects of incubator development is essential for anyone starting a business incubation program. Presented by seasoned incubator developers who have helped launch more than 25 incubation programs, the workshop will cover feasibility studies and needs assessments, business plans, staffing and compensation, marketing and client recruitment, and many other key topics. You’ll receive a materials booklet full of case studies, best practices information, lists of resources, sample documents and more.
Carol Lauffer, Principal, Business Cluster Development, Menlo Park, Calif.
James Robbins, Principal, Business Cluster Development, Menlo Park, Calif.
Fee: $329 NBIA members/$379 nonmembers

Technology Commercialization: Turning Innovations Into Enterprises
9 a.m. — 5 p.m.
Back by popular demand, this workshop will feature innovative technology commercialization techniques, including a method for measuring venture readiness, a model for risk valuation and a way to create a venture potential snapshot. Attending this workshop will provide you with tools to help you ask entrepreneurs critical questions, reveal strengths and weaknesses, evaluate commercialization potential, estimate venture costs, identify key milestones and calculate start-up valuations. You’ll also learn about investor requirements and expectations.
Randy Goldsmith, Ph.D., Vice President of Research, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Tex.
Fee: $329 NBIA members/$379 nonmembers

Developing Angel Organizations
9 a.m. — 5 p.m.
Angel investors often provide significant financing for entrepreneurial companies. In fact, experts estimate that the their cumulative investment by angels over the last 30 years is twice that of venture capitalists. Learn how U.S. incubators can help create regional angel communities to help clients tap into this source of funding. Presenters from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Angel Capital Education Foundation will explain various steps for developing an angel organization, including a process for determining a region’s suitability to support this kind of investor network.
Marianne Hudson, Director, Entrepreneurship, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, Mo.
Susan Preston, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, Mo.
Fee: $329 NBIA members/$379 nonmembers

Skills for Supporting Entrepreneurs
9 a.m. — 5 p.m.
Many entrepreneurs rely on incubator managers to help them overcome the business and emotional challenges of starting a business. This workshop will give you the skills and tools you need to help clients navigate professional and personal obstacles to accomplish their goals. You’ll learn strategies for assisting entrepreneurs at various levels of business development, from those looking for the confidence to start a business to clients struggling to find balance in their lives.
Suzanne Mulvehill, President, Emotional Endurance Institute, Lake Worth, Fla.
Fee: $329 NBIA members/$379 nonmembers

Critical Issues in Bioscience Incubation
8:30 a.m. — 5 p.m.
Incubating bioscience companies has become a science of its own, with a unique set of rules and issues. During this workshop, seasoned bioscience incubator managers will delve into a number of these topics, including client selection, advisory boards, regulatory and reimbursement issues and intellectual property. The presenters also will explain how to raise equity funding by adapting your revenue model to align with current funding sources.
Robert Calcaterra, CEO and President, Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise, St. Louis, Mo.
David Lohr, Executive Director, Virginia Biosciences Development Center, Richmond, Va.
Fee: $329 NBIA members/$379 nonmembers

Generating Revenue: How to Create a Self-Sustainable Incubator
9 a.m. — 5 p.m.
Many incubator developers rely on only one or two funding sources when launching a new incubation program. But expecting the funding to continue indefinitely is risky because not all grantors want to continue subsidizing the incubators they help start. Presented by experienced incubation professionals, this workshop will explore techniques for ensuring incubator self-sustainability. Whether your incubator is rural or urban, nonprofit or for-profit, this workshop will provide you with practical revenue generation strategies.
Kim Fisher, Prologue International
Thea Chase Gilman, Executive Director, Western Colorado Business Development Corporation, Grand Junction, Colo.
Fee: $329 NBIA members/$379 nonmembers