NASVF partners with National Business Incubation Association

February 9, 2010

Contact:
Kelly O’Day
Vice President, Membership/Programs
kelly@nasvf.org

Leah Nairn
Partner and Alliance Developer
lnairn@nbia.org

ATHENS, Ohio—The National Association of Seed and Venture Funds (NASVF) and the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) are joining forces to create more opportunities to link investors with entrepreneurs.

The two associations have signed an MOU and a created a dual membership to increase education and communication among members of both organizations. Through this alliance, NBIA and NASVF hope to create more networking opportunities and make available more resources to encourage dialogue between business owners and funders.

“I am really excited about forging a partnership with NASVF, as we hope this will bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and investors,” said NBIA President and CEO David Monkman. “We understand that this is a central concern to our members and their clients.”

Business incubation programs facilitate the process of starting and growing companies by providing entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools they need to make their ventures successful. NBIA estimates that in 2005 alone, North American incubators assisted more than 27,000 start-up companies that provided full-time employment for more than 100,000 workers and generated annual revenue of more than $17 billion. Approximately 7,000 business incubators operate worldwide. NBIA’s membership includes more than 950 organizations in over 55 countries, encompassing 1,880 industry professionals.

NASVF is a global nonprofit organization with 600 individual members in 43 states and four countries. NASVF promotes investments in seed- and early-stage companies by supporting entrepreneurship and job creation through the formation of innovation capital programs.

"NASVF is very pleased to promote this dual membership as we strive to cooperate with industry partners in growing innovation capital, creating job growth and increasing job opportunities throughout America,” said Jim Jaffe, NASVF president and CEO.

NASVF connects investors, economic development organizations, public and private funds, and tech transfer professionals to build local economies through commercializing technologies.

NBIA is the world’s leading organization advancing business incubation and entrepreneurship, providing thousands of professionals with information, education, advocacy and networking resources to bring excellence to the process of assisting early-stage companies.

Contact NBIA

Phone: (740) 593-4331
Fax: (740) 593-1996
340 West State Street, Unit 25
Athens, OH 45701-1565
info@nbia.org