Fostering Tech-based Entrepreneurship

It is unfortunate the word entrepreneurship has become as overused a buzzword as innovation because developing vibrant climates to support tech entrepreneurs remains one of the most important elements of successful state and local TBED.



Not all entrepreneurship is created equal, however. The country's standard of living will decline if it were based entirely on low-wage retail and service businesses – even if every single one of them was created by budding entrepreneurs.



The most successful regional economies in the U.S., according to the Small Business Administration, are built on a foundation of technology firms. Its tech entrepreneurship, then, that matters most.



This fact is not lost on nearly every state and local TBED program across the country. A wide variety of approaches have been implemented throughout the U.S. with equally varied degrees of success.



A Resource Guide for Technology-based Economic Development outlines the most effective strategies for facilitating entrepreneurship. These strategies, the guide points out, often are labor and capital intensive, whether the approach is intended to educate entrepreneurs or provide the resources to increase their success. Optimizing these public investments to support entrepreneurs, then, takes on some urgency.



The guide walks readers through the variety of approaches, examples of each and key factors to consider to increase the impact and effectiveness of entrepreneurship programs and policies.



A Resource Guide for Technology-based Economic Development is available for download or purchase from SSTI. More information is provided in the article below.