Inside Business Incubators and Corporate Ventures

By Sally Richards

Business incubators and the technology start-ups they funded enjoyed phenomenal success in the 1990s, only to see many of their bubbles burst at the turn of the millennium. Yet according to Silicon Valley insider Sally Richards, "Technology never rests and companies are undervalued right now. Fortunes are born out of this kind of market chaos." A confidante to the technology industry's premier powerbrokers, Richards brings you a first-person view of both sides of the negotiating table in Inside Business Incubators and Corporate Ventures. Richards's exhaustive interviews of all the industry's pioneers, coupled with fascinating case studies of successful incubators, will introduce you to the prime sources of start-up capital as the technology industry contracts and expands. You will also learn where many of the strictly for-profit incubators went wrong and why many of the successful incubators today are those aligned with city or state governments, universities, or established corporations on a nonprofit basis. Whether you are an executive looking to reposition or launch a new incubator, an entrepreneur trying to determine the best source of funding, or an individual investor who wants to know where to place your money now, Inside Business Incubators and Corporate Ventures will prove a gold mine of information on the past, present, and future of business incubation. Foreword by James Robbins, Executive Director, Panasonic Concepts Center; CEO, Business Cluster Development; and Executive Director, Software Business Clusters

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471418641
• ISBN13: 9780471418641
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

A balanced and expert-informed approach to incubation

Sally Richards has tapped into a wide range of Silicon Valley experts-experts through their experience in either success or struggle-to provide a timely and balanced exploration of the opportunities available in incubation. I currently live in "the Valley," and it is refreshing to see an honest treatment of not only the challenges but also the opportunities that exist in developing start-up enterprises in a range of incubator and other venturing environments, rather than the over-reaction (both positive and negative) so common in many treatments of the business climate. I felt the contributions of Jim Robbins-one of the most experienced incubator founders in Silicon Valley-were especially valuable, both in his thoughtful introduction and as quoted in the main text. I found this text very helpful in understanding the "key learnings" from diverse experience in business incubation of various forms, and it should be helpful to others both inside and outside of Silicon Valley.

A great reference for our troubled economic times

These days it's hard to find a source for sound financial advice. Richard's new book goes to the source - providing insider information and case studies - and offers a refreshingly honest look at the hits and misses in coporate ventures and business incubators.