External Resources on Economic Development

Resources

Networked Incubators: Hothouses of the New Economy

Authors: Morten T. Hansen, Henry W. Chesbrough, Nitin Nohria, and Donald N. Sull
DOI: 10.1225/R00507
Harvard Business Publishing
Published: October 2, 2000

Executive Summary:

Are business incubators a fleeting phenomenon or a lasting way of bringing start-ups to fruition? Four HBS professors argue that one particular model - ”the "networked incubator" - is most likely to endure.

Morten Hansen, Henry Chesbrough, Nitin Nohria, and Donald Sull argue that one type of incubator, called a networked incubator, represents a fundamentally new and enduring organizational model uniquely suited to growing businesses in the Internet economy. It shares certain features with other incubators - mainly, it fosters a spirit of entrepreneurship and offers economies of scale. But its key distinguishing feature is its ability to give start-ups preferential access to a network of potential partners.

In this excerpt, the authors explain why access is the key and why networked incubators are emerging only now.

External Links

Regional Resources

Center for Economic Development is a community-oriented technical assistance and research center based at the University of Massachusetts Amherst that is partially funded by the Economic Development Administration. The Center's role is to provide technical assistance to Massachusetts communities, undertake community based studies, and disseminate information.

Design Industry Group of Massachusetts (DIGMA) is a collaboration of the statewide design industries to organize and promote the Massachusetts design cluster as integral to the state's economy.

MetroBoston DataCommon is an online mapping tool that provides immediate access to a wealth of data about cities and towns in Massachusetts. Explore data, print out instant community snapshots or maps, or create your own maps.

North Shore InnoVentures is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to economic development on the North Shore via the nurturing of early-stage companies. NSIV maintains facilities in Cambridge, Lynn, and Beverly.

The North Shore Technology Council is a non-profit business association focused exclusively on serving the needs of technology industries and companies which are located or are active north-of-Boston.

The Venture Development Center is a managed business incubator, located at and sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Boston, for early-stage ventures from within and outside the university.

Union Square Main Streets is a community-based economic revitalization program in Somerville, MA that provides merchants and community residents with the tools to advance the community's redevelopment.

Statewide Resources

Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems: Located on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the MIT-Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems is dedicated to serving the research needs of the sustainable energy industry. Currently, the Center focuses on three key areas: energy device prototyping, solar module testing and innovation, and building efficiency.

MassBenchmarks: The Donahue Institute at the University of Massachusetts works with faculty on all five campuses to produce high-level economic and public policy research. The results of this research are disseminated as free-standing research reports and through MassBenchmarks, the journal of the Massachusetts economy published in cooperation with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

MassChallenge: MassChallenge's goal is to create a renaissance of business startup activity across all the regions of Massachusetts by catalyzing collaboration and commercialization via a Venture Funds Competition. A Venture Funds Competition combines the collaborative, educational and catalytic impact of a business plan competition with the business and job creation of a seed fund.

Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development: A brief overview of all programs.

Massachusetts Office of Business Development is Massachusetts state agency committed to assisting companies who want to locate, expand, grow, or maintain a presence in Massachusetts. Their staff contact list offers a starting point for inquiry.

Massachusetts Site Finder is an interactive database intended to help relocating and growing companies identify commercial or industrial facilities in Massachusetts that meet their specific needs.

Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute is a cooperative venture between the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to promote sustainable fisheries through education and research.

New England Economic Indicators database is a service of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. This interactive database provides current and historical economic data for the six states in the first Federal Reserve District: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, RhodeIsland, and Vermont.

Federal Resources

Economic Development Administration is a federal agency that targets its investment assistance to attract private capital investment and creating higher-skill, higher-wage jobs in communities that are suffering from economic distress; investments are focused on locally-developed, regionally-based economic development initiatives

U.S. Census Bureau: American FactFinder is an online, interactive source for nationwide population, housing, economic and geographic data.