TBE startups* seeking advice and guidance for business development & marketing plans, product development & prototyping, commercialization & technology transfer, or legal questions may submit a request online here. TBE startups seeking assistance with leadership/technical recruiting or human resource strategies and optimization may submit a request online here. Support services are funded by the University of Illinois EDA University Center and are provided by subject-matter professionals and consultants that are contracted through the University of Illinois Research Park.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, often referred to as “America’s Seed Fund,” are an excellent source of undiluted funding, but are highly competitive. The FAST Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides the resources, support, and expertise necessary to submit a highly competitive proposal to help startups and companies bridge the gap between research and commercialization. Support includes office hours with an SBIR expert, 1:1 consulting, workshops, and a newsletter. Learn more here.

Technology Based Entrepreneurship (TBE)  is driven by innovation, or scientific and technological advances, to create and market a new process, solution, product, or device. A technology based entrepreneur is someone who combines their knowledge of business – with their knowledge of science or technology – to carry out these ideas. The Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC) offers resources that provide timely analysis and insight on technology-based economic activity in Illinois. This document crafted by Professor Tom Byers at Stanford University presents the Top 10 Elements of Entrepreneurship.

*Potential TBE clients should be referred by an ecosystem partner such as a technology or business incubator, university innovation or entrepreneurship program, a technology accelerator, Small Business Development Center (SBDC), International Trade Center (ITC), Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), economic development organizations, or University of Illinois Extension Office. TBE clients must be located in Illinois and be considered a startup or small business.

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) provides an immersive education that teaches researchers and innovators how to understand the potential value of their technology or inventions. Teams develop entrepreneurial skills while learning how to assess the market opportunity for new technology and commercial potential. Illinois I-Corps programs are offered by the University of Chicago Polsky Center and by the Technology Entrepreneur Center at the University of Illinois Ubana-Champaign. Both programs are members of the Great Lakes Regional I-Corps Hub.