The Larimer Small Business Development Center (SBDC), sponsored locally by Front Range Community College, will move its offices to the Rocky Mountain Innosphere in mid-April as part of a new partnership between Innosphere and SBDC.
The Innosphere building is at 320 E. Vine Drive, Fort Collins.
“It’s exciting to see that so many business assistance programs will be under one roof when the Larimer Small Business Development Center moves to the Innosphere building,” said SeonAh Kendall, City of Fort Collins economic policy and project manager. “Innosphere has always been a place for entrepreneurship, and SBDC will continue to provide quality resources to the local business community.”
“The partnership between SBDC and Innosphere is beneficial because the SBDC offers business consulting and training that maximizes the economic potential of Colorado entrepreneurs,” said Mike Freeman, Innosphere CEO. “The SBDC has an experienced team of counselors and advisors that can give the small business owner the tools to manage business challenges, which offers a complementary service to existing Innosphere programs such as the SAGE advisor network, which matches experienced business talent with early stage companies.”
“We are thrilled to welcome our existing and new clients into this impressive facility, with its energizing organizational culture and reputation. Further communication to our clients will be provided in the weeks ahead.” said Mike O’Connell, SBDC director. The building provides modern effective training facilities and conference space for local entrepreneurs, while the Innosphere incubator program offers its client companies access to a broad network of specialized resources and creates long-term regional economic impact through efficient, personalized growth strategies for entrepreneurs.
SBDC services such as providing low-cost trainings and confidential free one-on-one consulting will remain the same, while the opportunity to collaborate with Innosphere will likely increase service offerings. “Being able to work with the Innosphere on joint programs like Lean Launch Pad and Lunch and Learns will enhance the SBDC’s already successful 90+ training classes per year,” said Erin Fink Smith, director of Corporate Solutions at FRCC. “The SBDC has always served the Larimer County small business world well and we’re excited that its services will now provide a brighter vision for our community.”
About Rocky Mountain Innosphere
Innosphere is a 501c3 nonprofit technology incubator formed to accelerate the development and success of high-impact scientific and technology start-up companies. By leveraging deep stakeholder relationships, Innosphere offers their clients access to a broad network of specialized resources creating a streamlined path to success. Innosphere currently provides support to over 3 dozen start-up companies with resources such as assistance with raising capital, help in assembling solid management teams, strategic corporate partner development, relationships with test and demonstration facilities, discounted professional service providers, and educational and networking opportunities.
Innosphere has two physical locations: headquarters in Fort Collins, Colo., and the “Innosphere at CREED” office located at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., which serves to expand Innosphere’s cleantech program throughout all of Colorado by supporting start-ups who will provide the next generation of clean, renewable, and efficient energy technologies
About Larimer SBDC
America’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network is a partnership of federal, state, higher education, and private resources. There are more than 900 SBDC centers throughout the U.S., with the mission of offering training and consulting for small businesses.
The Larimer SBDC ran more than 90 low-cost training classes in 2013 covering a wide range of business issues, and conducted more than 1,700 hours of confidential free one-on-one consulting for both existing businesses and start-ups. Learn more about the Larimer SBDC at www.larimersbdc.org, or call (970) 498-9295. The Larimer SBDC is partially funded by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through Colorado’s Office of Economic Development (OEDIT), with matching funds by Front Range Community College.
