FAU Innovation and Business Development (I&BD) Pipeline: An Expanded Footprint of Services of the SBDC Offered in 11 Areas of Innovation to Attract International Startups and Business Communities into the South Florida Ecosystems

In the U.S., Florida Atlantic University is an economic development leader in South Florida. The problem FAU faced was there was no evident innovation and business development pipeline (I&BD). Tech Runway was founded to help startups, but there were no entrepreneurial programs that directly fed into accelerators. The new pipeline encompasses opportunities like FAU Wave, Adams Center for Entrepreneurship, Market Validation Program, I-Corps Site, the Office of Technology Development, FAU Tech Runway®, Tech Runway Investors Network, Florida Small Business Development Center, Office of Global Partnerships, and many more. This economic development asset is a replicable model by other higher education institutions around the globe to enhance innovation from the regional communities and attract startups in collaboration with international ecosystems. I&BD helps individuals and businesses through the pipeline from 11 strategic locations and utilizes existing FAU resources. It emphasizes programs that help imagine, build, grow, expand, and thrive and connect them globally.