39th International Conference on Business Incubation (ICBI39)

Congratulations to Our Award Winners!

Welcome to our InBIA Awards Showcase, where we honor the outstanding achievements of organizations across multiple award categories. Each winner has demonstrated exceptional dedication, innovation and impact to their field and are setting new standards of excellence. Join us in celebrating their success and the positive change they bring to our communities and industries!

Awards

Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year Awards

InBIA awards the ESO of the Year Awards to organizations that have demonstrated excellence in supporting entrepreneurs in all areas. These ESOs have developed and implemented best-in-class practices to help startups succeed and to contribute to a healthy, thriving entrepreneurship ecosytem.

Categories for ESO of the Year:

1. Technology/Science

2. Mixed-use

3. Sector-focused (food, life sciences, arts, etc.)

4. Rural (population of less than 50,000 people within 50 miles of location)

Specialty Awards:

Most Innovative Program

Business incubators and other types of entrepreneur support organizations began as an innovative way to foster small business growth and success. Today, as ESOs evolve and improve the assistance they provide startups, innovation is embedded in their operations. These innovations may include the evolution of existing services or brand-new initiatives, and this award honors ESOs that think “outside of the box” to implement high-impact programs.

1. Eligibility - ESOs that have created, implemented and operated an innovative project, program or activity (the “Initiative”) for at least one fiscal year at the time of application.

Excellence in Communications

This award recognizes ESOs that have designed and executed exemplary communications, marketing, and storytelling initiatives. Initiatives for recognition include annual reports, economic impact reports, brochures, infographics, website redesigns, blog/vlog/podcast series, social media campaigns, media kits, mobile apps and other creative works that highlight the importance and impact of ESOs.

1. Eligibility: Any ESO that has marketing and communications initiatives can apply for this award. Eligible initiatives must have been in place for at least one fiscal year.

Soft Landings

InBIA's Soft Landings designees are ESOs that clearly demonstrate resources and programming to meet the needs of foreign/non-domestic companies entering their markets. This award recognizes excellence among the current designees in providing some or all of the following: 

• Sector specific services and coaching

• Domestic market research and entry assistance

• Cultural training

• Access to capital and potential investors

• Technical assistance to meet government regulations

• Intellectual property protection assistance

• Import/export support

• Translation services

• Language training

• Immigration and visa assistance

• Housing assistance

Eligibility: Entrepreneur support organizations with an active Soft Landings designation.

Outstanding Client

All entrepreneur support organizations have clients of which they are particularly proud. The InBIA Outstanding Client Award provides the opportunity to showcase these clients to the entrepreneurship community and the broader public.

1. Eligibility - Client companies that have participated only in a general outreach program (microloan borrower, seminar open to the public, etc.) are not eligible to be nominated for this award.

Julius Morgan Diversity and Inclusion

Julius Morgan was a co-founder of the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) and served as the first African American Director of its Board of Directors (1990-1996). He symbolized a new brand of business incubators - those bringing economic development to urban entrepreneurship ecosystems - and he is credited with bringing the Milwaukee Enterprise Center (MEC) into fruition. In dedication to Julius Morgan, InBIA launched the Diversity and Inclusion Award to recognize excellence in creating inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems and supporting diverse entrepreneurs.

1. Eligibility - Eligible ESOs will have created, implemented and operated an innovative program or initiative designed to serve entrepreneurs of color and focused on increasing diversity and advancing inclusion in the entrepreneurship ecosystem. These programs/initiatives must have been in place for at least one full fiscal year.

Premiere Awards

InBIA’s most prestigious awards honor ESOs that exemplify the association’s principles and practices of successful entrepreneur support and organization management.

1. Eligibility - All four of the winners of the ESO of the Year Award are automatically entered into consideration for the premiere awards. These candidates must must attend the ICBI39 awards reception on Tuesday, April 8th in Philadelphia, PA.

Two Categories

The Dinah Adkins Awards will be given to two of the winners - the top technology-focused and top non-technology focused ESOs.

Dinah Adkins started her business incubation career in 1982 when she was hired to manage the Ohio University Innovation Center, the nation's 12th incubator, in Athens, Ohio. She began speaking on business incubation at the early SBA business incubation conferences and became a founding member of the newly formed National Business Incubation Association in 1985.

Ms. Adkins took over the fledgling association in 1988 as President and CEO, serving the organization for 21 years until her retirement in 2009. During her tenure, she grew NBIA to 2,000 members representing 67 nations. She managed a staff of 14 and developed membership, training, consulting, sponsorship, and publications efforts. Ms. Adkins is the author and co-author of several research studies, books, and manuals on business incubation. She spoke around the globe on these subjects and served on many incubator and science park boards.

The Randall M. Whaley Award is InBIA’s most prestigious award and given to the top ESO, as selected by the awards judges.

This award is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Randall M. Whaley, the Association’s first board chairman, who served from 1985 to 1988. This is InBIA’s only endowed award and is sponsored by the Friends of University City Science Center of Philadelphia. The University City Science Center is the urban research park and incubator Dr. Whaley managed for many years.

Thank You to Our Esteemed Judges

We sincerely appreciate the time, expertise, and dedication of our judges in reviewing award applications. Their thoughtful evaluations and commitment to fairness ensure that we recognize the most deserving organizations. This process would not be possible without their invaluable contributions, and we are truly grateful for their support in celebrating excellence.

Andrew Duffell, President, Research Park at Florida Atlantic

Devon Laney, President & CEO, Gradient

Erik Pages, President, EntreWorks Consulting

Gloria Ware, CEO and Capital Co-pilot, GTB Advisors, LLC

Jo Foust, Business Development Specialist, Scott County Center for Entrepreneurship

Kalilou DAMA, Consultant, YES Inc MALI

Kristin Burton, Assistant Professor, Purdue University Northwest

Linda Ufland, Director, UTRGV Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center

Lisa Smith, Founder and President, North Star Innovation Partners

Natalie D'Oyen, Technical Coordinator, Development Bank of Jamaica Limited

Pamela Rich-Wheeler, Founder, Executive Director,The Business Center for Entrepreneurship & Social Enterprise

Sandra Cochrane, Director, WMed Innovation Center

Sue Oliver, Director, Innovation and Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Teams 

Looking to add targeted professional development to your Philadelphia experience? Check out the ICBI39 Preconference Workshops, taking place April 5-6 at the Hilton Philadelphia Penn's Landing. You can earn your Entrepreneurship Center Management Certificate in a single weekend through the ECM Spring Intensive, or get all the tools, skills and resources you need to develop and/or sustain a successful mentor network through the Advanced Mentor Network Certification course. 

Check out the details: 

ECM Spring Intensive
Saturday - Sunday, April 5 - 6 
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Earn the full Entrepreneurship Center Management (ECM) Certificate in a single weekend. This premier credential for the staff of entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) provides professional credibility in addition to the practical skills, knowledge, resources, and templates needed to help the ESO succeed. This ECM intensive will cover all four of the courses, including: 

• Course 1: Fostering Your Entrepreneurship Center's Role in Your Community
• Course 2: Building Profitable Programs That Serve Entrepreneurs
• Course 3: Finance and Operations for Sustainable Entrepreneurship Centers
• Course 4: Policies, Space Management, and Operations and Governance

Don't miss this opportunity to save yourself weeks of virtual work while taking advantage of the opportunity to create in-person connections. 

Register Now!

Advanced Mentor Development Certification
Sunday, April 6
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

The Advanced Mentor Development Certification course is designed for entrepreneur support professionals who are looking to add a mentor network to their ESOs or to improve on existing practices in this area. With tools, templates, resources, and expert insights, the course equips participants to immediately start implementing new strategies. 

Topics include: 

• Program structure and incentives
• Mentor recruitment 
• Mentor selection
• Effective onboarding and training practices
• Ways to screen potential client participants
• How to match mentors with founders
• Strategies for facilitating and sustaining the program
• Evaluation of the mentors and overall effectiveness of program

Register Now!

All ICBI39 registrations include a reception on Sunday evening, breakfasts and lunches on Monday and Tuesday, and a Tuesday evening reception. Preconference courses and the Wednesday tour are addons to the event. 

Registration pricing depends on InBIA member status, timing of the registration, and whether or not the attendee is making a reservation at the InBIA headquarters hotel, the Hilton Philadelphia Penn's Landing.

Membership Discount: 

InBIA members receive a $200 discount on their registration, as well as discounted pricing on the preconference workshops. If your organization has a membership, please be sure to log in to your account before you start the registration process. If you are not a member but would like to learn more, click here. 

Hotel Discount: 

Filling the room block to which InBIA has committed allows us to offer lower registration prices than we would otherwise be able to do. Anyone who is planning to make a reservation at the InBIA headquarters hotel (the Hilton) is eligible to register at a discounted rate (see the headers in the pricing table to select the correct option). Click here to make your reservation now. 

Registration Timing: 

The earlier you register for ICBI39, the more you will save. Pay attention to the deadline for each pricing category to ensure you get the best rate possible.