The Sustainable Business Incubator (SBI)

is an affiliated program of the Institute for Sustainable Enterprise,

Silberman College of Business, Fairleigh Dickinson University.

SBI FACT SHEET(pdf)

4/15/11 Patch.com article on "Morristown Eco Center"

 Courier News Article 4/2/11: "Turning Green in Morristown to Promote Growth"

THE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS INCUBATOR

Mission:

SBI’s mission is to assist companies, especially but not  exclusively startups, with business initiatives that address the issues of sustainability, and encourage them to embrace principles and practices that maximize the triple bottom line of people, profits, and planet.

Description:

FDU’s SBI is a virtual incubator, which means that it does not have office or lab space that it rents out to clients. But it provides most of the other services typically associated with an incubator. New Jersey currently has more than a dozen incubators, many associated with universities and colleges. The SBI embraces collaboration and networking as critical sustainable enterprise qualities. As such, we actively collaborate with other universities and incubators within New Jersey, the rest of the U.S., and elsewhere throughout the world.  Incubators are highly effective in assisting companies with organization, management, financing, technology, job creation, marketing, and other key elements of business functioning.

Incubator-assisted enterprises have an overall 87% better chance of success than unsupported startups, according to NBIA studies. FDU’s SBI is unique in focusing on sustainable businesses and nonprofits – companies and organizations developing green technologies, or modeling sustainable business practices, or advancing new business practices such as carbon trading.

Clients:

Technology Businesses:

Alternative energy companies, dealing with solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal, co-generation, etc.  and related technologies, including batteries and fuel cells

• Conservation-oriented companies
• Alternative fuels companies
• Recycling and reuse businesses
• Waste Treatment, wastewater
• Carbon sequestration and reuse
• Measurement and metrics related to sustainability
• Hydroponics, greenhouses, and urban agriculture
• Other environmental initiatives
• Nanotechnologies that relate to sustainability
• Green manufacturing companies
• Green building companies

Non-Technology Businesses:

• Financial and market mechanisms related to sustainability
• Technology transfer processes
• Consulting and service companies supporting sustainability initiatives
• Educational initiatives
• Nonprofits

FDU’s SBI proactively engages with stakeholders including state and local governments, companies, and venture and philanthropic investors to understand their needs and interests. These relationships help align our efforts as well as the strategies, products and services of our incubator client enterprises.

Services:

• Access to university/college resources including research collaboration opportunities, student interns, MBA 
  student support teams, etc.
• Business planning & milestone tracking
• Product, marketing & manufacturing strategy support
• Prototyping, software, web development
• Strategic partnerships, licensing opportunities, and client development
• Legal advice on governance, IP, licensing, corporate law, deal structuring
• Finance and accounting support
• Government agency navigation & grant support
• Networking opportunities with angel investors, venture capitalists, and other emerging businesses
• Linking large corporations and Incubator participants around sustainable business practices
• Sponsorship of competitions for business plans, specifically focused on social, economic, and 
  ecological sustainability
• Mentoring and learning opportunities from FDU and ISE
• Seed Funds for milestone specific projects

Inquiries:

Companies interested in becoming clients of the Incubator should contact:

Jonathan Cloud, Senior Fellow, Institute for Sustainable Enterprise

 at jcloud@fdu.edu

Tel: 908-306-9075

Businesses and organizations interested in supporting new ventures are invited to join our Sustainable Resource Network at www.SustainableBusinessIncubator.com/network.

ISE's Sustainable Business Incubator showcased in "FDU Magazine"

(summer/fall 08)

The Sustainable Business Incubator as described in the

NEW JERSEY BUSINESS INCUBATOR NETWORK