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Business Assistance and Economic Development

More often than not, impediments to growing environmental technology businesses lie on the business rather than technical side of the company.  A variety of agencies help companies to obtain critical business skills and insight as well as finance.  Private sector resources and technology brokers can help start-up firms to take their next steps in growth by providing access to venture, angel, and other investment capital.  Some environmental companies find exports and international partnerships as the means to grow and prosper.

Also see R&D and Technology Transfer for related resources.
See DEQ's Small Business Assistance Program site for information on compliance assistance and related topics.
Go directly to the Export Assistance page.

EPA report of interest: EPA and the Venture Capital Community: Building Bridges to Commercialize Technology (PDF) (100 pp, 1.9 MB, About PDF) (EPA/600/R-08/043) April 2008

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-- Commonwealth of Virginia page www.stimulus.virginia.gov 

Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy ARRA Energy Program Application discusses proposed grants, rebates, and other incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy, including economic development incentives to support biomass, waste-to-energy, renewable energy and energy efficiency products, services, and projects.

Government Supported Business Assistance Agencies and Programs

Business.Virginia.Gov is an online portal providing information and resources on starting, running, and relocating a business to Virginia including business assistance, licensing, state procurement, and other pertinent resources.

Center for Innovative Technology provides numerous technical, financial, and information services for new and expanding technology-based Virginia businesses, including funding support, assistance in obtaining private and government financial backing, locating technical resources, access to industry information, and mentoring, among others.

Energy TechNet (U.S. Dept. of Energy)  From idea development to market assessment, intellectual property protection to fund raising, Energy TechNet covers every stage of energy technology development and commercialization. It includes new on funding opportunities and events, links to technology development and commercialization resources, including angel and venture capital sources.

Grants.gov allows organizations to electronically find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies.

NREL's Industry Growth Forum: Financing the Path to a Clean Energy Future is the premiere clean energy investment forum not only because of the caliber of investors and entrepreneurial companies it attracts, but also due to its unique format and window on the energy future. Its rich "educational content" distinguishes NREL's Growth Forums and leaves all participants - including entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and corporate investors - with a deeper understanding of the evolving energy market and what a business must do to thrive.

U.S. Business Advisor U.S. Business Advisor is supported by the Small Business Administration to provide business with one-stop access to federal government information, services, and transactions.

USDA Rural Business Cooperative Program assists public and private sector entities in rural areas to obtain loans and grants for the purpose of improving the economic and environmental climate in rural communities, this can include initiatives for pollution abatement and control. Tel. (202) 690-4730.

U.S. Small Business Administration provides financial, technical, and management assistance to help Americans start, run, and grow their businesses. With a portfolio of business loans, loan guarantees and disaster loans worth more than $45 billion, in addition to a venture capital portfolio of $13 billion, SBA is the nation's largest single financial backer of small businesses.

Virginia Department of Business Assistance (DBA) assists new and existing Virginia businesses through a variety of financial vehicles (loans and loan guarantees) and other business services, including business planning, marketing assistance, cash flow and tax counseling, licensing and regulatory information, training, and assistance in approaching financing sources.

Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) supports the development of new businesses in Virginia though business and technical services. These services include site selection assistance; coordination with local economic development agencies, utilities, and others business development partners; and guidance on environmental aspects of business development.VEDP's Division of International Trade Development provides extensive export promotion services.

Virginia Small Business Development Center Network is an organization of 29 local SBDCs across Virginia providing professional business counseling, training and information resources to help grow and strengthen Virginia businesses. The network is a strategic alliance between the U.S. Small Business Administration, George Mason University and local sponsors throughout Virginia.

Also see the Community Business Partnership, which encompasses the South Fairfax Small Business Development Center and business finance, business incubation, financial education, and women's business centers.

Other Sources and Resources for Accessing Capital

Active Capital Acting on calls for better access to equity capital at the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business, the Office of Advocacy, SBA, created the Angel Capital Electronic Network (ACE-Net). ACE-Net has become Active Capital to express more accurately its proactive role in helping small businesses connect with private capital. Empowered by protective rulings from the SEC and State regulators and a network of not-for-profit support organizations, Active Capital is the only low-cost Internet-based option to register securities for sale, up to $5 million/year.

BusinessFinance.com is a commercial web site that offers information on various sources of business capital, including business loans, venture capital, and equipment leasing.  The site also provides "how to" workbook and tools and access to other resources, including Small Business Development Centers, economic development organizations, and Chambers of Commerce, among others.

Capital Connection describes itself as "the entrepreneur's resource for finance." It links to institutional, venture, and angel finance sources and features a computerized matching service. It provides information and materials on preparing business plans and accessing capital. The site also has links to business incubators, small business development centers, professional service providers (such as accountants, attorneys, business coaches, and patent agents), and other resources.

Clean Energy Alliance, established by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is an alliance of leading business incubators dedicated to providing business and financial services tailored to the needs of the clean energy community. --The Virginia Clean Energy Business Incubator (VCEBI) at Riverstone Technology Park in Halifax County is CEA’s 14th U.S. business incubator.

Cleantech Venture Network is a market facilitation service supported by private investors that believe “clean technologies” – from solar energy to water purification - are the next wave of venture investing. The Network introduces promising young companies to investors and investors to quality deal-flow. They are developing a community of money managers, business executives, professional advisors, and other stakeholders active in the cleantech venture arena. Services include venture forums, Venture Monitors and online services to investors and companies.

FundingPost.com provides venture capital events, venture guide publications and a magazine, and an online venture exchange to introduce entrepreneurs to interested angel and venture capital investors.

Investors' Circle: Venture Investors for a Sustainable Future is a national network of early-stage private equity investors who seek financial, social and environmental returns on their investments.  IC's membership consists of individual investors, venture fund managers, foundation representatives and a limited number of financial service professionals. Since 1992, members have participated in an investment culture that not only facilitates the flow of capital to innovative entrepreneurs, but also promotes a sense of collaboration, stewardship and creative learning.  IC is dedicated to facilitating the flow of capital to private companies that deliver commercial solutions to social and environmental problems.

Richmond Venture Forum provides a forum to bring sources of capital and entrepreneurial ideas together. It provides an educational forum in which entrepreneurs, sources for capital, and service professionals exchange ideas about venture related issues - promoting the common interests of all parties in the venture process.

SustainableBusiness.com Business Connections Page serves as an environmental business news, employment, and opportunities resource, offers links to venture capital/financing, solicitations, distributorship opportunities, partnership opportunities, and other resources of interest to environmental and sustainable business entrepreneurs.

Venture Capital Resource Library from vFinance.com is an online resource library of venture capital industry news and data. Since 1995 this website has helped entrepreneurs, venture capital firms, and professional service firms connect.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance provides access to a database of all Federal programs available to State and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally-recognized Indian tribal governments; Territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi-public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups; and individuals. The CFDA page includes links to grant resources, FedBizOpps procurement opportunities, and the FirstGov official federal portal.

Other Business Resources

The Virginia Business Excellence Consortium (VBEC) is a group of Virginia businesses and manufacturers that network with one another to share best practices. The VBEC serves to help member companies improve processes, operations and worker skill levels throughout Virginia.

Virginia Business Online is an online resource for news and information about Virginia's business communities.

Virginia Business Incubator Association promotes, encourages, and supports the successful establishment and operation of small business incubation programs to stimulate economic development activity in Virginia.

Virginia Clean Energy Business Incubator (VCEBI) is CEA’s 14th U.S. business incubator focusing on clean energy technology development. It is located within a 60,000 square foot facility at Riverstone Technology Park, a 165-acre site in Halifax County.

Commonwealth of Virginia Technology Regions:

Virginia Economic Development Centers links from BusinessFinance.com.

Energy Solutions Center is a technology commercialization and market development organization representing energy utilities, municipal energy authorities, and equipment manufacturers and vendors. The mission of the Center is to accelerate the acceptance of and deployment of new energy-efficient, gas-fueled technologies that enhance the operations and productivity of commercial and industrial energy users, and improves comfort and reliability for residential energy users.

GNET Technology Developer's Resource Guide exists as a mechanism for small businesses to take their technology idea or technology prototype to the next phase of implementation. The guide presents a broad range of topics related to technology development and deployment in a manner that can be followed as either a path from start to finish or simply utilized to target a specific area of interest.

GreenBiz.com is billed as "the resource center on business, the environment, and the bottom line."

inc.com, associated with Inc. magazine, provides information and advice on virtually all facets of starting and running a business from raising capital to buying insurance. It also includes a discussion forum. The site's research feature allows the user to identify venture capital firms interested in environmental and other business sectors.

United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) promotes the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to inventors the exclusive right to their respective discoveries. PTO administers the U.S. system of patents, servicemarks, and trademarks. The PTO website offers information on obtaining these forms of intellectual property (IP) protections as well as on other IP protections (copyrights and trade secrets). There are also links and resources pertinent to international IP protection.

Virginia's A.L. Philpott Manufacturing Extension Partnership assists manufacturers in such areas as Industrial Marketing & Sales, Manufacturing Systems, Organizational Effectiveness & Workforce Development, Quality Systems, and Strategic Planning.  The partnership facilitates networks among small manufacturers, conducts outreach, and helps identify third party service providers.

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