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Hatching Good Ideas? Characteristics o/Minnesota's Business Incubators <br />• Focus <br />Of the surveyed incubators, 13 (46 percent) <br />were mixed-use. Another 8 incubators (29 <br />percent) focused on technology. Two <br />incubators (7 percent) focused on the medical <br />products and healthcare industry. Energy and <br />environment, specialized food products, low <br />income and minority, and Latino retail were <br />the focus of one incubator each (4 percent <br />each). The remaining incubator was revising <br />its business plan at the time of the survey. <br />The distribution of non-profit incubators and <br />for-profit incubators by focus is very similar. <br />Of the 13 mixed-use incubators, seven were <br />non-profit and six were for-profit. The eight <br />technology-focused incubators were split <br />evenly with four incubators each non-profit <br />and for-profit. The major distinction came <br />from incubators focused on the medical <br />products and healthcare industry. Both of <br />these incubators were for-profit. <br />• Affiliation <br />Ten incubators were unaffiliated with any <br />outside group. The remaining 18 incubators <br />expressed a total of 27 affiliations. A total of <br />12 affiliations existed between incubators and <br />economic or community development <br />organizations. Four affiliations existed <br />between incubators and private groups. There <br />were three affiliations between incubators and <br />a university or college, and three relationships <br />also between incubators and other community <br />organizations. Two affiliations each existed <br />between incubators and cities and American <br />Indian organizations. The final affiliation <br />existed between an incubator and a local port <br />authority. The number of incubators by <br />affiliation is greater than the total number of <br />affiliated incubators because seven incubators <br />had multiple affiliations. <br />In affiliations, there are also some noticeable <br />differences between non-profit incubators and <br />for-profit incubators. Of the 18 incubators that <br />had affiliations, 12 were non-profit and only 6 <br />were for-profit. Of the 10 incubators that had <br />no affiliations, eight were for-profit. Among <br />surveyed incubators, it appears that non-profit <br />incubators are more likely to be a <br />collaborative effort, while for-profit incubators <br />are more likely to stand alone. <br />Minnesaia Department of Trade and Economre Development <br />