Incubators: A Realist's Guide to the World's New Business Accelerators (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Despite its brevity, the Oxford Dictionary definition of an incubator captures rather more of the essence of the subject than that provided by the organization..." (more)
Key Phrases: corporate venture firms, incubation business, entrepreneurial education programmes, New York, Enterprise Center, First Tuesday (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a crucial read for anyone involved in business..." (Business Age, November 2001)

Product Description

Incubation is all about providing fertile conditions in order to foster new business ideas and encourage entrepreneurial spirit.

Within the field of incubation there are a number of different operators, offering a choice of services, at different levels, with varying degrees of success. The question is how to make an informed choice about whether or not to go for an incubation service and its likely fit with your venture's strategic objectives. As well as pulling together all the available research on the current incubator space, Colin Barrow takes a critical look at the likely outcomes of undertaking each type of incubation.

This is not a book for the faint-hearted. It is for the open-minded. Make sure you benefit from this excellent resource before you mortgage the future of your business...
This is the first book ever to include a world directory of the key 500 enterprises offering incubation services. The directory provides an excellent starting point in identifying some of the players who can help you realize your aspirations for your fledgling business.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (December 14, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047084292X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470842928
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #414,967 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is incubation right for you?, June 16, 2005

By	Maxim Masiutin (Chisinau, Republic of Moldova) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While there is no single model for business incubators, in most cases the concept goes beyond the simple provision of a shared office or workspace facility for small business clients. The hallmark of any effective business incubator programme should be its focus on the added value that it brings to small business 'tenants' in terms of strengthened business skills; access to business services; improved operating environment; an opportunities for business networking, etc. to nurture early-stage small businesses, increasing their prospect for business survival and growth, compared with the situation outside the incubator.

In this book, Colin Barrow, the Head of the Enterprise Group at Cranfeild University School of Management, and Director of the Business Growth and Development Programme in the UK, gives very deep analysis of business incubators and gives the large list of incubators throughout the globe. The main questions of these book are "how business incubators work and does it work at all", "why there is a need for incubators", "what is the history of incubators and where we are now", "who goes in for incubation", "is incubation right for you", "how long should a tenant stay inside the incubator", and so on.

The case studies in this book are mostly based on e-business and software companies. I would also have recommended his book "How to Survive E-Business Downturn" in addition to this book.