Business leadership for the 21st century.
Open House
Thursday, October 6
5 to 7 p.m.
NEW ON-CAMPUS LOCATION: Aaron Building
Delaware Valley University honors its founding tradition of “integrating theory with practice” and its commitment to community service with the establishment of the Delaware Valley University Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center at New Britain Borough. The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center provides:
- Incubator workspace for those seeking to commercialize new and innovative ideas
- Support for existing local businesses pursuing growth
- Professional mentoring expertise
The SBEC is located at the Aaron Building on DelVal's main campus. Staffed and operated by DelVal, the SBEC is dedicated to being an engine for economic growth, job creation, and educating all in the mindset of entrepreneurism, necessary for success in today’s highly competitive, globalized business environment.
Business Leadership for the 21st Century
The 21st century has evolved, as a consequence of technology and globalization, to a more dynamic business environment. Globalization generates more and varied competition, creating the need for greater cost control, creativity, and innovation than mere technology and outsourcing can provide.
Management hierarchies are being replaced by flatter organizations, eliminating millions of middle-income jobs. Technology continues to replace conventional jobs. With fewer positions available, those individuals seeking success and fulfillment must be able to think, act, and operate differently, creating a competitive advantage that sets them apart from others.
Mentoring entrepreneurs and small business owners, whether students or community members, providing hands-on experiences in developing ideas into commercialized reality, building struggling small business into a stronger, more sustainable ones create that competitive advantage.
Through mentoring, individuals think through problems and challenges, understanding that failure is not the end, but a learning experience. Through mentoring, individuals look for new, unique solutions, reducing risks of starting or building a business. Through mentoring, individuals gain the confidence to succeed.
Why here? Delaware Valley University and its partners are uniquely qualified to mentor and teach students and community members how to successfully engage the realities of the 21st-century business environment.
Why Now? Studies show businesses accelerated by incubators improve their five-year survival rate from 30 percent to 87 percent.*
* “Technology Business Incubation Strategy for SME Development,” Science and Technology, vol. 2, no. 6, 2012
Delaware Valley University (DelVal), its Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center (SBEC) and the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce (CBCC) host Spark Bowl, a competition for entrepreneurs, innovative businesses and nonprofit organizations. Teams pitch ideas to address social, consumer or business-oriented challenges in and around Bucks County to a panel of judges to compete for funding. Students gain real-world, hands-on experience working alongside the contestants in teams as consultants who help them to prepare for the competition. Students have also pitched ideas as contestants.
Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center Mentoring
The foundation of the mentoring concept of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center is the professional qualifications of Delaware Valley University’s faculty and our partners. Our faculty have experience at the highest levels of the industries they are preparing students to enter, including accounting; agribusinesses; animal science; environmental science; equine science and management; finance; food science and technology; landscape architecture and design; management; marketing; media and communication; pharmaceuticals; operations; sustainable agriculture systems; turf management; and more.
Contact us at businesssupport@delval.edu.
DelVal is using its resources to help students and local entrepreneurs bring new businesses to life and small businesses to grow and prosper – helping to create a vital, energetic business environment in our local communities.
Borough of New Britain: Partnering with DelVal to bring new economic vitality to the local community through cooperation and development of strategic properties and renovating existing properties to attract new businesses and consumers
Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce: The business voice of the region
SCORE of Bucks County: A national nonprofit association dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and small businesses start, grow, and succeed.
Dublin TEC: A site resource, available to entrepreneurs who have reached the commercialization stage of their work, but are not fully prepared to commit to their own facilities due to financial or other considerations.
Chalfont-New Britain Business Alliance: As a member-driven organization, their mission is to share ideas, strengthen local businesses, and ensure economic prosperity.
Track 1: The Incubator
A Place to Innovate
Entrepreneurs will submit ideas for acceptance to an evaluation committee, consisting of faculty and SCORE members familiar with the Business Sector involved. The decision to accept or reject will be based on initial market research indicating positive demand, a fit for DelVal’s resources, and a candidate interview.
Those accepted will receive support and guidance while at the SBEC and prior to commercialization. Upon “graduating” from the incubator, clients become BSC alumni, eligible for continued mentoring, and encouraged to support the program by mentoring others.
Track 2: Support of Existing Small Businesses
Growth and Sustainability
For those local small businesses seeking growth, the SBEC will initially consult with the candidate regarding the state of the business, conduct an internal/external review, and suggest alternative courses of action. Upon agreement, the team will work with the candidate, faculty, and staff to implement programs such as revising business plans, customer outreach, e-marketing, market expansion, and others. As SBEC alumni, they remain eligible for continued support, as needed, and are encouraged to support the program by mentoring others.
Have an idea or need support?
businesssupport@delval.edu
william.viel@delval.edu
businesssupport@delval.edu
william.viel@delval.edu