2. Community Development
Virtual Incubator (CDVI)
Joseph Angiello, Coordinator, Community and Economic
Development Program, School for Graduate Studies
Nick Boccolucci, Co-director CDVI, Niagara Frontier Center and
School for Graduate Studies
Kate Spector, Co-director CDVI, School for Graduate Studies

3. Objectives
• Explain History and Purpose of Incubators (Joe Angiello)
• Describe Empire State College Proposed Community
Development Virtual Incubator (CDVI)
– CDVI Mission: Joe Angiello
– Phase One: Kate Spector
– Phase Two & Three: Nick Boccolucci
– Phase Four: Kate Spector
• Development of the CDVI: Kate Spector
• Q&A’s/Suggestions

4. History and Purpose of Incubators
• 1959: 1st business incubator
• 1980: 12 incubators
• Today: 1,000, mostly non-profit
• Whom Do Incubators Serve?
• Approx 50% serve multiple industries
• Approx 40% serve technology-related industries
• Approx 7% serve manufacturing
• Approx 3 % focus on community development
• Who Sponsors?
• No Sponsor: 20%
• Government 16%
• Economic Dev Corps: 15%
• Academic Organizations: 25%

5. Services Provided by Incubators
• Facilities
• Equipment
• Professional services (secretarial, accounting…)
• Financing
• Knowledge access

6. Vision and Mission for ESC’s Community and Economic
Development Incubator
• Vision
Empire State College’s Community Development Virtual Incubator
will be an integral part of New York State’s efforts, as well as the
efforts of other regions, to support business, government and
nonprofit organizations which sustain and are sustained by the
larger community which, because of a comprehensive,
progressive, proactive approach that embraces needs of all
stakeholders, will be freed from constantly seeking solutions to
the vagaries of economics.
• Mission
Empire State College’s Community Development Virtual Incubator
will provide of services, resources and programs to support
emerging small businesses, public and non-profit organizations
primarily throughout New York State.

7. Phase One: Electronic Resource Repository &
Monthly Presentations
Online Resource Repository
• A world-class repository of open resources related to community and economic
development will be developed and maintained. Resources would include:
– Links to relevant literature, libraries and collections.
– Links to other relevant sources (examples: Federal, state and local
government sites dealing broadly with economic, labor market and small
business issues).
– Cases on business and economic development issues developed by and for
CAED students and faculty.
– Recorded monthly presentations on topics relating to community and
economic development (see next slide).
– Other value-added resources as identified and appropriate for students and
CDVI members.

8. Phase One: Monthly Presentations
• Presentations on a range of issues dealing with community development,
organizational issues (challenges to survival, creation of value, need for
anticipating change and meeting the increasing demands for client-oriented
solutions) and need for organizations to work together toward a comprehensive
approach to community problems.
• Interactive learning activities including, but not limited to:
– Blogs (organized and managed by incubator; run by CAED faculty members)
– Case studies (organized and managed by incubator; written by students and CAED
faculty members)
• Sustainable business resource that would focus upon solutions to business and
societal problems that transcend the use of profitability or other traditional
metrics as the sole measure of success (organized and managed by incubator
with consultation from college faculty and friends of CDVI)
• Virtual discussion groups which would serve as resource for CAED student with
respect to organizational problems and issues.

9. Phase Two: Community Development Virtual
Incubator (CDVI) Annual Residency
• College-wide student focus; it is likely that this activity
will appeal to the following student groups:
– BM&E
– Public Affairs
– CHS
– MBA
– CAED
• Attendance integrated into learning contracts for
courses emphasizing:
– Organizational sustainability
– Success factors in the public, private, and not-for-profit
organizations

10. Phase Two: Community Development Virtual
Incubator (CDVI) Annual Residency
• Residency will provide participants the ability to:
– Bond with their classmates in-person
– Support students’ studies and research projects
– Interact with community and economic development
practitioners, like the NYS Economic Development Council
and other “friends” of the college
– Provide time for face-to-face networking with their professors
and other department faculty
– Deal with issues that affect individually, the public, private,
and not-for-profit sectors organizations and collectively, the
need for integration of theses three sectors in overall
community success

11. Phase Three: Professional Membership in
Virtual Community Development Association
• The association would be comprised of fee-paying
[TBD] members
• Members would have access to value-added
community and economic development resources
developed specifically for them
• Monthly, on-line Blackboard Collaborate meetings
with topics targeted toward the practical concerns of
businesses or organizations preparing to move from
start-up to the growth stage. Potential topics [TBD]:
– Business Plan Development
– Marketing Concepts
– Account management

12. Phase Three: Professional Membership in
Virtual Community Development Association
• Potential topics cont’d:
– Strategic Planning for Small Businesses
– Accounting and Tax Considerations
– Human Resources Management
• Mentoring/coaching option as an add-on for those
students, graduates, or business/ organizations who
feel that they have the need

13. Phase 4: Mentoring Relationship
Development
• Facilitate mentoring relationships between graduates of the CAED
program and students seeking to develop and/or those with newly
developed community and economic development initiatives. The role
of the incubator would be that of brokering the development of
mentoring relationships between those with expertise (within the CAED
program (current students and graduates)) and those in need of
expertise.
• Initially this facilitation would target CAED program graduates and
undergraduates and could then be offered to the broader Empire State
College community once policies, procedures and methods of operation
are developed, implemented and evaluated, and maintained.

14. Development of the CDVI
• Focus on students and their interests
• Commitment to sustainable communities
• Concept paper has been presented to the
Dean: School for Graduate Studies and
approved
• Development of Management Plan in process
• Anticipated introduction 1Q 2013

15. Questions/Suggestions