Alliance to strengthen Technology Villages program, S.C. small businesses

CLEMSON, SC — The Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership has joined with the Institute for Economic Development, Clemson’s College of Business and Behavioral Science (CBBS) and the Office of Economic Developmentat Clemson University to announce a collaborative alliance to advance the Technology Villages program.

The Technology Villages program was launched in 2012 and currently serves incubators in Bluffton, Hartsville, Rock Hill and Conway. The Spiro Institute will manage the Regional Entrepreneurial Development Center (REDC), created in 2012 to provide startup support and services to participating community incubators across South Carolina. The center employs faculty, graduate and undergraduate students to provide a broad range of services from market analysis to business strategy development.

“Small businesses and startups will increase their chances of success by taking advantage of these services. The mission of the Spiro Institute is to encourage and aid entrepreneurial growth within the state and these Technology Villages have a direct and measurable impact,” said Matt Klein, interim director of the Spiro Institute.

The Technology Villages program assists community leaders in the development, training and operation of storefront incubators in small and moderate-sized communities across South Carolina. This program has supported the development of 32 companies over the past 18 months with an emphasis on technology-based companies. It also benefits current Clemson MBA students by giving them a real-world setting in which to put their classroom lessons into practice.

“For the past two years Clemson MBA students have trained and worked in the Regional Entrepreneurial Development Center supporting new technology startups across South Carolina. The formal alliance with the Spiro Institute and CBBS expands educational opportunities for students in the program and creates new resources and education opportunities for incubators and centers across South Carolina,” said Greg Pickett, senior associate dean of CBBS and director of Clemson’s MBA Programs.

The partnership allows Clemson to advance its land-grant mission to bringing education to the communities immediately surrounding campus and the entire state of South Carolina.

Mac Horton, director of the Clemson Institute for Economic and Community Development, said, “The alliance reflects the collaboration of colleges and programs across Clemson University to support the community economic development mission. Combining the resources of the Spiro Institute broadens the capabilities and services to assist new technology company formation in nonurban communities across South Carolina. The Institute for Economic and Community Development is dedicated to public service with the dedicated mission of job creation and community development across South Carolina.”