1) When should businesses submit their applications? Is it a single deadline or is it rolling?
Businesses should submit their applications as soon as they think they are ready. In general, it is expected that the business is past the “idea stage,” and has established itself as an actual business. There is no single deadline. Applications are taken on a rolling basis and the Idaho SBDC will talk with each applicant about how the program may or may not be the best for it. There are other services that the SBDC and other organizations in the Valley provide, and the SBDC and the city are happy to talk with companies about these other services and programs if the Greenhouse does not work for them. Click here to fill out the application.
2) When will they receive a reply to their application? Will you stop accepting applications after you have filled the space?
Businesses should receive an acknowledgment of their application within 72 hours of submission. It is difficult to say exactly how long it will take for a company to receive a definitive answer of whether or not it is accepted into the program, but the Idaho SBDC will stay in touch and keep working with the company so that it is kept apprised of the process.
3) Are there other criteria besides businesses focused on green energy? Do you have to be a certain size? Do you have to be new?
In general, the companies that are the most successful in incubators are those that can be scaled quickly for high growth. The Idaho SBDC will be looking for companies that are likely to produce multiple high‐paying jobs as one indicator that they might more highly receive value from being in an incubator, and that the incubator would provide a greater benefit to them. Size of the company is not necessarily an issue, but these are generally early‐stage companies that are more than an idea and typically have four employees are fewer when they are housed in the incubator.
4) Will this work in tandem with the WaterCooler or is it separate?
The Greenhouse is meant to work in tandem with the WaterCooler. The Greenhouse will provide the robust support services to strengthen the companies that reside in it; once a company has reached a stage where it has matured enough to not need such constant support, the WaterCooler could be a perfect place for the company to continue to experience the entrepreneurial energy it enjoyed at the Greenhouse. In addition, the City will be working with CCDC and Mark Rivers on programming that could be beneficial to entrepreneurs and innovators so that tenants at both buildings can take advantage of jointly leveraged resources.
5) Will the city participate in choosing the companies or will SDBC be the sole decider?
The city will not be involved with choosing the tenant companies. The Idaho SBDC will perform that task, along with input from its advisory committee.
6) If businesses usually stay 18 to 24 months, what determines when businesses leave the Greenhouse? Who makes the decision?
Typically a time will come when it is clear that the company has matured to the point that it does not need the services provided at an incubator. The decision is usually jointly made, with the company and incubator director sitting down to discuss the company’s next steps. A positive aspect about the SBDC being the incubator operator here is that the company can continue to receive assistance from the SBDC (as any small business can), but the relationship between the company and SBDC simply goes to a different stage.
7) Can you give me an example of how businesses can test their products at the Greenhouse?
Depending on the product, it may be possible for the company to talk with the city about testing the product at the Greenhouse building. For example, if the company is creating a more energy efficient lighting system, we would be happy to talk with the company about installing it in part of the building. In addition, the connection with the Idaho SBDC at Boise State offers great opportunities for the companies to use research labs and equipment at the university to further refine their products.
8) Is the Greenhouse green? What green aspects of the building are there?
The Greenhouse is becoming more and more green. One of the first aspects of its “green”ness is that the city is utilizing an existing building. Reuse is almost always better than building a new structure. The city is also upgrading certain features of the building to make it much more energy efficient, such as replacing the lighting with LED bulbs, updating the windows and updating the energy efficiency of the building.
