HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021 08 30 Regular 500 - UCF Incubator Presentation • REGULAR AGENDA ITEM 500
moa d CITY COMMISSION AGENDA I AUGUST 30, 2021 SPECIAL MEETING
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TITLE
UCF Incubator Presentation
SUMMARY
The UCF Business Incubation Program is an economic development effort designed to
help create &sustain jobs in the community and spur economic growth throughout
the region. This goal is accomplished by helping early-stage businesses grow to the
point where they need to hire employees in order to continue operating and growing.
Since 1999, The UCF Incubator has assisted more than 350 early-stage companies,
who've sustained more than 6,725 job. The total economic output of these firms is
nearly $1.6 billion in the State of Florida.
The City of Winter Springs engaged in an Economic Development Grant with the UCF
Incubator in 2007. To date, the City has provided a total of approximately $1,000,000
in funding. In 2008, the City provided $200,000 followed up with $75,000 yearly from
2011 to 2020. In 2021 the City provided $50,000 in funding.
The UCF Incubator made their annual presentation to the City Commission on August
9, 2021. The City Commission requested additional data and analysis to be presented
to the City Commission on August 30, 2021.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff's Recommendation is for the City Commission to review the information
provided and make a determination on the continued level of funding for the Winter
Springs incubator for Fiscal Year 2022.
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il
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
UCF Business Incubator—Winter Springs
1511 East State Road 434
Winter Springs, FL
Dear Commissioner Elliott,
Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with answers to your excellent questions related
to the UCF Business Incubation Program in Winter Springs. Our UCF incubator team has
thoroughly enjoyed being able to assist Winter Springs' entrepreneurs and local businesses
through our various services including incubation, business seminars, guidance from a varied
stable of business advisors and one-on-one counseling.
We value the partnership formed among the City of Winter Springs, Seminole County and UCF
and are looking forward to continuing impacting area businesses and strengthening the
diversification of the local economy. We enjoy the relationship and feel it exemplifies what can
be accomplished in a true partnership.
Cordially,
Rafael Caamano
Site Manager
UCFBIP-Winter Springs
Email: rafael@ucf.edu
Cell: 407-408-4297
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Please define innovative and disruptive technology and provide examples.
An innovative/disruptive technology is a new technology or business model that completely
changes the way things are done. For example, Airbnb disrupted the hospitality and real estate
industry. In the UCFBIP- Winter Springs facility, we are currently incubating and servicing
several innovative or disruptive pieces of technology in communication, healthcare, and
hospitality. Below is a list of the companies with such potential:
• LifeBridge 10000—Medical Device—Tumor Treating Fields
• AireHealth—Medical Device—Portable Nebulizer
• Tackle Web— Storage Systems—Fishing Industry
• Pegasense—Communication—Aero Space Industry
• Dicapta—Communication—Deaf and Blind Population
Most recently, we graduated two companies (CytoSen and Sportzcast) that developed new
technologies and reached their individual business goals. Incubating a company with a disruptive
technology can take many years (5 to 9 years) to grow as they build and validate. In addition,
financial challenges and regulatory bodies/components affect the progress and process, such as
the FDA and others.
What is considered an indirect cost?
The indirect cost is the university cost by the office of Research Foundation to administratively
and clerically service a sponsored project. This amount is currently 9%.
How many businesses are currently located in Winter Springs that were assisted by the
UCF Business Incubation program?
A total of 83 businesses have applied,been accepted, and participated in the business incubation
portion of our program. 41 have exited and 26 have graduated. Out of the 26 graduates, 5
companies found appropriate operating location within the City of Winter Springs. The
following are the five companies that graduated and stayed in Winter Springs:
COMPANY LOCATION HEADCOUNT STATUS
ECHO Engineering Winter Springs 67 direct employees Active
Program Works Winter Springs 6 direct employees Active
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Sportzcast Winter Springs 9 direct employees Active
Robin Learning Winter Springs 4 direct employees Active
Center
Irblich School Winter Springs 2 direct employees Closed
The rest of the graduates have moved into other areas within the county, region or outside the
state. Below is a list of the rest of the graduates:
COMPANIES LOCATION HEADCOUNT STATUS
EcoSpears Altamonte Springs 15 Active
Imediareach Daytona 0 Closed
The Patent Guild Ft. Lauderdale 2 Active
Spectrum Bridge Lake Mary 109 Closed
Journey Labs Lake Mary 25 Active
NR Electronics Longwood 0 Closed
Caveat Engineering Longwood No data Active
Iroc Tactical Longwood 0 Closed
BDG Construction Maitland 2 Active
Now Marketplace Maitland No data Active
Aqualine Group Orlando 0 Closed
Fidelity Orlando 36 Active
Great Southern Orlando 0 Closed
Hoverfly Orlando/Sanford 13 Active
Global ENC Out of State 23 Active
Greensleeves Out of State 9 Active
Cyto-Sen Out of the State 13 Acquired
Plus One Solution Oviedo 49 Active
Altra System Oviedo 3 Active
Piromas Oviedo No data Active
Primal Innovation Sanford 20 Active
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16 companies are currently participating in the program with 119 employees (chart below). One
of the companies is Tech Rage IT which specialized in cyber security and network services is on
track to graduate in the fall of 2022 as they are quickly gaining traction resulting in need for
bigger space. Tech Rage would like to remain in Winter Springs. They have grown from 2
employees to 10 in their 3 years in the Incubator.
Additionally, the UCFBIP Winter Springs has various ways of directly or indirectly assisting a
resident, entrepreneur(s), or business beyond our core incubation program. From a simple 45-
minute no-cost business meeting or consultation to free open-public business workshops,
educational seminar(s), incubation, or our soft-landing program. Residents, entrepreneurs, or
businesses not ready to incubate are typically referred to another internal program or agency such
as the UCF Small Business Development Center Seminole State and Orlando Campus, SCORE,
or the National Entrepreneur Center for additional assistance or help. For the last 14 years, the
UCFBIP- Winter Springs has become a business hub for the southeast portion of Seminole
County, where over 3,776 business owners or entrepreneurs have participated in educational
seminars or events. As of today, we have conducted and can account for over 105 business
events/workshops on various topics, and the majority of them have been fully open and free to
the public. In 2020, we also expanded our services to serve more businesses especially those
affected by Covid through a new program that leverages Growth Wheel, a visual toolbox and
online platform utilized in our Incubator program. The program helps companies track activities,
make decisions, and take action. The program successfully helped multiple Winter Springs
small businesses throughout Covid.
How many people employed by each of these active Winter Springs businesses?
Businesses currently being assisted by participating in the Incubation or Soft-Landing program
have a direct headcount of 124, not accounting for indirect or induced job creation.
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COMPANY HEADCOUNT STATUS
AireHealth 8 Medical Device
Automation Strategy & 9 Engineering Services
Performance
ASI Green Technologies 5 Software
Credit Repair of Florida 3 Professional Services
Dicapta 29 Software
Freshorize 5 Design/Manufacturing
LifeBridge 10000 7 Medical Device
Paradise Studios 1 Sound Engineering
Pegasense 7 Engineering
ProForce 4 Engineering Services
WorkSchedule 6 Software
Pro-Inspection 3 Professional Services
RESTires 4 Service Company
Structural Engineering 10 Engineering Services
TackleWebs 13 Design/Manufacturing
Tech Rage IT 10 Professional Services
Direct job creation is the initial expenditures, or production, made by the company. For
example, an employee or independent contractor receiving a check for services. Indirect, is the
effects of local inter-industry spending through the supply chain. For example, the employee
stopping by the Hess Station to purchase goods or services resulting in the hiring or increase of
hours by the Hess station plus the purchase of more goods to keep up with demand. Induced, is
the combination of local spending of employees' wages and salaries for both employees of the
direct and indirect. Please see below an example of a table demonstrating the direct, indirect,
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and induced impact from our last report 2008-2019.
Fiscal Years Direct Effect Indirect Effect Induced Effect Total Effect
2008-2015 404 194 284 882
2015-2016 378 196 284 858
2016-2017 403 205 295 903
2017-2018 469 220 323 1,012
2018-2019 476 282 323 1,081
What is the percentage of business assisted by UCF Business Incubation Program that goes
out of business within three years?
72% of companies that have graduated from our program are still in business, many for longer
than 3 years now. This compares to an overall national average survival rate of less than 50%
for the first four years of a company.
What is the percentage of minority owned business assisted by the incubation program?
Based on our data of the companies currently participating and that have graduated from the WS
Incubator 64% are minority/women owned companies.
What is the percentage of businesses assisted by the UCF business incubator made of
United States citizens versus foreign nationals?
We do not track nationalities or citizen status.
How many businesses assisted by the UCF incubator program are still viable and operating
after three years?
72% of the businesses that have graduated from the UCFBIP-Winter Springs are still operational.
Of those graduates that decided to stay in Winter Springs 80% are still in business.
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What is the percentage of business owners that are assisted by the UCF incubation
program that are students or graduates of local institutions of higher learning such as
UCF,Valencia, and Seminole State?
As we discussed in our presentation to the Commission, Winter Springs is a natural home for
UCF students, faculty, and alumni. However, ties to UCF or other local institutions are not a
requirement for admission into the UCF Business Incubation program. Students and alumni are
always welcome to take advantage of our workshops and business seminars; however, students
who apply to the incubation program need to wait until graduation to be considered and go
through the same criteria selection process as any other candidates. Companies that are currently
participating in the Incubation program have hired 12 UCF graduates. At the moment, there are
no businesses in the program owned by UCF students, faculty, or alumni. We currently do not
track other educational institutions.
Of the 350 businesses assisted by the UCF incubator program are owned or were started by
an employee of University of Central Florida or a family member of the University of
Florida?
There are no faculty or staff participating as a business owner in the UCFBIP-Winter Springs.
What is the percentage of businesses owned by person or family members who received or
have received some sort of salary compensation from the University of Central Florida?
Today, no companies participating in the Business Incubation Program in Winter Springs have a
business owner or family member that is also receiving compensation from UCF.
Is the leadership salary received by the current administration of the UCF incubator in
addition to salary they received from the University of Central Florida?
Business incubators have a wide variety of structures and support mechanisms, and over 65% of
technology incubator receive public funding for operational expenses.. The UCFBIP WS is
funded by Seminole County Government, the City of Winter Springs and a small fee monthly
collected from the clients. The combination of these funds are the only sources of income for all
the expenses including salaries. No additional compensation from UCF is provided to the
administrative staff to operate the incubator.
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What is the return of investment of the 1,000,000 investment of Winter Springs taxpayer
dollars that have gone to the UCF Incubator?
First, we think it is important to detail how we calculate the ROI of the Incubation Program for
our funding partners.
The ROI calculation is a based on the formula below
Total expected impact
ROI =
Total funding
We present a few ROI's: Taxes, sales, and regional GDP.All these calculations assume the
impacts are resulting from the activities of the incubator companies (past and present)NOT
the incubator.
• For Taxes, total estimated local taxes for the study period are divided by total funding for the
period
• For Sales, total estimated regional sales for the study period are divided by total funding for the
period
• For GDP, total estimated regional GDP for the study period is divided by total funding for the
period
The tables below present the breakdown of the calculations of the estimated impact, specifically
for the City of Winter Springs. The first table presents the data used to calculate the ROI based
on the formula above.
CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS
Fiscal
Years GDP Sales Taxes Funding
2008-2015 $62,666,430 $104,292,758 $4,695,078 $693,901
2015-2016 $16,339,115 $30,778,352 $1,154,420 $80,924
2016-2017 $17,036,890 $30,329,997 $1,235,742 $79,994
2017-2018 $17,361,919 $33,572,690 $1,218,133 $77,738
2018-2019 $21,005,924 $38,953,192 $1,178,604 $75,682
Total $134,410,278 $237,926,989 $9,481,976 1 $1,008,239
The table below presents the calculated ROI in terms of the GDP ROI, Sales ROI, and Taxes
ROI.
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CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS
Fiscal Year GDP ROI Sales ROI Taxes ROI
2008-2015 $90.31 $150.30 $6.77
2015-2016 $201.91 $380.34 $14.27
2016-2017 $212.98 $379.15 $15.45
2017-2018 $223.34 $431.87 $15.67
2018-2019 $277.56 $514.70 $15.57
Total $133.31 $235.98 $9.40
For example, the total taxes ROI since inception is calculated below
Total Taxes ROI - $9,481,976 _ $9.40
$1,008,239
Likewise, for 2016-2017 the Sales ROI is calculated below
2016 - 2017 Sales ROI - $30,329,4 _ $379.15
$79,994
The chart below summarizes the impacts over time.
CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS
ROI For Every$1 Invested $514.70
$431.87
$380.34 $379.15
$277.56
Z $201.91 $212.98 $223.34
$150.30
$90.31
$14.27 $15.45 $15.67 $15.57
$6.77
2008-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019
GDP ROI tSales ROI - Taxes R01
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In this manner one can compare the ROI for the City of Winter Springs to the ROI for the
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford MSA, which is the ROI data provided in our original presentation
to Winter Springs.
City vs MSA -Taxes ROI
$15.45 $15.67 $16.09
$14.27 $15.57
$10.96 $11.53
$10.11
$6.77
$4.26
20082015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 20182019
-City SMSA
City vs MSA - Sales ROI
514.70
$431.87
$380.34 $379.15
22r-
$284.55
$210.27 $209.61 $238.76
$150.30
$73.59
2008-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019
City IMSA
City vs MSA - GDP ROI
$277.56
$223.34
$212.98
$201.91
$153.45
$111.62 $117.74 $123.47
$90.31
$44.22
2008-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019
-&-City SMSA
In addition to the specific financial ROI metrics above, the Incubation program also drives ROI
for our funding partners through helping to boost regional and local organic economic
development strategies as opposed to more costly external recruitment of companies. The
program achieves these results by reducing the mortality rate among start up or small businesses
through our internal process, educational seminars, workshops, mentoring, business coaching
and consulting while creating an ecosystem to accelerate company growth. For example, Epic
Engineering graduated from the Research Park incubator located in Orange County. After
graduation, the company moved to the City of Winter Springs where they created 40 new jobs
and spin off several companies. One of the companies, Echo, incubated in the UCF facility in
Winter Springs and after three years they graduated, stayed in Winter Springs, and are supporting
67 jobs. Companies like Epic and Echo that establish local roots are less likely to be recruited
outside the area and tend to develop deeper loyalties to their community.
It is also important to note that all our Incubators, including Winter Springs, are not"profit
centers" for UCF. NO taxpayer money is used for any purpose other than the operation of the
Incubator. There is no ROI for UCF beyond our commitment to supporting a thriving economy,
which benefits the overall community, including our students, faculty, and alumni.
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The UCF Business Incubator has several programs to support entrepreneurs as they scale their
businesses:
-Business Modeling—Moving an idea or prototype that is a scalable innovation to a business
model based on a validated product/market fit
-Traction—Moving a business entity with an existing prototype of a scalable innovative solution
to initial customers with a go-to-market strategy and further product development.
-Growth (Core Incubation Program)—Moving an innovative solution with existing market
traction into growth stage with sustainability
-Soft Landing— Supporting expansion for successful technology companies headquartered
outside of Florida.
Given the different programs, we offer to entrepreneurs at various stages of their development,
our responses below will reflect our support for the entrepreneurs at the program level.
Does the U.C.F. Incubator assist in writing business plans?
For the most part, companies accepted in the Incubation programs (Growth and Traction) have a
functional business model. However, they occasionally may need assistant from us to go through
their business plan resulting in input and advice. For companies that are too early or may not
qualify for the program, we invite them to register for our Business Modeling Boot Camp or visit
other agencies, such as the local Small Business Development Center, to obtain assistance.
Does the U.C.F. Incubator help a person choose a business structure?
Companies accepted into the Incubation program are already conducting business and
incorporated. Organizations without a business structure or too early to incubate are invited to
register for the Business Modeling Boot Camp.
Does the U.C.F. Incubator help a person register the business?
The UCFBIP does not help a person register a business.
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Does the Incubator help determine a location and equipment needed?
As we begin discussions with companies in the Incubation program regarding graduation, we
discuss a range of issues with them including future office space needs. We do connect these
companies with our funding partner's economic development teams and potentially to real estate
brokers. This is an area we would welcome the opportunity to develop more frequent/formal
conversations with the Winter Springs economic development team.
Does the U.C.F. Incubator assist with licenses and permits?
Businesses that are participating in the Incubation program must already have a business and tax
receipt from the City and County, including insurance.
Does the U.C.F. Incubator provide classes on Business Law?
The UCFBIP periodically provides educational seminars and workshops on various business
topics, including areas within Business Law. Since its inception, the UCFBIP—Winter Springs
has conducted 105 educational seminars and workshops.
Does the U.C.F. Incubator assist in all financial aspects of the business?
The UCBIP assists companies participating in our programs with cash management, sales
forecast preparation, review of cost structures, and advice on company's profitability and areas
of improvement. We also invite the facility's professional service providers or subject matter
experts to meet with companies. We also have staff bookkeeping resource to support these
efforts.
Does the U.C.F. Incubator assist in obtaining financing to start the business?
For the most part, businesses participating in the Incubation program are operational and
generating revenues. However, we are often asked to help them with additional funding needs
and we have deep connections to both the local banking, potential grant funders, and early stage
investment community and we will make introductions For those businesses at an earlier stage,
we invite them to participate in the Boot Camp program. We will access their needs and
introduce them to other local agencies or organizations that have financing vehicles such as
Ascendus, Prospera, the Black Business Investment Funds and other early stage investors who
invest in pre revenue companies.
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Does the U.C.F. Incubator assist the business in filing and paying taxes?
The UCFBIP does not directly assisting with the filing or paying of taxes.. However, we do have
a staff bookkeeping resource who provides financial counseling. Alternatively, the program does
invite accountants and C.P.A. to interact with participants by providing them with workshops
and one-on-one consulting
Does the U.C.F. Incubator assist the business in hiring and retaining employees?
Through various tools, the UCFBIP can assist participating companies in writing job
descriptions, calculating staff cost/benefits, defining their organizational chart, and describing
future employee profiles. In addition, we will make introductions to agencies such as Career
Source, A.D.P., and other subject matter experts.
Does the U.C.F. Incubator have a specific focus on promoting businesses owned by women and
minorities?
The UCFBIP does not specifically focus on promoting a specific demographic group instead; we
focus on attracting businesses with scalable disruptive technologies or business
models. However, as stated in our response to the initial questions, 64% of our companies are
women or minority owned.
Does the UCFBIP Incubator help an applicant understand the customers, competitors, and the
economic conditions of the perspective industry?
The UCFBIP has several ways of helping participating companies to understand their customers
and industry. One is through a set of decision sheets, called the Business Model Canvas, in
which clients can understand their customer segments. Another way is through our First
Customer program, introducing companies to potential clients to help them to validate their
business value proposition. In addition, we have access to several databases providing insight
into various industries and markets.
Does the U.C.F. Incubator supply access to data and statistics on competitors, industry, and
target customer groups?
The UCFBIP can supply participating companies with total market and industry research.
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Does the U.C.F. Incubator assist the applicant by providing a mentor or counselor throughout the
process?
The UCFBIP has a formal mentorship program to provide participating companies with access to
business coaches, consulting, mentors, and subject matter experts.
What is the total annual budget for the U.C.F. Incubator?
The total annual budget for the U.C.F. Incubator is $390,000
How many employees work for the U.C.F. Incubator?
Two full-time employees are administrating the UCFBIP- Winter Springs facility.
What is the percentage of the budget going towards salaries?
35 % of the total budget is going towards salaries.
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