{"81821":{"#nid":"81821","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech\u0027s ATDC Launches \u0022Entrepreneurs Resource Center\u0022 to Share Expertise and Resources with Georgia\u0027s Start-up Companies","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe new center includes both a broad range of resources available online and a new library facility at its Fifth Street headquarters.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EInformation available online at (\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.atdc.org\/erc\/\u0022 title=\u0022www.atdc.org\/erc\/\u0022\u003Ewww.atdc.org\/erc\/\u003C\/a\u003E) includes carefully-selected resources on starting up and building a company, researching the market, developing a technology product, generating sales, financing and raising money, marketing, hiring the right people, and handling legal issues.  Also included are summary descriptions and links to local educational and networking organizations and to selected industry journals and other publications.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the ERC library at ATDC\u0027s 75 Fifth Street headquarters, entrepreneurs can read the latest business publications, use journals and directories, and access computer terminals for doing online research.  The ERC facility also includes offices available for meetings on a first-come, first-served basis.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The Entrepreneurs Resource Center is designed to help entrepreneurs evaluate opportunities, create business plans, launch businesses and get their companies off to a good start,\u0022 said Wayne Hodges, vice provost for Economic Development and Technology Ventures at Georgia Tech and director of the ATDC.  \u0022It includes the best of what ATDC has learned in more than 20 years of serving technology entrepreneurs.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMuch of the ERC\u0027s content - including a dozen ATDC start-up best practices - was written by the ATDC staff, making available the experience and expertise developed in working with hundreds of start-up companies.  Also available is a video library of presentations made by local experts at ATDC\u0027s \u0022Lunch and Learn\u0022 lecture series.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBy gathering these resources together in one place and making them widely available to entrepreneurs, ATDC expects to serve a broader statewide audience beyond those that are part of its programs in Atlanta, Columbus, Savannah and Warner Robins.  \u0022In this time of limited resources, the ERC allows us to leverage our resources to serve a broader community of entrepreneurs,\u0022 Hodges added.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThough many of the materials are relevant for the general start-up experience, the ERC is primarily oriented toward entrepreneurs starting and building technology companies.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The ERC has many of the resources I wish I\u0027d had when I was starting my company,\u0022 said Rick Morris, CEO of inventory replenishment and optimization software company Thrive Technologies.  \u0022The practical ATDC advice and top quality resources available online and in the Fifth Street facility give technology entrepreneurs a head-start in the challenging task of launching and building a new company.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Entrepreneurs Resource Center was made possible through support from a group of Atlanta\u0027s top service providers, each of which has had a long commitment to the growth of Georgia\u0027s technology business base.  Those sponsors are Morris, Manning \u0026amp; Martin, LLP; PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Silicon Valley Bank.  In addition, e-broadcasters donated services to develop the ERC\u0027s on-demand video library.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESusan O\u0027Dwyer, technology marketing manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the new Web site provides a unique collection of quality resources that are invaluable to Georgia\u0027s technology community.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022For the past 20 years, the technology community has looked to the ATDC for expertise on starting up technology companies,\u0022 she said.  \u0022This new resource will make that expertise more widely available.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAmong the key resources available are:\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0095 \u0022ATDC Startup Best Practices,\u0022 a series of short best practices written by ATDC\u0027s staff of venture catalysts on such topics as human resource management, developing realistic financials, business planning, meeting customer expectations, choosing an attorney and market knowledge; \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0095 Business planning and fund-raising presentation templates; \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0095 Coaching tips on developing value proposition statements and elevator pitches; \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0095 Market research guides, tips and an index of the best sites on the Web for free or low-cost research; \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0095 In the ATDC library at Fifth Street, classic texts for entrepreneurs, including The Innovator\u0027s Dilemma and Crossing the Chasm.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the ATDC\u003C\/strong\u003E: The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) is a nationally recognized technology incubator that helps Georgia entrepreneurs launch and build successful companies.  ATDC provides strategic business advice and connects its member companies to the people and resources they need to succeed.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMore than 100 companies have emerged from the ATDC, including publicly-traded firms such as MindSpring Enterprises - now part of EarthLink.  Headquartered at the Georgia Institute of Technology, ATDC has been recognized by \u003Cem\u003EInc\u003C\/em\u003E Magazine as one of the nation\u0027s top nonprofit incubators.  ATDC was formed in 1980 to stimulate growth in Georgia\u0027s technology business base, and now has locations in Atlanta, Columbus, Savannah and Warner Robins.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"To share resources and expertise with an audience beyond its own member companies, Georgia Tech\u0027s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) has launched an Entrepreneurs Resource Center (ERC).","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27304","created_gmt":"2004-04-02 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:38","author":"Matthew Nagel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2004-04-02T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2004-04-02T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.atdc.org\/erc\/","title":"Helping entrepreneurs"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003E \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=\u0022\u003EContact  \u003C\/a\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}