Small Business Innovators : Insights from Accelerators, Additive Manufacturing & Supply Chain Analysis

Innovation in the United States has been one of the driving forces in our development as one of the leading economies in the world. Small companies comprise the overwhelming majority of all businesses in the United States and they must be able to effectively and efficiently bring their innovative products and services to market and grow. In this book, the U.S. Small Business Administration''s Office of Advocacy focuses on additive manufacturing (also referred to as 3D printing) to determine if barriers, best practices, and big ideas found in that industry are instructive for technology industries generally. Moreover, small firms play an increasingly important role in U.S. manufacturing, and now account for almost half of America''s manufacturing employment. Dense networks of these small manufacturers are vital to the process of taking a product from concept to market, and the exchange of manufacturing know-how across suppliers is essential for the diffusion of the new products and innovative processes that give U.S. manufacturing its cutting edge. However, these small firms face barriers to innovation, a key element in strengthening U.S. competitiveness. The book describes these barriers, and offers suggestions about ways to increase innovation by small manufacturers and improve the flow of innovation and information within supply chains. Furthermore, the accelerator phenomenon has been cited nationally and internationally as a key contributor to the rate of business startup success. Accelerators select and invite a small group of entrepreneurs to startup boot camps, providing mentoring, resources, and, most important, industry connections during these programs. This book aims to help entrepreneurs and policymakers by categorising a variety of startup assistance programs to determine what factors distinguish accelerators from other programs, as well as create a starting point for developing meaningful metrics to determine the relevance of accelerators for policymakers.