The Florida Business Incubation Association provides the unified framework and resources required for our state's entrepreneurs and support organizations to scale.
A look inside how Florida's entrepreneurial support organizations collaborate, share best practices, and grow the state's innovation economy.
── Trusted by leading Florida entrepreneurial support organizations ──
Florida's prosperity depends on the institutions that turn ideas into enterprise. FBIA exists to strengthen those institutions — uniting incubators, accelerators, and innovation hubs under a shared standard of practice, evidence, and impact.
From hands-on operating playbooks to shared advocacy in Tallahassee, FBIA gives incubators and accelerators the tools to compound their impact across the state.
Connect with incubators, accelerators, and innovation hubs across every region of Florida.
Workshops, certifications, and peer learning built for incubator managers and ESO leaders.
Unified voice for entrepreneurial support organizations with policymakers and partners.
Operational playbooks, benchmarks, and tooling proven across Florida's leading programs.
Direct lines to corporate, university, and government partners actively investing in startups.
A statewide funnel of vetted founders ready for capital, mentorship, and growth resources.
Verified cumulative impact reported by FBIA member organizations during the 2020–2024 reporting period.
Startup companies served by FBIA member organizations during the 2020–2024 reporting period.
Client companies that graduated from FBIA member programs between 2020 and 2024.
Gross revenues generated by client and graduate companies during the 2020–2024 reporting period.
Equity and investment capital raised by client and graduate companies from 2020 to 2024.
Non-dilutive grant funding awarded to client and graduate companies between 2020 and 2024.
Client and graduate companies that merged or were acquired during the 2020–2024 reporting period.
Honoring the entrepreneurial support organizations that have set Florida's standard of practice.
Join a statewide community of incubator and accelerator professionals. Access exclusive research, tooling, and peer networks.
Browse vetted incubators and accelerators across Florida — matched by industry, stage, and geography.
Interested in partnering with FBIA? Connect with our team to discuss sponsorship opportunities, strategic collaborations and ways to support Florida's innovation ecosystem.
Membership gives your team a direct line to the operators, data, and partners shaping Florida's startup ecosystem.
If you're an entrepreneur, an entrepreneurial support organization can be a lifesaver — place-making organizations help business builders transform dreams into reality. But who looks out for the people running the ESO?
Established in August 1998, the Florida Business Incubation Association shares information and develops programs that support the successful growth and operation of entrepreneurial support organizations throughout Florida.
Members receive up to 3 complimentary registrations per dues-paying location to our statewide conferences, plus unparalleled access to top-flight management training workshops.
Two in-person convenings each year (typically February and September) for members to network, share programs, and surface the latest research and trends.
FBIA identifies affinity vendors and codifies best practices so every member can deliver greater value to their clients.
One centralized mechanism for Florida ESOs to speak as one — a sounding board for shared concerns, needs, and goals.
FBIA champions inclusive prosperity, shines a light on ecosystem builders statewide, and helps members measure and report their results.
Build an inclusive, diverse membership representing every program type, size, fiscal sponsor, and region.
Get "better together" — share and diffuse knowledge in a true community of practice.
Lifelong learners investing in ourselves, because best-practice programs require best-practice leaders.
Unlock value for our business builders with integrity, transparency, and best-in-class programs.
Build trust between regions and programs so Florida's ecosystem thrives end-to-end.
FBIA operates in formal partnership with federal, state, academic, and international bodies — anchoring Florida's incubation network within the broader innovation economy.
Karl leads both of UF Innovate's award-winning incubators — Sid Martin Biotech in Alachua and The Hub in Gainesville — giving emerging companies a place, a program, coaching, and the connections to succeed. Before UF Innovate, he served as president and CEO of the NIIC in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where entrepreneurs launched 499 products, applied for 196 patents, created 2,351 jobs, and attracted more than $100M in grants and capital.
klapan@ufl.edu
Assistant Director of Sid Martin Biotech, UF Innovate | Accelerate's award-winning life sciences incubator. Elliott also serves as President of the Alachua Chamber of Commerce, Treasurer of startGNV, and advisory board member for the Santa Fe College Perry Center for Emerging Technologies and the Institute of Biotechnology at Santa Fe High School.
ewelker@ufl.edu
Assistant Director of The Hub, UF Innovate | Accelerate's award-winning diversified technology incubator and one of the largest single-use incubator facilities in the U.S. Jennifer also serves as a board member for the International Business Innovation Association and Junior Achievement of Alachua County.
harrellj@ufl.edu
Director of USF CONNECT. Shannon has built a career creating imaginative, professional business development and marketing initiatives that deliver outsized benefits to both businesses and the consumers they serve.
spastizzo@usf.eduTools, Technology and Trusted Advisors: Building Better Entrepreneurial Support Organizations — the full two-day agenda for the 2026 FBIA Fall Conference in Orlando.
Thank you to the leaders, founders, and ecosystem builders sharing their expertise at this year's Fall Conference in Orlando.
Thank you to our FBIA Orlando Fall Conference sponsors. We are grateful to the organizations whose support makes this year's conference possible.
Download the 2026 Fall Conference one-pager.
A curated digital library of books authored by FBIA members and ecosystem leaders.
Operating templates, benchmarks, and shared best practices from leading Florida programs.
Recordings from past convenings, director roundtables, and partner sessions.
Become a member, sponsor the network, or partner with FBIA on the programs that shape the next decade of Florida innovation.
Questions about membership, sponsorship, Florida Soft Landings, or partnering with the association? Send us a message and a member of our team will follow up.
FBIAMGMT@gmail.comThese organizations provide ongoing support for FBIA's mission to strengthen Florida's innovation ecosystem.
