Presentation by Mike Freeman, the City's Chief Financial Officer, at a Nov 18, 2009 Entrepreneur Panel.

1. 2009 Business Awards
• One of 10 Great Places for Entrepreneurs to Retire: Forbes -
June 2009
• Best Places for Businesses and Careers, 2nd; Forbes Magazine
March 2009
• Ranked 1st Best Place to Live and Work for Young
Professionals (pop. 100,000-200,000): Next Generation
Consulting - March 2009
• Ranked 7th Best Midsize Metro in the nation: bizjournals.com -
March 2009
• One of Top 20 Places to Thrive: Best Boomer Towns - February
2009
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2. Supporting Entrepreneurs and Start-up
Companies in Fort Collins & the Region
Sponsored by the City of Fort Collins
Economic Advisory Commission
Celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week
November 18, 2009
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3. Background
• The City of Fort Collins Economic Advisory
Commission is the sponsor of the event tonight.
• The EAC is interested in learning more about the
efforts underway to support entrepreneurship and
start up companies.
• Ultimately, the EAC will be making a
recommendation to the City Council regarding the
current level of programs and if additional effort may
be needed.
• Introduction of EAC members…
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4. Panel Members
• Mark Forsyth – Executive Director, Rocky Mountain
Innovation Initiative
• Mark Wdowik – President and CEO, CSU
Management Corporation
• Brad Florin – Florin, LTD
• Ed VanDyne – CEO, VanDyne Super Turbo Charger
• Mike Freeman, City of Fort Collins – Moderator
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5. City’s Economic Strategy
• Four key strategies:
– Business retention, expansion, incubation and
attraction
– Be proactive on economic issues
– Build partnerships
– Diversify the economy
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6. CSU Office of Research
– Sponsored Research Office
– Manages research Collaborations, partnerships, joint ventures
CSU Research Foundation Tech Transfer Office
– Technology licensing
CSU SuperClusters
– Commercialization and venture creation in targeted areas of excellence:
CSU Management Corp
– Venture finance: CSU Fund I, LLC
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7. Business Innovation Model
Pre-Incubation Incubation Retention Expansion Attraction
Clean Energy Cluster Larimer Bioscience Cluster N. Colorado Geospatial Cluster
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8. Always Important…
Retention Expansion Attraction
City of Fort Collins City of Fort Collins City of Fort Collins
Downtown Development Downtown Development Fort Collins Chamber
Authority Authority
Northern Colorado
Fort Collins Chamber Fort Collins Chamber Economic Corporation
Northern Colorado Northern Colorado Larimer Workforce Center
Economic Corporation Economic Corporation
State of Colorado/OEDIT
Small Business Small Business
Development Center Development Center
Larimer Workforce Center Larimer Workforce Center
State of Colorado/OEDIT State of Colorado/OEDIT
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9. But More Focus Needed Here…
Pre-Incubation Incubation
Northern Colorado Rocky Mountain
Entrepreneurship Network Innovation Initiative
Small Business Development CSU Engines and Energy
Center Conversion Lab
RMII FastTrac CSU Research Innovation
Center
SAGE
CSU Ventures/Superclusters
CSU Ventures/Superclusters
CSU Venture Fund I
CSURF Technology Transfer
Angel Capital Summit
Poudre Library
Business Research NOCO Angels
SAGE
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10. Pre-Incubation
• SAGE Program
– Advisors Network
• Launching Kaufmann Foundation – FastTracs
– Rapid business development services
• CSU Ventures – SuperClusters
– Early alignment of research & development
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11. Business Incubation
• Incubation Services:
– Rocky Mountain Innovation Initiative (RMII)
• Innovation based companies
– Colorado State University’s Research Innovation
Center (RIC)
• Infectious Disease research
– Engines and Energy Conversion Lab
• Engines efficiency, alternative energy,
smartgrid
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12. 30,000 sq feet
3 Stories
LEED Gold
Solar (PV)
Elec. Car Charging
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13. CSU’s Research Innovation Center
• The 72,000-square-foot, $53 million facility will be the
latest addition to CSU’s Infectious Disease
Research Center. It will be located on the Foothills
Campus. The center will provide a hub for university
scientists and students to partner with businesses to
develop new products to treat and diagnose
infectious diseases.
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14. Energy & Engines Conversion Lab
• EECL awarded over $20M in research
• EECL employs 12 professional research staff, as well
as 50 graduate and undergraduate students
• The EECL awarded over $55M in funding
commitments for spin-off companies employing over
70 professional engineers, managers, and scientists
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15. Targeted Industries
• Clean Energy
– DEN-ZED initiative
• Biotechnology
– RMI2 space, Research Innovation Center
• Software
– GIS focused
• Uniquely Fort Collins
– Be Local, Shop Fort Collins First
• Exploring Water based cluster
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16. Business Financing
• Traditionally difficult in Northern Colorado
• Efforts underway to improve access to funding…
– Regional Venture financing opportunities
• NoCoAngels
• Northern Colorado Rockies Venture Club
• Angel Capital Summit
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17. 9,000
Technology Cluster Employment Trend
1,615 Source: QCEW; CSU Regional Economist
8,000 Source: QCEW; CSU Regional Economist
Software
Hardware
7,000
1,831
6,473
6,000
5,000
4,000 4,356
3,000
2,000
1,000
0 17
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

18. Clean Energy Cluster Employment Trend
2,500
Source: QCEW; CSU Regional Economist
Source: QCEW; CSU Regional Economist
2,133
2,000
1,923
1,500
1,000
500
0
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2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

19. Bioscience Cluster Employment Trend
2,000
Source: QCEW; CSU Regional Economist
Source: QCEW; CSU Regional Economist
1,800
1,782
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
1,014
800
600
400
200
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0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

20. Panel Questions…
• What is working well now?
• What are our challenges?
• Questions from the audience – discussion…
• What are the top one or two things that could be
implemented to improve our ability to support
entrepreneurs and start-up companies?
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21. Closing
Mike Freeman, Chief Financial Officer
970.416.2259 mfreeman@fcgov.com
www.fcgov.com/business
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