The Washington State University-Health Sciences Spokane early-stage life science business incubator, sp3nw, will develop a Flexible Infrastructure for Resilient Entrepreneurship (FIRE), consisting of support programs to spur regional economic development in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Centered in Spokane and Pullman, Washington, FIRE has created an External Advisory Board (EAB), and will identify, test, establish and disseminate best practices for resilient entrepreneurship. Established MOUs with the EAB institutions reinforce the broad partnerships needed to address unmet needs in regional economic development. The eastern WSU campuses of the award hub represent $370 Million in research occurring at WSU, and our goal is to enhance translation of nascent technologies into products to improve people’s lives.
RAIN
By establishing a Rural Angel Investment Network (RAIN) to train and encourage local investors, FIRE addresses these barriers to innovation and economic growth by developing unique investment capital models to meet financial needs of entrepreneurs.
EARTH
Launch Executive Advisors and Review Team Honorarium (EARTH), a modified executive-in-residence (EIR) program that matches startups with EARTH-supported executive advisors for 10 months to provide business insights and expedite go-to-market actions.
WIND
Establish the Workforce Innovation Network Development (WIND) program in Spokane to inspire and engage the community of biomedical/biopharmaceutical researchers, innovators, and workers.
ICE
Create Internship Consultants for Entrepreneurs (ICE), consisting of teams that provide wrap-around services in marketing, bookkeeping and business research to accelerate startup growth and create high-quality workers.