Unleashing a New Technology-Based Economy: The power of connecting

Norris Krueger,
Boise State University

Students are Idaho’s secret weapon! Idaho has been a technological goldmine in waiting but only recently begun to realize its vast promise. The SBA and the Kauffman Foundation recognized Idaho’s TechConnect and TEAMS programs as a national best practice in educational efforts to promote entrepreneurial economic
development. Development requires promoting both innovation assets and entrepreneurial assets. You also need bridging assets that support innovation and entrepreneurship and proactively push to help them work together skillfully. TechConnect emphasizes a dynamic alignment of resources where the right people work on the right problems at the right time. This workshop will outline the TechConnect approach with suggestions for replication in other settings.