Working Towards Inclusive Innovation – We Are The Glu

Innovation is all around us. Whether it’s the small neighborhood coffee shop or the next big tech platform, the business landscape requires innovation to reach sustainable success.  There is a common misconception that innovation requires a “big idea” or endless funding, but innovation is more than that—it’s the drive to solve a problem, fill a need, and/or create something new with the resources available. It’s taking an idea, experimenting with it, and then making it come to life. 

As one of the most influential innovation hubs in the country, Chicago is home to several incubators that foster innovation by powering tech geniuses and large-scale ideas. While these incubators serve an important purpose, economic development  organizations, such as the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC), provide technical assistance and are collaborating with incubators to fuel a thriving innovation community.We provide the educational curriculum, advisory support, access to various forms of capital, and other services necessary to help move businesses from ideas to profitable and sustainable realities.  

We offer opportunities to embody innovation while working towards business goals. One client in particular, Rebecca Fyffe, President and Director of Research at Landmark Pest Management, took innovative skills and embedded them into her company values.

 “Today, I continue to use the learnings from programs at the WBDC, such as how to stay current with business best practices, seeking opportunities for growth in every aspect of the business”,Fyffe explains. “The WBDC keeps me current on new ideas in the business landscape and has helped me equip my office with state of the art technology. This is just a small piece of my innovative process, and thanks to the WBDC, it is ever evolving.”

Collaboration between organizations and incubators is critical to navigating this shifting innovation and business landscape and effectively utilizing donor grant dollars. It is the WBDC’s priority to make sure entrepreneurs are receiving the support they deserve to fuel economic growth, but it can only happen when we work together to fill community gaps to leverage the strengths of their respective organizations to meet the needs of the entrepreneurial community. 

To learn more about the Women’s Business Development Center, visit wbdc.org.