Abstract
Purpose. This case study identified the resources and links between technology innovations and market factors that provided pathways for the high-technology small businesses to commercialize government technologies. Methodology. This was a case study of six high technology small businesses in Southern California. These client firms received development support for from a small business incubator operated by a government agency. The study focused on a population sample that had government Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts. This research utilized a qualitative-descriptive methodology. The case study analyzed the resources, competencies, and characteristics that were needed by the six start-up and early stage high-technology companies to grow their companies and bring their product technologies to the market. Findings and conclusions. Data were obtained from one-on-one interviews conducted by the researcher. Facility infrastructure support for shared services provided by the business incubator was most beneficial to the small client firms. The small businesses had a high technical advantage. However, the lack of resources for people, time, and money presented barriers for small business development. The pathway for technology commercialization required adequate resources for the development of technologies and products for the market; and for the needed linkage to ensure product reliability to establish the company's credibility with business customers and investors. Recommendations. An important area for future research would be to survey all graduates associated with the high-technology small business incubator. This would provide insight into the development strategies used by the small businesses after they leave the business incubator. Another important area for research would be a comparative analysis the SBIR companies with the non-SBIR high-technology small companies associated with a high-technology business incubator. A quantitative analysis of the survey results would provide data to generalize the findings of this study. An evaluation of the growth of start-up and emerging companies based on their characteristics and decision-making structure would be another important area for future research.