VDO Basics

In this section, we’ll help you to:

  • Understand the various assets of a Regional Innovation System
  • Measure the availability of each innovation asset
  • Identify strategies for addressing asset deficiencies
  • Understand the general characteristics of all VDOs
  • Locate examples of existing and aspiring VDOs across the United States
  • Use a short self-assessment tool to see how your own organization measures up as a VDO

Strong Venture Development Organizations (VDOs) work to ensure their regional economy is running as smoothly and efficiently as possible in support of innovation-based entrepreneurship. A VDO makes strategic investments of time, talent and other resources toward innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology – helping grow promising companies one step at a time.

This expert care and attention is repeated hundreds of times over at VDOs across the country, transforming regional economies to be more competitive in the global market and resilient in the face of inevitable changes in the business cycle.

Ideally, VDOs are designed to:

  • exploit the existing innovation assets of a region; and
  • whenever necessary, address the unmet needs of the high growth, innovation-oriented startups in the region.

Properly structured, VDOs have the ability to work with a wide cross section of the key assets of their particular regional innovation system and the flexibility to adapt the VDO portfolio of services to meet the specific needs of an individual commercialization opportunity or venture.

We recommend you start by gaining a stronger understanding of the key elements of a regional innovation system. Click here for more information.

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