Reduced operating costs are typically what initially draw early-stage companies to an incubator. But resident companies in Ben Franklin TechVentures gain so much more than rental space.

BFTV provides an entrepreneurial culture that fuels innovation. BFTV brings together entrepreneurs, Lehigh University faculty and students, and the Ben Franklin Solutions Network of seasoned experts to support resident companies. The Ben Franklin team provides client companies with management guidance, business planning, strategic planning, and marketing counsel; connections to angel investors and venture capitalists; and assistance in preparing and perfecting funding presentations.  These factors combine to greatly enhance incubator resident companies’ probabilities of success.

To date, BFTV has graduated 55 successful companies that have created more than 5,400 jobs in Pennsylvania. Graduates grossed more than $620 million in annual revenue last year. Among these companies are:

CICLON/Texas Instruments	Website  • Success Story
Computer Aid, Inc.	Website  • Success Story
IQE	Website  • Success Story
OraSure Technologies	Website  • Success Story
Saladax Biomedical	Website  • Success Story

An Ideal Location

Ben Franklin TechVentures is situated on the picturesque Mountaintop Campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, and offers these important quality-of-life considerations:

• Easy access from I-78, U.S. Route 22 and Lehigh Valley International Airport
• Centrally located within 75 miles of New York City and 60 miles of Philadelphia
• Well-developed telecommunications infrastructure
• Moderate operating and labor costs
• Affordable energy
• Substantial tax incentives for businesses
• Nine colleges and universities in the immediate area
• Short commutes
• Excellent public and private elementary and secondary schools
• Wide availability of commercial sites, industrial parks and technology centers to support your company’s continued growth

Business Development Support

• Robust business support services (management and accounting guidance, strategic planning, marketing counsel)
• Direct connections to angel investors and venture capitalists
• Technical assistance, including linkage to Lehigh University facilities, equipment and researchers
• Assistance in preparing and perfecting funding presentations
• An entrepreneurial community that fuels inspiration and innovation

Building Amenities

60,000 square feet of rentable space, with both fixed and configurable layouts available, 11,000 square feet of which is dedicated wet lab space, including:

• Hooding and ventilation systems
• Liquid disposal systems
• Chemical-resistant countertops and floor coverings
• Lab connections available for installation of specialty gases
• Centralized vacuum and compressed-air lines
• In-lab emergency showers
• 24-hour secure access and video surveillance
• Below-market-rate rental space with flexible leases
• Shared essential office services, including:
  • High-speed Internet access
  • 15 conference rooms with state-of-the-art AV capabilities and cable television
  • Integrated building-wide telephone system
  • Three video teleconferencing rooms
• Innovative digital signage to foster community among tenants
• Lutron energy management and light harvesting technologies
• Men’s and women’s shower facilities
• Full loading dock with five-ton, heavy-duty crane
• Three passenger elevators and one large freight elevator with four-ton capacity
• Ample parking, including a parking garage