Ideas are a start. We help form a business around your concept, adding strategy and purpose to form a clear business identity that is structured specifically for your purposes.

A business plan is both an articulated strategy and a document that precisely communicates who you are, what you do, and the financial stakes involved. We will help you craft a compelling business plan by identifying priority opportunities, leveraging your strengths, addressing your weaknesses, and pursuing your advantages.

We study your competitors and help position your brand favorably. PR and marketing is expensive, but are essential activities to any emerging enterprise. Since most start-ups cannot maintain a full PR staff we provide limited marketing and public relations services through direct contact with the press, and through materials provided by the Illinois Institute of Technology's (IIT) Marketing and Communications Department.

Office space and rent can be difficult to obtain and maintain for start-ups. Should you require facilities removed from the IIT campus, we can help locate appropriate space and negotiate fair and safe terms of lease and/or purchase.

With our access to IIT experts in science, math, technology and engineering we can locate both general and specific skill sets for short and long term positions. In addition to this particularly cost-effective labor, we can recruit key skill sets to increase your company’s skills coverage. 

There is much value in participating within a community of entrepreneurs. At IIT, we bring together entrepreneurs, scientists, programmers, managers, and financers together under one roof. With all these experiences in one place, it is easy to exchange lessons and network to create opportunities. We sponsor functions for Knapp Center clients to make such meaningful exchanges.

IIT has established a business incubator for qualified startups. Benefits of basing your company here include affordable rates, flexible terms of rent, and proximity to IIT resources. University Tech Park and Incubator information is available online, at: http://www.iit.edu/~techpark/

Through our Tech Park we offer lower-than-market rates which are flexible and tailored to provide for the needs of emerging enterprises. IIT is committed to the success of businesses which take up residence in the Tech Park, and provides a suite of supportive services and infrastructures to assist in this pursuit.

Amongst their favorite aspects of working at IIT, on-campus entrepreneurs would count the cheap, all-you-can-eat cafeteria. In addition, IIT’s campus offers a variety of meal options at cafes, a fine dining restaurant, and through catering services.

The Paul V. Galvin Library is the main university library of IIT, an excellent research facility, and accessible to clients of the Knapp Center. Visit http://www.gl.iit.edu/ for more information

Proximity to green and red lines, regular shuttle buses, and ample parking all allow for easy access from IIT to Chinatown, Chicago’s loop area, and beyond.

Our clients can access our formidable telecommunication infrastructure to realize tremendous capability with no sunk costs. This includes local and wide-area networks, internet connectivity, WiFi (in certain areas), and telecommunication equipment.

IIT has a number of fully equipped laboratories throughout campus, which can be made accessible to Knapp Center clients. For a list of research centers click here.

IIT students specialize in different areas of Business, Architecture and Engineering. These students are available to add their skills and energies to your businesses.

IIT is renowned for its expertise in the field of intellectual property. Chicago-Kent College of Law, Stuart School of Business, the Office of Technology Transfer, and the IP Law Clinic all provide Knapp Center clients with an effective safeguard for their intellectual capital.

While the Knapp Center can offer informal legal advice, we have identified attorneys who can offer special rates to start-up businesses to address more involved needs. As well, we are working with an on-campus legal clinic which provides low-cost services to start-up businesses for all of their pro-forma needs.

We will connect you with our partners who focus on providing comprehensive tax, valuation, financial advisory and related consulting services.

Strategy involves a hard-nosed assessment of where you are, where you want to go, and the best way to get there. It is also a fine dance of negotiation, compromise, and timing. Draw on the Knapp Center’s experience and objectivity to optimize any opportunity.

Enhanced processes, refined policies, and focused plans are no substitute for results. We can help your management learn how best to translate actions into achievements.

Having a solid understanding of computer systems and applications is a great asset for entrepreneurs today. As a technical institute, we have the ability to select the most appropriate solutions for your technology needs, while trouble shooting any complications with your technology systems. Our clients can capitalize on our 1GB bandwidth to offer super-fast internet service. Website testing can be done by students at a reduced cost.

With the help of our partners, we will help you get the most cost efficient deals on the material and services you need for you business. We can help you form industry alliances and negotiate partnerships to source the materials and services you need to focus on your core business.

With our expansive network, we can help businesses prepare for and acquire financing at various stages of their development.

IIT's on-campus resources include a model shop for prototyping, a one-way mirror, and strong psychology department for market research. We also provide a strong market for usability testing, classes for technical research/manual writing, and a department staffed with marketing specialists who can provide you advice on how to strategically find and expand your key markets.

Proper accounting is a great way for you to reduce overhead and focus on your core business. With help from our partners, we can help you keep your books and balance your accounts.

We provide valuable information and training for acquiring venture capital, and building alliances. With our help, your business will get the capital it needs to break into the market.

At the Knapp Center we are committed to helping business grow with us; exponentially. We can help you gear your business to scale up operations and sales. 

We will help you define your exit strategy by identifying what is best for the founders of a company, and outlining the options available.