Respondents Cite Workforce Talent as Most Important Factor in Growing a Business; Access to Seed and Expansion Capital are Critical Areas for Triangle Improvement

The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) today announced results from its 2006 Entrepreneurial Satisfaction Survey Report, which asked Research Triangle region entrepreneurs about the critical factors for starting and growing an entrepreneurial business. Respondents included founders and CEOs of innovation-based entrepreneurial companies who rated the relative importance of 27 factors and also weighed in on how the Triangle performs in each category.

The complete survey is available online at http://www.cednc.org/publications/entrepreneurial_satisfaction_survey/

Among the survey’s most significant findings:

* The availability and retention of top management and qualified technical and non-technical talent again registered as the most significant factor for high-growth entrepreneurs (which mirrors findings from the 2001 and 2004 CED surveys).

* The proximity of research universities (#1), quality of entrepreneurial support organizations (#2) and overall quality of life (#3) ranked as the Triangle’s greatest strengths.

* Access to venture capital, both in seed and expansion stages, is a high priority. While access to capital had declined in relative importance in CED’s 2001 and 2004 reports, financing sources regained importance in the 2006 study.

Full Story: http://www.cednc.org/news/press_releases/2006/02022006.html