Association to Hold Regional Conference on Business Incubators in San Francisco.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 2, 1999--

Pacific Incubation Network (PIN), the only US regional association of business incubation projects and their supporters, will hold its first annual conference at the Serrano Hotel off Union Square in San Francisco, September 15 to 17.

The Conference will focus on new models and tools for business incubators that have a four-decade history of assisting nearly 80% of their client start-up businesses and entrepreneurs to become successful. Among the more than 600 US business incubators, at least 70 are in the PIN region and many of these have created powerful new models in response to the region's unique advantages.

The Conference features two incubator tours. On the 16th, the group will visit the 9-year-old Renaissance Center in San Francisco for low and moderate-income entrepreneurs, and the newly-created Women's Technology Cluster. On the 17th, a tour will visit four Silicon Valley incubators: Environmental Business Cluster, International Business Incubator, Panasonic Digital Concepts Center, and Software Business Cluster.

On the 16th, the morning keynote speech will be delivered by California Trade and Commerce Secretary Lon Hatamiya, formerly head of USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service where he worked to open, expand and maintain international markets for US agriculture. He begins the conference with a talk on the value of new businesses to the regional economy and the role of public-private partnerships in supporting new businesses.

William Reichert, president of garage.com, one of Silicon Valley's most exciting and successful young investor groups, will present the luncheon keynote speech on the funding of entrepreneurial businesses.

"With incubation along the Pacific Coast occurring within the dynamic business climate of rapid industrial and technological change, shifting demographics and the globalization of markets, PIN was formed to foster close collaborations and to offer expertise responsive to the unique character of the region," PIN Executive Director Tyler Orion said.

Registration is currently open until September 10, 1999. Please contact the PIN office for more information.

PIN networks throughout the Pacific states and adjacent provinces and states in Canada and Mexico. PIN is sponsored in part by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, and Pacific Bell.