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NCBIO Emerging Companies Survey and Focus Group Information Forum Meeting February 8, 2007. ECF Survey Overview. Conducted in fall 2006 Online survey sent to 190 companies members of NCBIO and identified from NC Biotechnology Center database
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NCBIO Emerging CompaniesSurvey and Focus Group InformationForum Meeting February 8, 2007
ECF Survey Overview • Conducted in fall 2006 • Online survey sent to 190 companies members of NCBIO and identified from NC Biotechnology Center database • A number returned because emails were no longer valid • 47 companies completed the survey
Phase of Clinical DevelopmentAmong Companies with FDA-Approvable Products
Business Climate Factors • Quality of Workforce • Venture Capital • Debt Financing • Alternative Financing • Government Incentives • Pro-Business Government Attitudes • Cost of Doing Business • Corporate Tax Rates • Technology Transfer
Analysis • Venture Capital • Remains an Important Issue • QBV, Capital Gains Initiatives address venture availability by promoting deal flow • Incentives • Tax and incentive responses indicate strong interest among companies • Incentives will leverage venture financing and further improve climate for venture companies • Key issue will be finding appropriate vehicles for delivering incentive benefits
Analysis, cont. • Debt Financing & Credit Enhancement • Dissatisfaction with debt and alternative financing indicate continued need for programs to support manufacturing investments • Other Priorities • NCBC Funding • Medical Device Company Support
Focus Groups • Held in December to follow-up up areas of concern from survey and from group who attended October meeting • Capital Formation • Tax and Incentives
Capital Formation Focus Group Report • Capital formation acute problem for early-stage companies • Fatigue among angel investors limits access to start-up capital • Movement by venture funds to larger, later stage investment • Later-stage companies also have continuing capital needs • Not adequately addressed by existing capital formation policies, which focus on early-stage companies
Existing Capital Formation Programs • SBIR Matching Grant Program • NCBC Grant and Loan Programs • Qualified Business Venture Tax Credit • State Treasurers Venture Fund Investment Authority
SBIR Matching Grant Program • Matches 100% of Phase I SBIR Grants • $3000 Stipends for SBIR Grant Applications • 2006: $5 Million Non-Recurring Appropriation • Completely utilized in FY 2006-07 • Action Item: • Seek recurring funding of $5-6 million per year in 2007-09
NCBC Business Loan Programs • Business Development Non-scientific, business-related activities critical to the commercialization --$15,000 - $25,000 • SBIR Bridge (RBL) Phase I/Phase II SBIR/STTR gap funding -- Up to $75,000 • Small Business Research (SRL)Product development for technologies with clear commercial potential -- Up to $150,000 • Strategic Growth (SGL)Matching loans for angel or venture investments -- Up to $250,000
NCBC Business Loan Programs (cont’d.) • 2005: $434,000 Business Development, SBIR Bridge & Small Business Research Loans Loans • 2006: Launched Strategic Growth Loan Program (Angel & venture matching up to $250,000) • Action Item: • Seek continued increases in appropriations to NCBC and continued increases in amount and volume of business development loans
Qualified Business Venture Tax Credit • 25% Tax Credit for Investments in Emerging Manufacturing, Research and Other Companies • $50,000 per Investor per Year Cap; $7,000,000 per Year Statewide Cap • Expires December 31, 2007 • Action Item: • Seek reauthorization of QBV Tax Credit to 2010 with increase in statewide cap to $10,000,000; seek increase in credit rate in 2008
NC VentureInvestments • Treasurer May Invest Up to 10% of Pension and Escheat funds in Alternative Investments • 2005: $1.1 Billion in Pension Assets; 1.7% of Total Assets • Action Items • Encourage Treasurer to use more venture investment authority • Encourage Treasurer to leverage investments to attract venture fund offices and investments to North Carolina • Obtain and Publish Data on NC Investments in Venture Funds
Proposals for New Capital Formation Programs • Expand Deal Flow • Venture Fund Investment & Recruitment Incentives • Implement Capital-Extending Policies • Credit Enhancement for Debt Financing
Expand Deal Flow • Capital Gains Tax Exclusion for Founders Stock & Angel Investments • Exclusion from Personal Income Tax for Gains Derived from Sale of Stock Purchased from Qualified Business Ventures • Advantages: • Places More Capital in Hands of Experienced Investors and Entrepreneurs • Provides Recruitment Incentive for Key Employees • Action Item: • Seek enactment of exclusion in 2007-08 General Assembly
Venture Fund Investment & Recruitment Incentives • Research Programs in Other States • Considerations: • 2006: NC: 65 Deals, $471 Million in venture investments; 1.8% of US total • 2006: MA: 368 Deals, $2.8 Billion in venture investments; 11.1% of US total • Action Item: • Propose venture incentive legislation in 2008 General Assembly
Capital-Extension Strategies • Make Existing Tax Credits and Incentives More Accessible to Emerging Companies • Reduce Sales Tax Rates on R&D Equipment and Supplies • Make R&D Tax Credit Rebatable or Transferable • Further Discussion in Tax and Incentives Focus Group
Credit Enhancement for Debt Financing • North Carolina Life Science Development Corporation • Loans for new plant and equipment for life science manufacturing facilities • State income, franchise or premium tax credit for loss on guarantees of loans by NCLSDC • Action Item: • Seek support of banks and insurance companies for enactment of legislation in 2007-08
Tax and Incentive Programs Focus Group Report • Emerging companies generally cannot access tax credits and other financial incentives offered by the state • Economic disadvantage for small companies versus large firms • Allowing the companies to benefit from the credits could make them more attractive for other investments
Existing Business Investment Tax Incentive Programs • Jobs Development Investment Grants Program (JDIG) • William S. Lee Quality Jobs and Business Expansion Act (Lee Act Credits) • R&D Tax Credit
Jobs Development Investment Grants Program • State Authorizes Targeted Company to Retain as Grant a Share of Employee Income Tax Withholding • Reserved for Large Projects; Requires Approval of Economic Investment Committee • Early-Stage Companies Unlikely to Achieve Threshold Scale
Lee Act Credits • Credits Against Income and Franchise Tax for Job Creation and Capital Investments • Available to Companies in Manufacturing, R&D in Physical or Life Sciences • Must meet Minimum Requirements, Including Investment or Job Creation Thresholds • 5-15 New Jobs • As Much as $2 Million Minimum Investment • Most Emerging Companies Lack Tax Liability Against Which Credit Can be Taken
R&D Tax Credits • Credit for Increases in Federally Qualifying R&D – 5% • Flat-Rate Credit for R&D in North Carolina • Small Business - 3% • Low-Tier - 3% • University R&D – 15% • Most Emerging Companies Lack Tax Liability Against Which Credit Can be Taken • 15-Year Carry-Forward Not Attractive to Most Emerging Companies
Tax Credit Rebates and Monetization • Consider Proposing Tax Credits Be Rebatable to Emerging Life Science Companies • Revenue Department Makes Cash Payment for Credits in Excess of Tax Liability • Consider Proposing Tax Credits Be Transferable to Other Taxpayers • Emerging Companies Sell Tax Credits to Companies with Sufficient Tax Liability to Recover Entire Credit Amount
Tax Credit Rebates and Monetization (cont’d.) • Considerations: • Rebates Have Been Previously Proposed but Not Enacted • Unrestricted Transferability of Credits Creates Secondary Market • Proposal: • Rebates Transferable to Emerging Companies Providing Goods or Services to Credit Holder
Recommended Short Term Action Items • Full Recurring Funding for SBIR Matching Grants • Expanded Funding for NCBC Emerging Company Loan Programs • Reauthorization and Expansion of QBV Tax Credit • Capital Gains Tax Exclusion for Founders Stock • Credit Enhancement Program for Debt Financing of Life Science Manufacturing • Encourage Treasurer to Increase Venture Investments • Obtain and Publish Information on State Treasurers Investments in Venture Funds
Recommended Longer Term Action Items • Encourage NCBC development of new financing programs for later-stage life science companies, • Encourage Treasurers Office to leverage venture investments to attract venture fund offices and investments to North Carolina • Develop and propose venture fund incentive programs, based on strategies used by other states • Develop and propose programs to improve emerging companies’ access to state tax credits for job creation, business investment and research and development.
Future ECF Programs • Schedule • April 3, 2007: Legislative Meet & Greet Breakfast, Legislative Building, Raleigh • September 2007: CEO Networking & Best Practices Forum Best Practice Forum Content Suggestions?
Your Help! • ECF Forum Sponsorships • Sponsorship Flyer • Marketing to Service Providers • Legislative Grassroots Support • Fact Sheets • Member Action Alerts • Triangle Area Legislators
Questions?Comments?Sam TaylorPresident, NCBIOstaylor@ncbioscience.orgBrenda SummersProject Coordinatorbsummers@ncbioscience.org(919) 281-8960