Member Services

Each USC/Columbia Technology Incubator Company is entitled to all the following:

Carolina Card
The Carolina card allows you access to:

• Libraries
• Colleges
• University Buildings
• Dining Hall, etc…

• Your first student/faculty/staff CarolinaCard (your permanent ID card) is issued at no cost. (One additional ID card will be provided free of charge in instances where an original social security number has been issued subsequent to originally issued ID card.)
• To verify your identity, you must provide one of the following at the time your card is made:
  • United States Drivers License
  • Military ID
  • Passport

Blatt PE Center Card

• Located on Wheat Street, the Blatt PE Center is available to all USC students, faculty, staff with a valid USC-Columbia ID Card.
• Blatt Cards are to be picked up at the Blatt PE Center 4 days after your request has been submitted to Agata.

• Faculty, students and staff
• Moore School of Business: Companies can request the help of professors and students or participate in class workshops.
• College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Provides public relations and advertising solutions
• College of Engineering: Provides technical help.

The benefits of being an incubator company:

• Access to business knowledge and experience through the Moore School of Business faculty and Staff
   
• Access to free marketing and management studies through Dr. Sandberg’s MGMT 479 and MGMT 778 classes: if selected, your Company will be partnered with a group of 2 to 4 students who will look over and study possible solutions to help you improve your business. For incubator businesses to be part of this project: the applications need to be sent to Dean Kress at the beginning of each semester (November/December and July/August). Once the applications are submitted, the companies will go through a selection: the students choose the projects that they are interested in. ¹
   
• Access to PR and Promotion teams through the Carolina Agency: The Carolina Agency team works on a semester basis. They provide Public Relations, advertising solutions to incubator companies (logo design, Brochures, Website…) .This service is available upon request, and the companies are selected by the Carolina Agency Coordinator, Jeffrey Ranta. The projects will be worked on throughout the semester (Do not forget that the students working for you take other classes and have many other assignments).
   
• Access to CMAT (USC’s Center for Manufacturing and Technology):
  CMAT promotes economic development across the state by helping small South Carolina manufacturers gain a higher level of competitiveness.
  CMAT accomplishes this by providing valuable technological, workplace, and business solutions, as well as consultation and training. Utilizing the expertise of faculty, students, and staff and university facilities enables CMAT to help incubator businesses expand operational effectiveness at a cost savings.²
   
• Access to numerous service providers (Attorneys, Accountants, Consultants…) - List available on demand.
   
• Access to the incubator companies network
   
• Chamber of Commerce membership: preferred rates for incubator companies.
   
• Access to the city of Columbia, Richland County, Lexington County
   
• Access to MBA students
   
• Access to Grant writing workshops
   
• Access to the following internal services:
  
  • Network Management
  • Mentoring and business leader access
  • Panels for reviewing fundraising initiatives
  • One full time Program Logistician
  • Translation services
  • Part time management, marketing, accounting and human resource help
  • Letter writing
  • Facility maintenance
  • Phones
  • Fax
  • Help with city licensing
  • Internet access
  • Tenant services; office equipment, services, supplies, etc.
  • Building paint, carpet, and conference rooms
  • Graduate student consultants to tenants

[1] The companies that are not chosen are put up for selection the following semester.
[2] The company must manufacture something to qualify for CMAT.