Development of technology-based firms of the Vale do Paraíba Paulista region: survey with incubators managers and incubated companies

Abstract Technology-based firms are small businesses that are characterized by being related to innovation and technological development in production and services. These companies for a period of time receive support calls based Technology-based incubators. The objective of this study was to analyze the degree of importance perceived by managers of Technology-based firms and managers of Technology-based incubators of the factors that contribute to the development of Technology-based firms of the Vale do Paraíba Paulista Region. The following factors were analyzed: entrepreneurial characteristics, resources offered by Technology-based incubators, features offered in partnership with other development agents and selection requirements of Technology-based incubators by the Technology-based firms. One for the five managers of the Technology-based incubators and the other for twenty-five managers of Technology-based firms. For this, a survey in June 2011 was applied and two questionnaires divided into four parts was performed. The Vale do Paraíba Paulista Region was chosen to concentrate an important Industrial and Technological Pole, which stands out by strong economic growth, located between the axis of two major Brazilian cities, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The completion of the work enabled visualize how technology-based entrepreneurship has been practiced in the region Vale do Paraíba Paulista present important information in the region in 2011. It also allowed me to analyze the perception of managers regarding the factors considered.