Florida SBDC at UWF

What Florida SBDC at UWF does

The Florida SBDC at UWF is the University of West Florida–hosted regional center of the Florida SBDC Network, a statewide partnership program nationally accredited by the Association of America's SBDCs. Founded in 1976 and operating under § 288.001, Fla. Stat., the organization is the state's designated principal provider of small business assistance for a 10-county Northwest Florida region (Escambia through Washington). The center is institutionally housed within UWF's Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business in Pensacola and is funded primarily through cooperative agreements and grants from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Department of Defense (via the Florida APEX Accelerator), the State of Florida, and UWF itself.

Its core product is no-cost, confidential one-on-one consulting delivered by a team of 12 staff including certified business consultants, regional and associate directors, a government contracting consultant, and a procurement specialist. Service lines fall into six categories: no-cost consulting, "Starting a Business" workshops, government contracting assistance through the Florida APEX Accelerator, disaster preparedness and business continuity, certifications support (8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB), and recurring training events. Distribution is via a 13-location physical network—Pensacola headquarters, Fort Walton Beach and Panama City Beach regional offices, plus outreach offices embedded in local chambers of commerce and economic development offices throughout the region.

The business model is publicly-funded professional services delivery at no cost to clients, with nominal fees on select workshops. Reported FY2023 economic impact metrics include $313M in total output, 1,604 jobs impacted, $38.6M fiscal impact, $52.8M in government contract awards facilitated, and 952 underserved businesses assisted. Customer composition spans aspiring entrepreneurs, existing SMBs across diverse industries, government contractors, disaster-affected businesses, and underserved (minority-, veteran-, and women-owned) enterprises. The underlying technology layer is conventional—access to high-cost research databases and planning tools for consultant use—with no proprietary platform or software product.

Name

Florida SBDC at UWF

Legal name

Florida SBDC Network

Website

https://sbdc.uwf.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Florida SBDC at UWF is a publicly-funded, non-profit regional small business development center hosted by the University of West Florida, providing no-cost consulting, training, government contracting assistance, and disaster recovery services to entrepreneurs and SMBs across a 10-county Northwest Florida region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Results-Based Financing (RBF) & Performance-Based Grants (BPADAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)

Keywords

• Small business consulting
• Government contracting assistance
• Business training workshops
• Disaster recovery services
• Small business certifications

Headquarters

HQ city

Pensacola

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: The Florida SBDC at UWF is a publicly funded organization supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Department of Defense (for APEX Accelerator), State of Florida, University of West Florida, and other private and public partners. Services are provided at no cost to small businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Florida SBDC at UWF provides no-cost confidential one-on-one business consulting, Starting a Business workshops, government contracting assistance through the Florida APEX Accelerator at UWF, disaster preparedness and business continuity services, small business certification support, training workshops/events, and access to high-cost business research databases and planning tools. Services target aspiring entrepreneurs and existing small business owners in the ten-county Northwest Florida region.

Product overview

The Florida SBDC at UWF is a regional center of the Florida SBDC Network providing a comprehensive suite of small business support services. The organization operates as a consulting and resource center, not a software product company. Core offerings include no-cost confidential consulting, Starting a Business workshops, Government Contracting assistance through the Florida APEX Accelerator at UWF, Disaster Preparedness and Business Continuity services, Certifications support, Training and Events, and Resources and Tools. These services are provided at no cost to small businesses in Northwest Florida, funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the University of West Florida.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• No-Cost Consulting Confidential one-on-one business consulting delivered at no cost to aspiring entrepreneurs and existing small business owners across Northwest Florida.
• Starting a Business Workshop Three-hour workshop on business setup fundamentals, with follow-on access to no-cost business consultants for continued support.
• Florida APEX Accelerator at UWF (Government Contracting) Procurement assistance program providing knowledge, resources, and relationships for federal, state, and local government contracting, including certifications and bid preparation.
• Disaster Preparedness and Business Continuity Disaster resources and recovery support including business continuity planning, emergency preparedness, and post-disaster recovery plan development.
• Small Business Certifications Assistance Assistance with small business certifications including service-disabled veteran, women-owned, minority-owned, 8(a), and HUBZone programs.
• Training Workshops and Events Complimentary or low-cost workshops, webinars, and special events for professional development and business growth, including a calendar of upcoming sessions.
• Resources and Tools Access to high-cost databases, business research resources, planning tools, and educational materials for small businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• For every $1 invested in the state SBDC, nearly $60 goes back to the state in tax revenue
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of West Florida (UWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUWF serves as the headquarters and host institution for the Florida SBDC Network and the Florida SBDC at UWF. The center is housed within the Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business at UWF.
• Association of America's SBDCscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational accrediting body for SBDCs ensuring quality standards and providing national coordination.
• Local Chambers of Commerce (Crestview, Destin, Gulf Breeze, Gulf County, Navarre, Santa Rosa Beach)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost outreach office locations within chamber facilities, providing convenient access for local business owners.
• Northwest Florida State CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for outreach office locations in Niceville and Crestview (APEX Accelerator).
• Santa Rosa County Economic Development OfficeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner host for Milton outreach office location.
• Florida Division of Emergency ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides disaster preparedness templates, checklists, and resources used by SBDC consultants to assist businesses.
• Agility Recovery (SBA Partner)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with SBA to provide hurricane preparedness checklists and disaster recovery resources.
• Florida Commerce and Florida JobscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency providing Emergency Bridge Loan information for disaster recovery assistance to businesses affected by natural disasters.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Florida SBDC Network: Statewide parent network for Florida's SBDCs, of which the Florida SBDC at UWF is a regional center. Operates the same model of no-cost consulting, training, and government contracting assistance across all SBDC regions in Florida.
• Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC): SBA-funded resource partners providing business development services to veteran-owned small businesses. Same SBA funding architecture and similar no-cost consulting/training model, with overlapping clientele.
• SCORE: National nonprofit providing free business mentoring, workshops, and resources to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Directly comparable mission of volunteer-driven, no-cost small-business advisory services.
• Women's Business Centers (WBC) Program: SBA-funded program providing training, mentoring, and resources specifically for women entrepreneurs. Closely comparable service model and funding structure, often co-located with or working alongside SBDCs.
• Florida APEX Accelerators (Statewide Network): Other regional APEX Accelerators across Florida providing the same government contracting assistance as the Florida APEX Accelerator at UWF. Direct service-line peers operating under the same DoD cooperative agreement.
• Small Business Development Center at University of Central Florida: Another Florida SBDC regional center hosted at UCF, providing identical no-cost consulting, training, and government contracting services. Direct functional peer within the same statewide Florida SBDC Network.

Regional players

• Georgia SBDC: Sister SBDC network in Georgia offering identical services (no-cost consulting, training, government contracting assistance) but serving a different state territory. Directly comparable operating model in a peer region.

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Florida: Statewide public-private partnership focused on economic development in Florida, including small business support. Comparable as a broader Florida-focused economic development entity, though more focused on business attraction/retention than SBDC's small-business advisory model.
• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): Federal agency that funds the SBDC network and provides SBA-backed loans, certifications, and contracting programs. Comparable as the broader ecosystem player within which the SBDC operates.
• America's SBDC: National accrediting body and association representing the U.S. SBDC network. Comparable as the umbrella organization for all SBDCs including the Florida SBDC at UWF, setting standards and coordinating national programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FloridaSBDC_UWF
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAWRfsha1qjiG_Mk8ieY2Mg
• Facebookfacebook.com/FloridaSBDCatUWF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/floridasbdcatuwf
• Instagraminstagram.com/fsbdc_uwf

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Florida SBDC at UWF