Florida Sbdc Network

What Florida Sbdc Network does

The Florida SBDC Network is a statewide non-profit partnership program headquartered at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida, providing no-cost consulting, training, and research services to small businesses across all 67 Florida counties. Founded in 1972 as UWF's Resource Center for Small Business Services and formally designated by the U.S. Small Business Administration in 1976 as one of eight pilot University Business Development Center programs, the network operates through 40+ offices hosted at nine major Florida universities — UWF, FAMU, UNF, UCF, USF, FGCU, IRSC, FAU, and FIU — with approximately 280 employees including 225+ business consultants. The service portfolio spans business and strategic planning, financial analysis, capital access, marketing, international trade (including Export Marketing Plans and NASBITE-accredited certificates), government contracting (via Florida APEX Accelerator), cybersecurity, and disaster preparedness. Delivery channels include in-person consulting at regional offices, online Request for Consulting forms, the Bizaster mobile disaster assistance app (English/Spanish, iOS/Android), on-demand training video libraries, and live webinars. The network also publishes the State of Small Business Dashboard for real-time economic impact data and hosts the annual Small Business Success Summit.

Revenue mechanics are anchored by a $21,448,684 annual program budget split 39% federal ($8,393,834 from SBA) and 61% non-federal ($13,054,850 from the State of Florida, Department of Defense, and host institutions), supplemented by a separate $300,000 State Trade Expansion Program grant. Ancillary earned revenue includes nominal training event fees, $350 per-attendee Summit registration, $50 Turbo-Charge Any Team assessments, and Export Marketing Plan fees offset by STEP scholarships bringing net client cost to $500. Greg Britton serves as State Director; the network is nationally accredited by the Association of America's SBDCs and state-designated as Florida's Principal Provider of Business Assistance under § 288.001, Fla. Stat. In 2025, the network served 15,439 clients, delivered 112,158 consulting hours, helped secure $534.7M in client capital and $711.5M in government contracts, impacted 18,334 jobs, and contributed to $3.4B in client sales.

Name

Florida Sbdc Network

Legal name

Florida SBDC Network State Office

Website

https://floridasbdc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Florida SBDC Network is a statewide non-profit providing no-cost business consulting, training, and research services to Florida's small businesses across 40+ offices spanning all 67 counties. Founded in 1976, it serves approximately 15,000 clients annually through nine regional university partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development and Advisory Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

SBA/USDA Government-Backed Loan Intermediation (FSAEAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Small business consulting
• Business training programs
• International trade assistance
• Government contracting services
• Manufacturing advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Pensacola

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (SBA): The network receives federal funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as part of the Small Business Development Center Program. Federal share represents 39% ($8,393,834) of the total program cost of $21,448,684.
2. State and Institutional Funding: Funded in part by the State of Florida, Department of Defense, and host institution University of West Florida. Non-federal share represents 61% ($13,054,850) of the SBDC program cost. Also receives SBA STEP program funding for international trade.
3. Training Fees: Nominal fees may be charged for training events. The 2026 Small Business Success Summit has general registration of $350 per attendee. Business Management consulting includes Turbo-Charge Any Team assessment at $50 per person.
4. Export Marketing Plan Services: Export Marketing Plan service costs $5,000, with qualifying companies eligible for $4,500 scholarship and $2,500 STEP Grant, making the net cost $500 to the company.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Florida SBDC Network is a publicly-funded small business development organization that provides no-cost and low-cost one-on-one business consulting, group training, applied research, and specialized advisory services to existing and aspiring small business owners across Florida. Its offerings span general small business consulting, international trade assistance, government contracting support, manufacturing and onshoring advisory, and targeted programs for veteran-, women-, and minority-owned businesses, delivered through more than 40 regional offices hosted by Florida universities and partner institutions.

Product overview

The Florida SBDC Network offers a unified service portfolio centered on no-cost consulting, training, and research services for small businesses across Florida. The core offerings include Consulting Services (covering business planning, financial analysis, marketing, capital access, international trade, cybersecurity, and disaster preparedness), Training Services (live workshops, webinars, and on-demand videos), and Research Services (market research reports and data analytics). The portfolio extends to specialized modules including Export Marketing Plan (EMP) Services for international trade, a Manufacturing & Onshoring Resource Hub, the Turbo-Charge Any Team Assessment tool, a State of Small Business Dashboard for impact tracking, and the Bizaster disaster preparedness mobile app. The network also hosts the annual Small Business Success Summit and administers the STEP Grant program for export development. All services are provided through a network of 9 regional offices hosted at Florida universities, spanning from Pensacola to Key West.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One-on-One Business Consulting
• Business Training Programs
• Applied Business Research
• Bizaster
• State of Small Business Dashboard
• Export Marketing Plan
• Manufacturing & Onshoring Resource Hub
• Turbo-Charge Assessment
• Government Contracting Advising Specialized one-on-one advising and training to help Florida small businesses pursue federal, state, and local government contracts, including registrations and proposal preparation.
• Small Business Success Summit Annual conference/summit event bringing together Florida small business owners, SBDC advisors, and partners for training, networking, and resource access.

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• University of West Florida (UWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUWF serves as the network's designated lead host institution and headquarters location. The network's state office is located at UWF in Pensacola, and UWF hosts the Florida SBDC at UWF regional office.
• Florida A&M University (FAMU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAMU hosts the Florida SBDC at FAMU regional office, serving Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, and Wakulla counties.
• University of North Florida (UNF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNF hosts the Florida SBDC at UNF regional office, serving 18 counties in Northeast Florida including Alachua and Duval.
• University of Central Florida (UCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCF hosts the Florida SBDC at UCF regional office, serving Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia counties.
• University of South Florida (USF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSF hosts the Florida SBDC at USF regional office, serving DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota counties.
• Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFGCU hosts the Florida SBDC at FGCU regional office, serving Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee counties.
• Indian River State College (IRSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRSC hosts the Florida SBDC at IRSC regional office, serving Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie counties.
• Florida Atlantic University (FAU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAU hosts the Florida SBDC at FAU regional office, serving Palm Beach and Broward counties.
• Florida International University (FIU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIU hosts the Florida SBDC at FIU regional office, serving Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
• Enterprise FloridastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for international trade missions and export development. Enterprise Florida sponsors international trade missions that Florida SBDC clients participate in to meet pre-screened international buyers.
• U.S. Commercial ServicestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal trade service partner providing Gold Key Matchmaker service for international trade missions. SBDC specialists work with U.S. Commercial Service to prepare Export Marketing Plans for qualifying Florida manufacturers.
• Florida APEX Accelerator (formerly PTAC)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of nationwide APEX Accelerator network (formerly PTAC), providing no-cost personalized guidance to businesses seeking to sell products or services to federal, state, and local government agencies.
• FloridaMakesstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlorida's representative of the MEP National Network and NIST MEP, helping manufacturing companies expand market opportunities, adopt innovative strategies, and assess opportunities for new technologies.
• FloridaCommercestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerState's official economic development organization assisting the Governor in advancing Florida's economy by championing economic development vision and administering state and federal programs.
• SelectFloridaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState's official international commerce organization serving as catalyst for economic development and high-wage job creation, partnering on Export Marketing Plan services.
• Association of America's SBDCscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational accreditation body for SBDCs. Florida SBDC Network is nationally accredited by this association, ensuring quality standards in service delivery.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• LivePlan: LivePlan is a SaaS business planning and financial forecasting tool used by small businesses. It represents an emerging private alternative to the consulting and research services Florida SBDC provides, with potential to capture digitally-native SMB clients.

Direct peers

• California SBDC: California SBDC is a similarly structured statewide network delivering SBA-funded consulting, training, and research services to small businesses. It offers a direct peer benchmark to Florida SBDC in scale, funding model, and service portfolio.
• Women's Business Centers (WBC) Program: WBCs are SBA-funded centers providing business training and counseling to women entrepreneurs. They are direct SBA resource partners to Florida SBDC, serving overlapping client populations with a different specialist focus.
• America's SBDC: America's SBDC is the national association that accredits and represents the nationwide network of Small Business Development Centers, including Florida SBDC. It is the closest comparable organization as the umbrella body governing the very system Florida SBDC operates within.
• Texas SBDC: Texas SBDC is another large state SBDC network providing no-cost consulting, training, and research to small businesses across Texas. Like Florida SBDC, it operates regional offices hosted at universities and is funded through the SBA federal-state partnership.
• SCORE Association: SCORE is a national nonprofit SBA resource partner providing free mentoring and education to small businesses. It is the closest mission-aligned peer to Florida SBDC, drawing on volunteer experts rather than paid consultants, and serving overlapping SMB clients across the U.S.

Others

• FloridaMakes: FloridaMakes is the state's NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership affiliate, offering consulting and innovation support to Florida manufacturers. It is an existing formal partner of Florida SBDC and serves overlapping manufacturing clients.
• Small Business Majority: Small Business Majority is a national small business advocacy and research organization. While not a direct service provider, it operates in the same policy and ecosystem space as Florida SBDC, sharing stakeholders and federal funding considerations.
• Enterprise Florida: Enterprise Florida is the state's official economic development organization, partnering with Florida SBDC on international trade missions and export development. It is a complementary ecosystem partner rather than a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): The SBA is the federal agency that funds and accredits Florida SBDC, administering the broader SBDC, SCORE, WBC, and APEX Accelerator programs. Operates as a broad incumbent partner-funder rather than a direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/floridasbdcn?lang=en
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/FloridaSBDCNetwork/videos?app=desktop
• Facebookfacebook.com/FloridaSBDCN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/florida-small-business-development-center-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/floridasbdcn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries9 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 Network