ATHENS, Ohio — The National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) has formed a partnership with QLBS.com Ltd to provide specialist continuous performance improvement systems and related business services to member incubators and their clients.

Under the agreement, NBIA member business incubators and their client companies will receive discounted rates on QLBS.com software and services enabling measurement, focused management and monitoring of both the incubator and small business performance. Proving the contribution of incubators to business success is challenging and difficult. Use of QLBS .com system will allow incubator managers to assess their own incubator performance against a best practice model (Qincubate criteria) and give a complete picture as to whether incubator facilities and services are effective in producing successful companies.(Qfitness criteria.)

Keith Phillips, President of QLBS.com was quoted as saying, “QLBS.com truly understands the unique challenges, needs, and pain points for incubator managers in assisting start-up companies.” QLBS.com prides itself on being at the fore front of technology systems that measure, monitor and manage leading indicators of organisational performance. By providing easy access to web and PC based tools and business services, QLBS.com makes it possible for NBIA members to evolve best practice and accelerate and measure the growth of incubating companies. Access the assessment software at the NBIA conference in Seattle by visiting our stand, and visit our website www.qlbs.com to take the self assessment (available free for the months of April, May, June 2007).

The partnership is one of several offered to NBIA members and their client companies through the NBIA Partner Program, which is undergoing a renaissance. “NBIA has revitalized its Partner Program to identify only those companies that can provide services our members need,” said Dinah Adkins, NBIA’s president CEO. “These services provide solutions to incubator managers’ challenges and save them and their clients money.”

Business incubation programs catalyze the process of starting and growing companies by providing entrepreneurs the expertise, networks and tools they need to make their ventures successful. In 2001 alone, North American incubators assisted more than 35,000 start-up companies that provided full-time employment for nearly 82,000 workers and generated annual revenue of more than $7 billion.

Based in Athens, Ohio, the National Business Incubation Association is the world’s leading organization advancing business incubation and entrepreneurship. Since 1985, the association has provided industry professionals with information, education, advocacy and networking resources to bring excellence to the process of assisting early-stage companies.

QLBS.com provides internationally recognised measurement systems that allow any organisation to implement a continuous performance improvement system. The core engine can be easily modified to evolve with changing organisational needs. Through tailored software and specialist consultancy solutions, QLBS.com provides opportunities for organisations to measure and monitor themselves and/or their customers.  This empowers managers and business owners/stakeholders with the knowledge to make informed decisions on their journey to performance excellence.

Unlike conventional business measurement systems that focus on historic financial indicators, QLBS.com provides solutions that measure the entire organisation, enabling management to build and monitor organisational capability, driving performance improvement and delivering quantifiable results.