IMPACT 307 (formerly the Wyoming Technology Business Center) was founded in 2005 when leaders at the University of Wyoming and across the state made a deliberate decision: Wyoming needed a place where innovation could take root and grow from an idea to a high growth venture. What began as a university-led effort - championed by then Vice President for Research and Economic Development Dr. Bill Gern and supported by UW President Phil Dubois, the UW Foundation, the McMurry Foundation, the State of Wyoming, and others – IMPACT 307 became the state’s first technology-focused business incubator.

the incubator opened in October 2006 and quickly filled to capacity, signaling something important: Wyoming founders were ready. They just needed infrastructure, mentorship, and a community of support.

From the beginning, the purpose was clear. IMPACT 307 exists to help early-stage, innovation-driven companies launch and scale in Wyoming. But the vision has always been bigger than a building. As part of the University of Wyoming’s land-grant mission, our role is to strengthen Wyoming’s economy by supporting the people building its future.

Today, IMPACT 307 provides space, structured programming, strategic advising, and a connected community for founders. We focus on helping entrepreneurs move from idea to execution — refining business models, validating markets, building teams, and accessing capital.

We support student founders, faculty innovators, and community entrepreneurs alike. We collaborate across campus and throughout the state to ensure promising companies don’t just start here — they stay and grow here.

IMPACT 307 is more than an incubator. It is part of Wyoming’s innovation and startup ecosystem - a place for translating ideas into companies, companies into jobs, and jobs into long-term economic strength for the Cowboy State

Jon Benson: Founding CEO

Jon Benson Jon joined UW in 2005 to launch what was then known as the Wyoming Technology Business Center. His first day on the job coincided with breaking ground on the Laramie facility - a fitting beginning for someone who would quite literally help build Wyoming’s innovation infrastructure from the ground up.

Jon brought deep experience to the role. After earning his Ph.D. in Political Science from The Ohio State University, he built a distinguished career in university-based economic development. At the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, he founded and led the Ben Craig Center, a business incubator designed to help entrepreneurs start and grow companies. He later expanded that model internationally, helping establish a transatlantic incubator partnership in Aachen, Germany, connecting American and German companies to new markets.

That experience shaped his approach in Wyoming. Jon believed business incubation was about more than space - it was about mentorship, accountability, and creating an environment where innovation could thrive. Under his leadership, the WTBC launched in Laramie in 2006 and later expanded to additional communities across the state. Over thirteen years, he helped establish a culture of disciplined support for founders and a commitment to long-term economic impact.

Jon’s vision was clear: if Wyoming wanted to diversify and strengthen its economy, it needed to invest in its entrepreneurs. He laid the foundation for what IMPACT 307 is today — a place where ideas are tested, companies are built, and founders are supported with both high expectations and real partnership.

We continue to build on the groundwork Jon established, carrying forward his belief that university-based innovation can and should translate into opportunity, jobs, and lasting economic strength for Wyoming.

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