Kennesaw State University’s HatchBridge Incubator, which started in July 2023, provides training and guidance for those in the Atlanta suburbs wishing to start their own businesses.
Since then, the incubator has hosted 51 different startup projects in a variety of programs
“People need mentorship and accountability when they’re creating a startup,” said Colin Ake, HatchBridge’s director of incubation and commercialization, in a university release. “What we do is provide support for all the people who are building something in the suburbs.”
Here are more specifics about the program:
“HatchBridge offers programs where entrepreneurs refine their ideas, research potential markets, receive business coaching from incubator staff, launch their businesses, and work to make them grow. Entrepreneurs can then continue working to build their companies at the incubator as they refine products, business plans, and raise money to fund their growth.
“While bringing their startups into being, HatchBridge members get access to workstations or offices, tools such as laser cutters and 3D printers to make product prototypes, a content studio to make promotional videos, podcasts, and more. They also belong to a digital community of fellow startup builders who inspire and support each other.
“Being based at and part of Kennesaw State makes HatchBridge a natural stop for university researchers, alumni, and even students to bring their inventions to market. But the incubator is open to anyone who is building a business.”
Ake said that the focus is to “serve entrepreneurs who live and build in the suburbs. They need community, support, and accountability in proximity to where they live.”
One of them is recent KSU graduate Jordan St. Louis, who is using his degree in software engineering to Generalized Robotics, a company that has developed a camera for emergency vehicles that provides a 360-degree view and has been tested by the Clayton County Police Department. Generalized Robotics was in the first two HatchBridge programs.
Ake has more than a decade of experience building startups, including his alma mater, Georgia Tech, and the HatchBridge staff has similar backgrounds.
Next year, the incubator will be moving to a larger stand-alone space at 1111 Chastain Road, the former General Bookstore building.
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