Incubators - where ideas are bred

Incubator? Why call it something with such early infantile connotations? Considering the young age of most successful founders, youth seems to be a great commodity in the world of tech startups. The name, however, describes the nurturing environment of these programs, in which an idea can hatch and evolve to its fullest potential.

Let’s take a look at the benefits of incubators for tech startups:


1. Mentorship

Good incubators are characterized through being key establishments in their start-up surrounding. They work closely with established entrepreneurs who contribute to the program through their wealth of knowledge from years of practical experience.  Not only do people like Paul Graham of Y Combinator have the experience of having been there before, but they also have many sample points of what kind of ideas have worked for startups and which haven’t simply by virtue of running an incubator.  Receiving such mentorship is provides the necessary guidance that young potential founders need - and does not only contribute to the evolvement of a start-up idea but also greatly shapes the personality of the founders.

2. Education

As the participants in the incubator are typically higher on technical skills and imagination than on business experience, the incubator plays an important role in teaching the necessary business competencies. Of course you can't actually teach entrepreneurship since most of it is "learning by doing". However, incubators have the immense benefit of teaching ways to strategically develop your business for a sustainable structure and successful execution. You can profit from a hands-on education with topics ranging from business plan writing, finance acquisition to marketing strategies. 

3. Quality Mark

Through the unique stewardship and education offered by incubators, participating start-ups are equipped with the necessary skill set and structural set-up for success. Founders, who have undergone a time within such a program, had to compete against others for acceptance and have shown perseverance.  Their idea has been reviewed by industry leaders and has evolved in an educational and nurturing infrastructure. Successful completion of an incubator program can be seen as a mark of quality for investors, potential employees and your general business surrounding. 

Participating in an incubator program is not a guarantee for success. It, however, indicates a high quality standard and equips you with the right pre-requirements. UFOstart values this standard and incentivizes successful incubator completion through discounts on our platform (here's a list of selected incubators). After completing such a program you will have a good setup, yet may lack in areas such as funding and assets. UFOstart lets you directly address these needs through our lean and personalized round structure - check out our Global Crowd Network now!

Furthermore, we are currently working on a program with which incubators can create pitch competitions, integrated in our UFOstart concept. If you are an Incubator and would like to learn more about our concept and a possible collaboration, feel free to contact us!.