Portland Business Incubators and Accelerators, Part 1 of 5: Impact Ventures

December 3, 2012 at 2:40 pm Impact Entrepreneurs at Portland State University Leave a comment

By Jacen Greene, Ames Fellow for Social Entrepreneurship at Portland State University

Looking for a business incubator to help get your venture off the ground or grow to scale? With more than 20 now operating in or near Portland, there’s no shortage of programs offering assistance. Most offer mentoring, classes, and networking, but even if you want to rent a commercial kitchen, share space in a pop-up shop downtown, or make use of a laser engraver (and who doesn’t?), we’ve got you covered. In the first of our five-part series, we go over local incubators for impact ventures: social entrepreneurs, enterprising nonprofits, and anyone looking to use business tools for good.

Portland State University Social Innovation Incubator (SII): Building upon PSU’s recognized leadership in sustainable business and social enterprise, including its recent designation as an Ashoka U Changemaker Campus, the SII assists early-stage social entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs in launching market-based innovations that generate systemic social and environmental benefits. In its May 2011 issue, Fast Company selected the SII as one of America’s 51 brilliant urban ideas.

Members benefit from the essential “4 Cs:” capacity, community, connections and credibility. The SII provides social venture startup mentoring, business and legal education, access to PSU’s network of advisors, volunteers and funders, discounts on services and events, and engagement with a community of peers. The SII welcomes participation from PSU students and faculty, as well as entrepreneurs and students who are not affiliated with PSU.

Springboard Innovation/Hatch: Offering workshops, events and a direct public offering platform, with an envisioned incubator (Hatch). ”What differentiates Hatch is three things. The first is intentionality. That means Hatch is designed to launch social and local enterprises—we don’t just trust to luck. Over a dozen programs will ensure success at all levels. The second is to have comprehensive services so what you need is all under one roof. And finally, inclusiveness. We want all ages and types of people, as well as many kinds of enterprises to be involved, not just those most likely to make a million. Hatch is an innovation lab, so we’ll be trying out ideas, testing theories, and experimenting too, putting our collective power on solutions.” — Amy Pearl, Executive Director