Entrepreneurs with big goals and a winning idea are invited to apply for Brock University\u2019s new business incubator.<\/p>\n
Five early-stage businesses that have either launched or are close to launching will be selected for the first cohort of the LINCubator, the new entrepreneurial incubation program operated through Brock LINC.<\/p>\n
Launched in early 2020, the LINC is Brock\u2019s centre for creativity, innovation, research and entrepreneurship. The 41,000-square-foot facility is housed in the Rankin Family Pavilion at the base of Schmon Tower.<\/p>\n
As one of Brock LINC\u2019s programs, the LINCubator will help early-stage ventures reach their next stage of business development. Open to the broader community, this program does not require an affiliation to the University. It will include support services in collaboration with Brock Partnerships, Innovation and Intellectual Property Advancement (PIIPA), Goodman Group, Co-op, Career and Experiential Education, as well as external partners such as Innovate Niagara, Haltech and the Niagara Angel Network, a group of more than 50 individual investors from across southern Ontario.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are excited to bring together a very strong selection of resources, both at Brock and in the greater Niagara innovation ecosystem, to support the next wave of entrepreneurship in the region,\u201d says Farzana Crocco, Executive Director, Brock LINC. \u201cWe have such unique strengths in research and experiential education at Brock, so we developed this program to leverage those assets and support businesses that are solving a compelling problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
The LINCubator\u2019s first cohort program will last eight months and will be delivered in a hybrid online and in-person format. If public health restrictions allow it, selected entrepreneurs will have access to desk space, meeting rooms, business services and a collaborative community at the Brock LINC space. There is no cost for businesses to participate, and Brock LINC does not take equity or share in the intellectual property of participating businesses.<\/p>\n