Startups should select a business incubator or accelerator with the same diligence that they would choose a co-founder, especially given the fact that they will have to live with them (literally!) for a significant period of time.

Business incubators provide numerous services for entrepreneurs; they provide valuable mentorship and advisement at all stages of a business from validation to commercialization and growth; they typically offer high-tech infrastructure that nurtures innovation and collaboration; and they also offer tremendous guidance in the area of intellectual property.

As Mary Juetten, founder/CEO of Traklight — a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that helps entrepreneurs identify and protect their intellectual property — has stated: IP is the most valuable asset of your business. So here are a few ways in which incubation centers can keep it that way. 

By now, you have surely heard of the “maker movement” – an international community of innovators, builders, engineers, entrepreneurs and others utilizing the latest in manufacturing technologies and techniques to create things. In addition, the advent of maker spaces equipped with the right tools has made the creation of products more affordable and easier than ever.

Business incubators have been around for decades, with most having the primary goal of educating entrepreneurs in best business practices, providing mentorship and guidance as well as offering financial support (either by taking a direct equity stake or arranging investment opportunities with VC and/or angel groups).