There are many way to get your company off to a good start and incubators and accelerators can help.
It is often intimidating for first-time entrepreneurs to navigate their startup journey without some guidance along the way. Startup incubators and accelerators alleviate this common struggle by providing startups with resources like workspaces, complimentary services from licensing officers and a network of mentors. Here are five Southern California incubator and accelerator programs* that help startups in various industries.
Wayfinder
The Wayfinder incubator at UCI Beall Applied Innovation welcomes applications from UC-affiliated startups, including students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well as those commercializing UC intellectual property. The incubator includes a co-working space, lab space, office hours with lawyers and licensing officers, the Innovation Advisor mentorship program and access to workshops that address business models, gaining capital and more. Wayfinder accepts teams on a quarterly basis.
Location: Irvine
Website: innovation.uci.edu/wayfinder
Preccelerator
The Preccelerator Program is an accelerator program for early-stage startups in the technology or digital media spaces. The program provides teams with coworking space, investment strategy counseling, mentors, workshops, Preccelerator Demo Day and targeted investor introductions. Preccelerator also invests $25,000 into their startup teams and provides up to $25,000 in non-billable legal advice and services. It accepts five promising startups per six-month term.
Location: Santa Monica
Website: preccelerator.com
Backstage
The Backstage Incubator is a three-month program designed to support minority-led startup companies. These startups have access to mentorships and financial advice from experienced entrepreneurs, in addition to investment capital and resource networks so they may achieve their next major milestone. Backstage also provides $100,000 to each company in exchange for five percent equity.
Location: Los Angeles
Website: https://backstagecapital.com/accelerator/
EvoNexus
EvoNexus, a nonprofit incubator, specializes in technology and life science startups, and more recently fintech. The incubator fosters long-term sustainability, which allows startups to build teams, develop their product, attract venture capital and create strategic partnerships. Their two-year residency program includes office space, dry lab space, access to experienced mentors and the opportunity to pitch to an audience of 400 people during the EvoNexus Demo Day at the Qualcomm headquarters in San Diego. EvoNexus accepts startups that have at least two full-time employees and enough money in their accounts to cover six months of business expenses.
Locations: Irvine and San Diego
Website: evonexus.org/
MakeInLA
MakeInLA focuses on startups and entrepreneurs that specialize in hardware technologies. The incubator provides teams with a shared workspace, shared equipment and tools, a metal and wood shop, a fabrication laboratory and wet lab space. Additionally, teams have access to mentors as well as $75,000 to $1 million in investment from MiLA Capital, a venture capital firm based in Los Angeles that funds all stages of startup development.
Location: Los Angeles
Website: makeinla.com/
*These incubators and accelerators are listed in no particular order. Some of the incubators listed also have locations outside of Southern California.