What are the different types of business incubators?
Incubation programs come in many shapes and sizes and serve a variety of communities and markets: • Most North American business incubators (about 94 percent) are nonprofit organizations focused on economic development. About 6 percent of North American incubators are for-profit entities; usually set up to obtain returns on shareholders investments. • • 54 percent are “mixed-use,†assisting a range of early-stage companies. • • 39 percent focus on technology businesses. • • About 4 percent focus on service businesses, serve niche markets or assist other types of businesses. • 3 percent serve manufacturing firms. • About 53 percent of business incubators operate in urban areas, 28 percent operate in rural areas and about 19 percent operate in suburban areas.
