Business Incubator: what is it, for whom?

The business incubator is a support structure for innovative sectors. The objective of this structure dedicated to business creators is to offer assistance to project leaders. Support is provided from the first stages of the project to the creation of the company. As with nurseries and incubators, the incubators offer accommodation, advice, equipment and adapted services.

Principle of a business incubator

Thanks to the business incubator service, the entrepreneurs concerned are entitled to the expertise of different partners. Those who register benefit from the assistance of private, public, economic and institutional partners. The principle of this organization is to take part in the development of a new activity. The goal is to lead to the creation of a general idea or better its industrialization. The programme helps new companies to set up by offering them technical services, capital, premises, etc. The type of admission varies according to the nature of the structure. An application form will have to be sent to the assistance organization. The latter is in charge of validating or not the incubation. The Allègre incubator is managed by the Ministry of Education and Research. The latter benefits from a slightly different validation of the application than traditional incubators.

Who can benefit from the business incubator service?

The principle of the business incubator is to provide mentoring to companies starting up their activities. The future entrepreneurs who use this organization also benefit from the assistance and funding of investors and other types of support. Thanks to the programme, company founders benefit from various types of assistance to establish themselves. Start-up companies and those still in the early stages often use business incubators. This assistance is aimed at entrepreneurs who are just starting their business and are about to define their model and objectives. Entrepreneurs who no longer need the help of an incubator can obtain assistance by contacting a business accelerator.

Main advantages of the business incubator

In addition to investment opportunities and mentoring, this service provides new companies with technical and logistical resources and shared office space. The duration of the assistance varies from several months to years. The reason is that each company develops at its own pace. In all cases, the incubation service provides its members with useful tools and knowledge to become self-sufficient. While there are some non-profit incubators, others assist new entrepreneurs in exchange for shares in the companies they support. As is the case with animal incubators, the business version helps start-ups grow.