If you’ve spent some time with us, you’ve heard us talk about our three incubator programs: the Workspace, Kitchen, and Makerspace. But what exactly is a business incubator and how is it different from a coworking space?
Simply put, a business incubator is an organization designed to accelerate the growth and success of entrepreneurial companies. A coworking space is a place where people from different companies come to work.
In the beginning, Catapult started to see if there were entrepreneurs in Lakeland and if they needed a place to work. Spoiler… there were… and they did! Once this was clear, a variety of community partners and donors came together to purchase and build a larger facility for entrepreneurs to gather and scale their businesses. Since getting settled in this building, we’ve shifted our focus toward building programming and educational materials. On top of having a state-of-the-art facility, we’ve devoted our resources to developing programming, running member specific workshops, assembling advisory boards, running networking and community events, and more.
Let’s dive a little deeper into each incubator and explore the purpose of each one and their resources.
Workspace Incubator
The Catapult Workspace fosters an environment where founders can connect and support each other, while our dedicated staff curates valuable resources and community connections to serve as a guide. We wanted a workspace that worked for startups of all levels, so as you move along your journey you begin at the coworking area then move on to our dedicated desks. As companies grow and hire employees, there are private offices available as a final steppingstone before launching into their own space. Our goal is to be a temporary starting home and ultimately see members in their own brick and mortar location. Learn more about our workspace incubator here.
Kitchen Incubator
The Catapult Kitchen exists for founders to build restaurants, bakeries, and consumer packaged goods brands in a commercial kitchen with shared equipment, expert guidance, and funding opportunities. Members receive help with acquiring appropriate permits and training materials and are provided with resources like this How to Open a Food-Based Brick & Mortar guide. Learn more about the Catapult Kitchen here.
Makerspace Incubator
The Catapult Makerspace gives small business owners access to a community that knows how to start and scale manufacturing and engineering companies through professional-grade equipment, relationships, expert guidance, and funding opportunities. As a member of the makerspace, you have access to equipment training, prototyping services, guidance from the Makerspace Advisory Board, and more. Learn more about our makerspace here.
Starting a business is never easy, but if you join one of the Catapult Incubator programs you don’t have to do it alone. You can come to work in a place where you are surrounded by other founders who can offer advice and guidance and a staff of people who are there to connect you to resources and opportunities to move your business further, faster. We would love to connect with anyone who is looking to build something bigger than themselves, that will leave a lasting impact. If that is you, then schedule a tour today.
