Technology business incubators are dedicated to accelerating the success of early-stage companies engaged in the development of technology products, or services. These incubators typically provide support to a portfolio of entrepreneurs and emerging companies that may include:
- Business mentoring and professional services
- Lab facilities
- Access to state-of-the-art R&D facilities, equipment and instrumentation
- Office space and administrative support
- Business education and training
- Industry/government networking opportunities
- Access to university resources & faculty
- Legal assistance with regulatory compliance and intellectual property strategy
- Prototyping and testing facilities and advanced manufacturing support
- Access to grant opportunities and investor funding
- Warehousing and light manufacturing space
Our current members support startups in the industry sectors of life science, healthcare, cleantech/decarbonization, robotics, advanced materials, marine/maritime, aerospace, and other convergent technologies. The breadth of our incubator network offers entrepreneurs a diverse hub of knowledge, experience, and resources that is most often unavailable from a single incubator.
ACTION Incubator Members:
- We specialize in additive manufacturing, with the ability to 3D print objects out of metal, in full color, or at a large physical scale.
- We also offer digital design and fabrication tools including a laser cutter, 3D scanners, YR and AR headsets, and a CMM.
- Our facility includes a wet lab, auditorium, event space, manufacturing space, prototyping lab, and conference rooms.
- Using our resources, we offer programming which spans from tech demo days and field trips for local high schools to our new BIC Manufacturing Academy, which will train local jobseekers for careers in advanced manufacturing.
- The BIC’s commitment to the regional manufacturing economy guides our investments into technological resources as well as workforce pipeline development.
Berkshire Innovation Center — Pittsfield, MA
The Berkshire Innovation Center serves as a catalyst to spark innovation and sustainable growth of technology-focused companies. We do this through programs that promote learning and enrich people in technology-led career paths and by providing research and innovation space for people and companies to explore new technologies, all while convening and connecting a community of like-minded people. The BIC supports local manufacturers, educational partners and fellow nonprofit organizations by providing access to state-of-the-art facilities and technologies.
For more information, visit: BerkshireInnovationCenter.com.
Mansfield Bio-Incubator — Mansfield, MA
Mansfield Bio-Incubator is a non-profit biotech, pharma, life science, and medical device business incubator facility. We were created to nurture entrepreneurial and economic development in the community. We aim to do this by maintaining affordable lab and office space and making cutting-edge technology, services, training, mentoring, and a network of professional advisors available to small biotechnology companies and health-related start-ups. Accepting applications now. For more information visit www.bioinc.org.
Blue Institute Labs – New Bedford, MA and Newport, RI
The BLUE Incubator, a one-year program for startups providing access to mentors, possible collaborators, and prospective investors, including “Pressure Tank” pitch coaching sessions for aspiring entrepreneurs provides:
- Connections to relevant researchers at partner colleges, universities, and government institutes,
- Teaming opportunities,
- Co-working and meeting facilities,
- On/in the water demonstrations,
- Safe ocean access and in situ testing; and
- A superior BlueTech, ClimateTech and blue economy ecosystem.
The Blue Institute Labs PBC, is a public benefit company (10% of profits going to the Blue Institute non-profit) focused on nurturing innovation, entrepreneurship, and business development in the blue economy.
BLUE Incubator (Blue Institute Labs) and the BLUE Excelerator have been affirmed as Connectors in the American-Made Network from the US Department of Energy, (the Blue Excelerator is a 12-week advanced topics accelerator founded by Blue Institute Labs in 2020 and now part of our sister non-profit Blue Institute located on Cape Cod & Newport, RI).
American-Made Network Connectors work to catalyze innovation by helping entrepreneurs and scientists become the energy leaders of tomorrow. Blue Institute Labs, PBC and Blue Institute, Inc. are proud to work to expand and amplify NREL and DOE’s efforts to encourage sustainable growth as well as improve the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the prizes and other DOE/EERE programs. For more information visit www.blueinstitutelabs.com.
Umass Dartmouth Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship – Fall River, MA
- Incubator Space
- Dedicated laboratories, including a prototype and machine shop, environmental chemistry, and life sciences, with full-time staff.
- Specialized Equipment – (including a scanning electron microscope)
- Access to UMass Dartmouth faculty, researchers, and students.
- Entrepreneurial programming through a partnership with the Southern New England Entrepreneurs Forum (SNEEF)
The UMass Dartmouth Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) is an incubator for technology-driven companies to build their exciting ideas. Located in the South Coast Research and Technology Park, near the intersection of Routes 195 and 24 in Fall River, the center is housed in a 60,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility. The goal of the CIE is to provide advanced technology and manufacturing solutions, through industry and university partnerships, to meet current and future business needs. www.umassd.edu/innovate
Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology – E. Hartford, CT
The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. helps private and public entities to apply innovative tools and practices to increase efficiencies, improve workforce development and boost competitiveness. CCAT functions as a unique economic development organization that combines expertise in cutting-edge technology with specialized centers of excellence in manufacturing, education, training, energy and entrepreneurialism. Throughout these efforts, we promote partnership between industry, academia and government to create a new collaborative framework for addressing 21st-century economic challenges. www.ccat.us
UMass Lowell Innovation Hub – Lowell MA
The facility includes dedicated offices, shared workspace, a prototyping/fabrication laboratory, as well as these common resources:
- Reception area and administrative support
- Phone Booths
- Kitchen / Cafe
- Open Work Space
- Copy / Print resources
- Board Room
- Conference Room
- Breakout Spaces
The UMass Lowell Innovation Hub provides startup programming and access to the UMass Lowell’s faculty and research resources, as well as collaboration with mentors and sponsors.This space addresses the needs of “open innovation” startups by offering them needed work and laboratory space and access to office resources in the short term, rather than long-term, expensive business leases. Located in downtown Lowell’s vibrant Hamilton Canal District, UMass Lowell’s Innovation Hub provides access to dedicated office and desks, coworking spaces, meeting and event locations, a prototyping and fabrication lab, support services and much more. www.uml.edu/Innovation-Hub/
Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives – Worcester MA
- MBI offers private and secure labs and offices, lease what you need – grow when you want.
- “All About our Companies” model of service. We consider the MBI Team as an extension of each company within our facilities.
- MBI provides new business support helping companies reach their milestones.
MBI is Massachusetts’ longest running nonprofit life science startup incubator. Our mission is to be a partner for fostering innovation in the life sciences. MBI works to break down the barriers to success for entrepreneurs through our efforts in startup incubation, workforce development, and economic development. MBI provides business assistance, community and educational events, and access to shared and core equipment (including vivarium usage). MBI offers 65,000+SF of private BL2 labs, offices, and onsite parking at an affordable rate.
Please visit https://MBI.bio for more details.
Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority / TechPlace – Brunswick, ME
The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA) is a public municipal corporation by State law established by the Maine State Legislature to implement the NASB Reuse Master Plans for both NASB and Topsham’s Annex as they have been set forth by both the Brunswick Local Redevelopment Authority (BLRA) and the Topsham Local Redevelopment Authority (TLRA). The Reuse Master Plans for NASB and the Topsham Annex represent a unique opportunity to establish a vibrant live, work, learn, and play environment, Centers of excellence for technology innovation, environmental sustainability, and “green” community development, a variety of corporate, business, academic, recreational, and community services, and a strong sense of place based on smart growth principles. www.mrra.us
- Composite Layup Facility
- Shared Bio-production Lab
- Shared Shops – woodshop, metal shop, welding booth, 3-D printer
TechPlace supports the small business development needs of early-stage companies in a collaborative environment in the heart of Maine’s midcoast region. TechPlace gives entrepreneurs a place to network with other innovators, research and develop ideas, build prototypes, test products, assemble, grow, learn, and become successful manufacturing and technology companies. techplacemaine.us.
- Capabilities and Hardware: Industrial robotics, cobotics, digital manufacturing equipment and knowhow, prototyping, design, CAD, software workflows, materials and process knowledge, end effector development, sensory and non-linear robotics.
- Five Program Ecosystem:
- Industry R&D,
- small business incubation,
- Research (both internal and university adjacent),
- community engagement,
- STEM.
New Bedford Research & Robotics – New Bedford, MA
New Bedford Research & Robotics is an Equitable Innovation, Education, and Entrepreneurship space that leverages creativity with technologies to support ethical outcomes with the application of frontier technologies while bridging Economic, Academic, and Social sectors. For more information visit researchandrobotics.org.
Northeastern University – Boston, MA
Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university built on a tradition of engagement with the world, creating a distinctive experiential approach to learning and discovery. The university offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools, and select advanced degrees at campuses in Charlotte, N.C., Seattle, Silicon Valley, and Toronto. Major research campuses in Burlington, MA, and Nahant, MA, pursue advancements in homeland security and coastal sustainability.
Northeastern University provides access to its Experiential Network (XN) Program and the Level Data Analytics Program to ACTION Innovation Network’s incubator members and resident startup companies, in addition to the university’s other talent acquisition & workforce development programs.
North Shore InnoVentures – Beverly, MA
- Wet lab space for biotech and cleantech companies
- Mentoring and advising
- InnoVentures University business training programs
Cleantech InnoVenture Center (CIVC) is business incubator to nurture innovative early-stage cleantech companies and support sustained economic growth in our region. NSIV is a non-profit, supported in part by state and federal grants as well as corporate sponsors, which helps subsidize the facilities and services we offer. Collaboration is at the heart of our model. We bring shared physical resources, sponsor services, experienced entrepreneurs and investment advisers together with promising young companies. Together we help them conserve capital, make good decisions, build strong teams and achieve development and funding milestones. www.nsiv.org/
Polo Meccatronica – Rovereto TN, Italy
The Mechatronics Cluster brings together representatives of the worlds of production, education and research in areas related to mechatronics: a new form of engineering combining information technology, electronics, mechanics, hydraulics and pneumatics.
The coexistence of different companies, secondary schools, university departments, research centres and industrial accelerators supported by the valuable services of Trentino Sviluppo creates the ideal conditions for experimentation and production of innovative processes and products.
The Cluster is the most recent expression of Trentino’s natural inclination for mechanics and mechatronics. This is in fact the sector employing the majority of workers in manufacturing industry (almost 10,000), with about 800 active enterprises, making an important contribution to Trentino’s exports.
In this business hub, research centres and educational institutions perform their functions while at the same time responding to local demand for innovation, contributing to the social and economic development of the district of Rovereto and to production throughout Trentino. www.polomeccatronica.it
Progetto Manifattura – Rovereto TN, Italy
Progetto Manifattura – Green Innovation Factory is an initiative of the autonomous Province of Trento to transform a former tobacco plant into a cluster for cleantech innovation. With over 100,000 square feet of floor space situated on roughly 22 acres of land, the space will be used to host private enterprise in three main sectors: green building, renewable energy and environmental technologies, with research labs, training facilities, and public uses designed specifically to promote the cluster concept. Participating companies will benefit from an innovation ecosystem unique in Italy, with assistance programs for starting and growing new businesses. www.progettomanifattura.it
SeaAhead — Boston, MA
- Entrepreneurial community
- Mentoring and advising
- Startup Incubator
- Angel investment group
SeaAhead is a bluetech startup platform and benefit corporation, located at the Cambridge Innovation Center, with the mission of supporting venture innovation for the ocean. Our open innovation platform supports startups seeking a community that is driven to have a positive, sustainable impact on the ocean. SeaAhead helps build companies through its BlueSwell incubator, facilitates investments through the Blue Angels Investment Group, and sparks innovation through competitions like the BlueGreen Innovation Challenge. Our ecosystem includes startups, investors, corporations, governments, and other ocean stakeholders that are coming together to create impact in areas including greener shipping and ports, seafood systems, offshore alternative energy, resilient waterfronts, scalable solutions to marine plastic pollution, and ocean-centric approaches to the challenges of climate change.
Southbridge Tech Incubator — Southbridge, MA
- Furnished labs and offices
- Large and small conference rooms
- Full kitchen and lunch room
- Machine shop and clean room for prototyping and pilot production
- Technical equipment for mechanical, electrical, biomedical and optical engineering
Southbridge Tech Incubator (STI) is a privately held collaborative workspace with a mission to provide an environment where tenants can create, build, interact, and share ideas and resources. The mission is supported by a network of consultants, mentors and suppliers that contribute a wide variety of skills and experience to tenants’ teams. STI’s newly refurbished building is ideal for the development and pilot production of medical devices and other technology products.
WorcLab – Worcester, MA
- Networking and business to business services
- Management, advisory and mentoring
- Office and prototyping space
- Prototyping equipment
WorcLab is Worcester’s premier startup incubator. While industry agnostic, they specialize in online services, IoT, electrical systems, robotics and material science. WorcLab is a collaborative, diverse and inspiring community where innovators can launch and grow their business. WorcLab’s incubator facilities lower the barrier to success for startups by providing cost-effective offices and prototyping space, equipment, resources and programming, including a 3D printer farm and PCB manufacturing line. worclab.org