UNC students are no strangers to new ideas and new ways of thinking — ventures ranging from social nonprofits to commercial businesses are constantly cropping up on campus.
Now the town of Chapel Hill is set to open a business incubator on Rosemary Street in mid-November.
Innovators should utilize this incubator, because it gives the resources and oversight necessary to encourage sustainable new ideas — not just new ideas for the sake of new ideas.
Business incubators provide innovators with a space to work on the next big idea. The new incubator will offer desk and office space, mentoring services and weekly programs to start-up businesses and entrepreneurs.
A similar initiative, American Underground, was started in Durham in 2010 and has successfully provided services to more than 30 companies. The goal for the Chapel Hill incubator is to create and develop businesses that will impact Orange County in the long term.
Incubators are a necessity when it comes to entrepreneurship. Low-rent offices and specialized resources provide incentives for entrepreneurs who don’t have the cash or capital to expand their businesses further.
Entrepreneurs sometimes struggle to expand networks, market ventures and operate and maintain businesses. The added resources provided by the new Chapel Hill incubator should help promote sustainability.
The incubator will cater mostly to UNC students and recent alumni, adding another resource to our already innovation-driven campus.
Entrepreneurial-minded students should take advantage of Chapel Hill’s new incubator to further develop their ventures within Orange County and beyond.
