New York State Certified Business Incubators and Innovation Hot Spots

Through a competitive process, NYSTAR has designated 10 Innovation Hot Spots—one for each of New York's economic development regions—and 20 Certified Business Incubators, which receive funding to reach a greater number of early-stage companies. Opportunities to apply and eligibility criteria can be found on the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) website.

This network of support has created a culture of innovation and success around the state, thanks to ground-level services that make a dramatic difference in a start-up company’s next steps.

Support may vary by location but generally includes: physical space; shared administrative staff; access to capital; coaching; mentoring; networking connections; prototype development; and access to other technical services. Innovation Hot Spots also coordinate regional entrepreneurial ecosystems, and can offer tax benefits to client businesses.

Capital Region

Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (AMPS)

A community dedicated to driving innovation, accelerating growth, and transforming the future of medical and pharmaceutical sciences. Together, let’s turn ideas into reality and shape a healthier world for generations to come.

Capital Region | Innovate 518

Innovate 518, a partnership between the University at Albany, the Center for Economic Growth, IgniteU/NYSTEC, and SUNY Adirondack, helps to grow sustainable and scalable technology ventures.

Tech Valley Center of Gravity

The Manufacturing Incubator provides coaching and incubation across industries, advisory services and support for product-related startups – and advanced manufacturing equipment and flexible workspace for product development through the Prototyping Center

RPI Incubator

The Incubator acts as a distributed incubation model, startups will align with the partner community with which they have the most synergies.

Central Region

The Tech Garden

This 21-partner consortium, headed by CenterState CEO at The Tech Garden, delivers innovative physical and virtual incubation and business development programming combining higher education resources with early-stage funding, coaching and mentorship.

Central New York Biotech Accelerator

CNYBAC is a biotech incubator/accelerator that promotes ready access to Upstate Medical University’s experts, facilities, and equipment for biotech startups, early discovery innovators, entrepreneurs, mentors, service providers, and innovation clubs.

Partnership for Community Development

PCD believes that encouraging local, small businesses is the best way to keep Hamilton’s economy vibrant. We work hard to connect local entrepreneurs with resources and funding to help their businesses start and grow.

Finger Lakes Region

NextCorps

This regional consortium is led by Nextcorps and the Rochester Institute of Technology, and includes RIT's Center for Urban Entrepreneurship, the Upstate MedTech Park in Batavia and the Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park in Geneva.

Cornell Food and Ag

The Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park is the Finger Lakes Region’s premier destination for food, beverage, and ag tech innovation, acceleration, and incubation.

Long Island Region

ideaHUb / Hofstra University

Hofstra University’s state-of-the-art ideaHUb offers a world class, modern facility and supports the growth of early stage companies through business development programs, mentorship, a Maker Space, technical assistance and educational programs.

Accelerate Long Island – Hot Spot

A unique collaboration among Long Island’s world class research institutions and its business community to commercialize research and create an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

New York Institute of Technology

The Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center (ETIC) has served as New York Tech's hub for cultivating new businesses, products, and fresh ideas in technology, engineering, and applied sciences since 2015.

Mid-Hudson Region

Hudson River EATS

In addition to being located in an urban center, our incubator is stewarding small businesses that are repopulating vacant spaces in town and village centers.

New Paltz Venture Hub – Hot Spot

Our mission is to be a highly valued resource hub for the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We connect entrepreneurs to the resources, programs, and people they need to grow - and provide direct services to startups.

Mohawk Valley Region

Mohawk Valley | thINCubator

This “home of innovative new companies,” in downtown Utica, serves the community and the region’s higher education institutions. The thINCubator drives innovation and entrepreneurship in collaboration with multiple area stakeholders.

Griffiss Institute Certified Business Incubator (GI)

The Rome-based incubator, serving the Mohawk Valley partners with thINCubator and other regional economic development entities to combine numerous high-tech, information and cybersecurity assets with programs and services to support local entrepreneurs.

Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship, Inc (CADE)

Our mission is to increase the number and diversity of viable farm enterprises and related businesses across the supply chain in New York through technical assistance, education, mentoring, network-weaving, partnerships, advocacy, and research.

New York City Region

Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NYCRIN)

The Hub, which can accommodate 25-30 startups (and 50+ people), offers tenants professional mentorship and a host of collaborative and supportive services—embracing entrepreneurship in science and engineering as well as in non-science based companies.

Downstate Biotech Incubator and BioBAT

The incubator links numerous regional bio-based assets and business development programs into one unified program.

NYU Tandon Future Labs

This incubator helps NYC area start-ups through an individualized two-year program utilizing best practices and providing mentorship, access to programming, service providers, potential customers, investors and business-related services.

Communitas America

Communitas is building an entrepreneurial ecosystem, primarily made up of BIPOC and women changemakers, who are creating inclusive and equitable local economies in historically under-resourced communities in the U.S.

Mt. Sinai

This Incubator empowers the existing workforce to identify, conceive and implement innovative solutions that can improve efficiency, safety, and quality of care, nurturing spin-off small businesses that will source their workforces locally as they grow.

Staten Island Tech Incubator

The College of Staten Island (CSI) Tech Incubator provides opportunity for technological innovation and is transforming Staten Island into a leading hub for creativity, applied research, entrepreneurship and growth.

North Country Region

Shipley Center for Innovation at Clarkson University

Clarkson University has developed a scalable model with a track record of success in the North Country through the Center for Advanced Materials Processing, the Shipley Center for Innovation and the Reh Center for Entrepreneurship.

Southern Tier Region

Koffman Southern Tier Incubator

The Binghamton Incubator Program focuses on developing and delivering entrepreneurial and business skills through workshops, seminars, events and mentoring.

IncubatorWorks

IncubatorWorks promotes economic development in the Southern Tier of New York through supporting entrepreneurial growth and development of businesses and their creation of jobs.

Rev Ithaca Startup Works

Rev is an Ithaca-based, collaborative project with New York State, Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College to develop startups and grow regional economy and employment.

Southern Tier Startup Alliance

This organization of business incubators supports people starting and growing companies in the region, led by a strong partnership between Binghamton University, Cornell University and Corning Enterprises.

Western New York Region

Western New York | WIN: WNY Incubator Network

This incubator network, headed by the University at Buffalo, focuses on formation of investable, market-driven companies with innovative products meeting customer needs.

Olean Business Development

OBDC supports new business activity in the greater Olean area by providing programming and services to help link thriving entrepreneurs with organizations and people to help them on their new business journey.

Contact Information

Contact NYSTAR for more information by emailing [email protected].