This article by Gary Tanner first appeared on the Kennesaw State University website, republished with permission. All photos courtesy of KSU.

Need to finance a new heating and cooling system for your house? Or maybe you’re interested in adding culinary mushroom production to your farm. Perhaps your college-aged child with ADHD could use some support to thrive.

Turns out, there’s a startup company to help with each of those issues, and they’re all growing at Kennesaw State University in the HatchBridge Incubator.

HatchBridge opened in July 2023 at the KSU Center and hosted 51 different startup projects in various programs in its first year of existence. Its five offices have been occupied by startups since opening.

Those who come to HatchBridge have an idea they believe can be a thriving business but want the training and guidance that they get from incubator staff and interact with others who are on similar entrepreneurial paths.

“People need mentorship and accountability when they’re creating a startup,” said Colin Ake, HatchBridge’s director of incubation and commercialization. “What we do is provide support for all the people who are building something in the suburbs.”

HatchBridge offers programs where entrepreneurs refine their ideas, research potential markets, receive business coaching from incubator staff, launch their businesses, and work to make them grow. Entrepreneurs can then continue working to build their companies at the incubator as they refine products, business plans, and raise money to fund their growth.

While bringing their startups into being, HatchBridge members get access to workstations or offices, tools such as laser cutters and 3D printers to make product prototypes, a content studio to make promotional videos, podcasts, and more. They also belong to a digital community of fellow startup builders who inspire and support each other.

Being based at and part of Kennesaw State makes HatchBridge a natural stop for university researchers, alumni, and even students to bring their inventions to market. But the incubator is open to anyone who is building a business.

“There are some great incubators in Atlanta,” Ake said. “But we want to serve entrepreneurs who live and build in the suburbs. They need community, support, and accountability in proximity to where they live.”

One of those entrepreneurs is Daniel Collier, co-founder and chief executive officer of Chowder, a HatchBridge member that helps cash-strapped or credit-challenged homeowners, as well as home contractors by providing affordable lease-purchase on needed items, such as heating and cooling systems.

Another northern suburb-based startup growing at HatchBridge is Uverciti, Inc. which has developed an app to support students with attention deficit disorder and provide them support to succeed in college.

“I came to HatchBridge with just an idea, a concept really, and through their programming, process and coaching, my idea was transformed into a viable solution ready for launch,” said Uverciti founder David Reap.

MycoLogic, LLC manufactures and markets a system for growing culinary mushrooms in climate-controlled shipping containers. The system stemmed from the research of KSU associate professor of biology Chris Cornelison and post-doctoral researcher Kyle Gabriel, who is MycoLogic’s chief executive officer.

A pair of young alumni are among the entrepreneurs who have grown their startups through HatchBridge membership.

Jordan St. Louis, who graduated this year with a degree in software engineering, has launched Generalized Robotics, a company that has developed a camera for emergency vehicles that provides a 360-degree view and has been tested by the Clayton County Police Department. Generalized Robotics was in the first two HatchBridge programs.

Meanwhile, alumnus Regnault Drake Sanders has developed an app called Schoolconomy that allows students to earn rewards for their hard work in school. To use the app, students upload their grades to Schoolconomy to receive points towards rewards. Those points can be turned into gift cards for major retailers and brands. The app currently targets all students. Schoolconomy has an office at HatchBridge and has participated in programs focused on startup development and venture financing.

All the HatchBridge startups benefit from guidance from the HatchBridge team. Ake brings more than a decade of experience building startups, including at his alma mater Georgia Tech, associate director Graham Gintz also has extensive experience in early-stage startups, and entrepreneur in residence Wesley Samples brings his knowledge as a startup founder and COO to bear.

The HatchBridge suite at KSU Center is currently fully occupied, and to serve the many more eager entrepreneurs in the area, the incubator will be moving to a much larger, stand-alone space next year at 1111 Chastain Road, the former General Bookstore building.

– Story by Gary Tanner