Incubation
To develop your ideas, give them form and make them grow, you need an ideal environment. West Michigan has a plethora of places where entrepreneurs can practice their craft-from co-working, to office space, to high-tech incubators and accelerators. The variety of facilities and locations gives you the opportunity to take advantage of industry-specific equipment and business services, with the potential for significant cost savings.
654 Croswell
Located in a former house in East Grand Rapids, the 1,800-square-foot space includes a large common work area with café-style seating in the middle of the house, three meeting rooms, plus smaller areas called the den, the study and the porch.
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Accelerating Michigan Entrepreneurs
Accelerating Michigan Entrepreneurs is a virtual incubator that uses online communication tools and a web portal to provide mid- to long-term counseling and coaching that result in solutions and growth for small businesses in Michigan. The international Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence at the Goei Center offers 7000 square feet for business incubation. 818 Butterworth St SW Grand Rapids, MI, 49504 616.949.2421
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West Michigan Science & Technology Initiative’s Venture Center
The Initiative's Venture Center is a high-tech incubator for life science, medical device and high-growth start-ups or small businesses. With two locations in Grand Rapids, the Michigan Street Incubator and the Monroe Avenue Incubator, the Initiative provides more than 26,000 square feet to help these companies grow and succeed. Through the Venture Center, the Initiative is able to provide the tools needed to help foster and advance the commercialization of a tenant's ideas. The Initiative provides nearly all the entrepreneurial support services that may be required in return for a nominal monthly fee. The Initiative works to keep it simple for start-up companies and entrepreneurs by letting them focus on what they do well, while the Initiative handles the administrative support challenges that come with running a complex work space. To locate in the Venture Center, the business must be classified as high-tech, with high growth potential, and the intention to remain in Kent County. Coming Soon. For questions contact 616.331.5840.
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West Michigan Science & Technology Venture Center
The Initiative's Venture Center is a high-tech incubator for life science, medical device and high-growth start-ups or small businesses. 301 Michigan St. Grand Rapids, MI 49503 616.331.5840
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What is Creativity?
Using Play-Doh and the Apple iPod as examples, Robert Sutton, Co-Director of the Center for Work, Technology, and Organization at Stanford University, explains that often creativity is simply making new things out of old ones.
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The Factory
The Factory offers 2,000 square feet of open-plan workspace and includes a conference room that can seat up to eight people.
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The Starting Block
The Lakeshore Business Garden is a business accelerator facility which acts as a launch pad for early-stage companies. We support entrepreneurs during the creation, start up and early-growth stages of development. By linking entrepreneurs to affordable office space, community resources, expert advice and capital, we increase their chances of success. 201 West Washington Avenue Zeeland, MI 49464-1086 616.772.5226
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Southwest Michigan Innovation Center
Western Michigan University Business Technology and Research Park. 4717 Campus Drive Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5602 269.353.1823
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Don't Kill Projects: Morph Them
Repackage, rejuvenate, re-market, and re-examine those products or practices you thought would fly, and craft them a new set of wings. Vice President of Search Products & User Experience, Marissa Mayer lives by the old adage that if at first you don't succeed, try again. She pushes aspiring business thinkers to breathe new life into failed ventures, as opposed to cutting the cord.
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MoBevy or Monroe Bevy
Rent at MoBevy starts at $350 a month for a basic desk, two chairs, file cabinets, wireless Internet access and access to a shared conference room and copier / kitchenette room.
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The BioBusiness Accelerator
The BioBusiness Accelerator Michigan State University Bioeconomy Institute. 242 Howard Ave. Holland, MI 49424 616.395.8918
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Classroom Experiments in Entrepreneurship
If you had five dollars and two hours, what would you do to make as much money as possible? In this clip, STVP Executive Director Tina Seelig recalls a classroom exercise in creative thinking and entrepreneurship that posed this quandry to student teams. The results were manifold and varied, often taking advantage of locally needed services, niche markets, and valuable time. These in-class experiments contain many valuable lessons on creative thinking in the start-up realm, including skills, ideas, and innovation as assets that always lend value.
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The Garage at Elevator Up
Located within the Elevator Up offices in Zeeland, the Garage includes a lounge area, large tables for collaboration and smaller, individual working areas.
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Grand Valley State University Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC)
The Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center is the culmination of a cooperative effort involving several organizations. The foresight, leadership, and support provided by these organizations have made it possible to pursue a vision with global implications for the development of alternative and renewable energy sources. 200 Viridian Dr. Muskegon, MI 49440 231.722.4371
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Regus
Regus offers a global network of business centers, offices and meeting space, and has more than 950 business centers in 400 cities around the globe. The Grand Rapids location includes 52 offices and 14 meeting spaces and is staffed with administrative help. Space can be rented by the month, by the day or by the hour.
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