Darden Progressive Incubator

The Darden Progressive Incubator is a program designed to support promising early-stage business ventures involving Darden MBA students. The Incubator is located on the campus of the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Mission

The Darden Progressive Incubator has two primary objectives:^[1]

1. Foster the formation and development of start-up businesses to the point of pursuing and obtaining appropriate third-party investment support, and
2. Educate participants about the process of new venture development to improve their potential for future success.

Participation

The Darden Incubator is open to anyone within the University of Virginia community with an entrepreneurial business idea; entry is via business concept and business plan competitions held annually at Darden. Once in the Incubator, each business is led by Darden students--whether as principals or as development managers--through a series of increasingly demanding criteria (called "gates") to the point of start-up or abandonment. Each gate is made operational with the help of an outside panel of experts in new venture development.^[2]

Current Members of the Incubator

• Career Next Step, Inc.
• Control Alt Designs
• HemoSonics
• Language Works
• OpSmart
• PocketMed
• Power Control Solutions
• Step Ladder
• Think Tank Industries
• TransBorders, Inc.
• Vikaza

References

1. ^ Darden Graduate School of Business (2006).
2. ^ Ibid