UCF Business Incubation Program – Downtown (Orlando)
About
Located inside the historic Kress Building, the Downtown Incubator serves early-stage technology companies specifically focused on Digital Media, Smart City Technology, FinTech, EdTech, Hospitality & Tourism Tech. The facility features private offices, shared workspace, conference room, and kitchen.
The Downtown incubator was established in October 2019, as a partnership between the University of Central Florida and the City of Orlando.
The UCF Business Incubation Program provides business development & operational support to early-stage, innovative businesses throughout Central Florida. Since 1999, this award-winning program has supported hundreds of companies, who have collectively generated more than $400 million in sales and over $100 million in outside funding. The non-profit offers multiple programs that are designed to help businesses at different stages.
- Traction Program: helps new companies with little to no revenue to build the operational foundation of the business and develop a go-to-market strategy to cultivate an initial customer base. To be eligible, applicants must be (1) headquartered in Central Florida; (2) have a scalable, for-profit business model; and *(3) have a minimal viable product (MVP) or service ready to sell.
* Grant funding to support research & development is a sufficient substitute for an MVP.
- Growth Program: helps companies with existing traction in the market to develop the infrastructure for scaling their business. To be eligible, applicants must be (1) headquartered in Central Florida; (2) have a scalable, for-profit business model; and (3) have already generated revenue from their product or service.
- Soft Landing Program: helps international firms and companies headquartered outside the region to support their business development efforts from Central Florida. To be eligible, applicants must be (1) headquartered beyond the Central Florida region; (2) cannot be a franchise; (3) must have at least one full-time business developer from Central Florida office; and (4) all employees must be authorized to work in the United States.
UCF operates nine incubators across five counties.
Osceola – Kissimmee
Orange – Orlando
Volusia County – Daytona Beach
Seminole – Winter Springs
Lake – Eustis
Many of these facilities serve a broad range of industries. However, the incubators located within UCF’s Innovation Districts support companies within specific industry verticals. The Innovation District incubators and their respective industry clusters are listed below:
CENTRAL FLORIDA RESEARCH PARK Defense/Military, Modeling Simulation & Training, Cybersecurity, Photonics, Robotics, Energy, Space
DOWNTOWN Digital Media, Smart City Technology, FinTech, EdTech, Hospitality & Tourism Tech
LAKE NONA Life Sciences, Healthcare, Medical Simulation
To learn more or apply to these programs, visit incubator.ucf.edu.
Services provided below are to participants of the Incubation Program.
Services Provided
Economic and Site Development
- Site Location Assistance
Business Planning
- Business Plan Consulting (Specialty)
- Market Plan Development (Specialty)
- Market Research
Financial Resources and Assistance
- Accounting and Bookkeeping (Specialty)
- Financial Statement and Cash Flow (Specialty)
Import and Export Assistance
- Networking/Exploring Exporting/Importing
- Trade Education and Training
Legal Services
- Labor Relations
- Contract Review
- Forming a Business
- Lease Review
Management Issues
- Strategic Planning
Manufacturing, High Tech, Life Sciences Development
- Commercialization
- Augmented / Virtual Reality and Holographics (Specialty)
Mentoring
- Formal Mentoring Programs
Space
- Conference/Meeting and Event Space
- Office Space (Specialty)
Public Policy and Government Relations
- City Business Issues
- County Business Issues
Regulatory Compliance
- Patent & Trade Secret Information
Selling to the Government and Large Corporations
- Government and Military Specifications
- Obtaining Certifications
- Subcontracting Opportunities
Starting a Business
- Business Research Resources (Specialty)
- Feasibility Studies (Specialty)
- Startup Business Counseling (Specialty)
Accounting, Bookkeeping & Tax Services
- Budget, Financial Statement, and Cash Flow Training
Training
- Bookkeeping/Accounting Software Training
- Budget, Cash Flow and Financial Statements Training
- Business Management Training
- Business Plan Training and Assistance
- E-Commerce/Internet Marketing
- Human Resources Training
- Marketing Training
- Startup Classes
- International Trade Education and Training
- Disaster Preparedness
- Government Contracting
- Sales Training
- Social Media Training
Accelerators and Incubators
- Incubator (Specialty)
Events and Community Building
- Pitch Events
- Business Matchmaking Events
- Specialty Events (Specialty)
Michael Weiss
130 S. Orange Ave.
Suites A& B
Orlando, FL 32803
(321) 281-8384
https://incubator.ucf.edu/
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