Bounce Innovation Hub

Name

Bounce Innovation Hub

Legal name

Bounce Innovation Hub

Website

https://bouncehub.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bounce Innovation Hub is a Northeast Ohio nonprofit innovation center operating the historic Goodrich Building in Akron, providing coworking, wet laboratories, and manufacturing space alongside accelerator programs in materials, software, and healthcare for regional entrepreneurs and startups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Incubation and Innovation Hub Services

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerator / Incubator-Backed ETA Programs (FSANALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH), Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI), Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI)

Keywords

• Startup accelerator programs
• Coworking and incubator space
• Materials science incubation
• Entrepreneurship ecosystem support
• Small business incubation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Akron

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorships: Annual corporate partnership packages at five tiers ($5,000-Presenting Partner $100,000) offering Generator memberships, event rentals, logo placement, social media promotion, and naming rights opportunities. Also includes event sponsorships and initiative sponsorships.
2. Space Rental Revenue: Revenue from renting coworking memberships, dedicated desks, private offices, meeting rooms, event spaces, laboratory space, and light manufacturing space. Rental rates vary by space type and membership status.
3. Grant Funding: Bounce receives federal, state, and local government grants including a $2 million federal grant (2022), SBA Regional Innovation Cluster award, and Ohio Department of Development funding through the Polymer Industry Cluster.
4. Donations: Individual and organizational donations supporting Bounce's mission to drive economic growth through entrepreneurship in Greater Akron and Northeast Ohio.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bounce Innovation Hub is a nonprofit innovation center operating the historic 300,000+ square foot Goodrich Building in downtown Akron. It rents coworking, private offices, wet laboratories, light manufacturing, meeting rooms, and event spaces to startups and small businesses, and runs structured accelerator programs (Synthe6 Materials Accelerator, Flywheel Software Program, Kinetic Healthcare Innovation) along with workshops, mentorship, and ecosystem convening for Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs.

Product overview

Bounce Innovation Hub is a nonprofit innovation center in Akron, Ohio, founded in January 2018, providing a comprehensive ecosystem of physical facilities and entrepreneurial programs. The hub offers coworking and office space (The Generator on floors 1-2, The Incubator on floors 3-9), specialized wet laboratory and light manufacturing facilities, and meeting/event spaces. Its programming portfolio includes three focused accelerators: Synthe6 Materials Accelerator (polymer and advanced materials startups), Flywheel Software Program (software startups), and Kinetic Healthcare Innovation (healthcare/life sciences in partnership with NEOMED). Additional programs include the Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund (student-led investment experience), Beyond Startup Workshop Series, Entrepreneur Help Desk, and SPARK Akron ecosystem initiative. The organization serves more than 200 entrepreneurs and startups annually across Northeast Ohio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Synthe6 Materials Accelerator: A 12-month cohort-based commercialization program designed to propel polymer and advanced materials startups toward success, offered in partnership with the Polymer Industry Cluster.
• Flywheel
• Kinetic
• Beyond Startup Series
• Entrepreneur Help Desk
• SPARK Akron
• Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund

Products and services

• Synthe6 Materials Accelerator 12-month cohort-based accelerator program designed to propel polymer and advanced materials startups toward commercialization, providing mentorship, industry connections, workshops, and access to capital through the Polymer Industry Cluster partnership.
• Flywheel Software Program Continuum of software support connecting founders with experienced tech entrepreneurs and advisors to help turn small wins into sustained startup growth through milestone setting and accountability.
• Kinetic Healthcare Innovation Partnership between Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) and Bounce Innovation Hub to develop, support, and accelerate healthcare and life sciences innovations across Ohio and the Midwest, leveraging NEOMED's MEDIC Innovation Lab, REDIzone, and clinical networks.
• Beyond Startup Workshop Series Hands-on workshop series for entrepreneurs covering QuickBooks bookkeeping, strategic branding, web presence, sales prospecting, and milestone setting, held twice monthly.
• The Generator (Coworking Space) Two-floor coworking facility on floors 1 and 2 of the Goodrich Building offering open seating, private offices, meeting rooms, event spaces, phone booths, video conferencing, and a public cafe (ACR Coffee Lab).
• The Incubator (Office, Wet Lab, and Light Manufacturing Leases) Floors 3-9 of the Goodrich Building providing leases for startups, small businesses, creatives, makers, and corporate partners, offering private offices, wet laboratories with fume hoods/sinks/casework/lab benches, and light manufacturing space with garage-door entry.
• Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund (NEOSVF) Program providing early investment experience for Northeast Ohio startup companies while giving university students hands-on venture capital exposure through university chapters.
• Entrepreneur Help Desk Service providing direct one-on-one connections to subject matter experts covering minority-led, women-led, and veteran-led business certifications, intellectual property protection, and federal beneficial ownership filing requirements.
• SPARK Akron Collaborative initiative of nearly two dozen entrepreneurial support organizations working together to ensure entrepreneurs connect to resources for success, residing within Elevate Greater Akron's New Fundamentals Priority.
• Event Space Rental Three versatile event venues operated within the Goodrich Building: Signal Tree (up to 250 guests), Burton D. Morgan Foundation Ideation Studio (up to 100 guests), and The Bit Factory (up to 100 guests), available for corporate events, workshops, and celebrations.
• Meeting Room Rentals Ten thoughtfully designed meeting spaces accommodating teams of 4 to 45 people, equipped with high-speed internet and AV capabilities across first, second, and fifth floors.
• Coworking Memberships Flexible coworking memberships offered at The Generator, including Day Pass ($15/day), Part Timer ($50-$100 for 5-10 passes), The Coworker ($150/month with 24/7 access), Reserved Desk ($250/month), and Private Offices (starting at $500/month).
• Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships Annual corporate partnership program at five tiers ($5,000 Collaboration Partner to $100,000 Presenting Partner) offering benefits including Generator memberships, private event rentals, Showcase tabling, social media promotion, and naming rights opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 67% of Bounce polymer startups received grant funding or raised capital in excess of $250,000 in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership between NEOMED and Bounce Innovation Hub to form Kinetic, Health Care Innovation in Motion. Develops, supports, and accelerates innovations in healthcare and life sciences across Ohio and the Midwest. Leverages NEOMED's state-of-the-art facilities, equipment, and clinical networks combined with Bounce's commercialization expertise.
• Polymer Industry ClustercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Bounce leads the Polymer Industry Cluster in Greater Akron, which has grown to 50+ companies and secured $100M+ in federal and state funding since 2024. Cluster includes 30+ corporations committed to polymer innovation, anchored by University of Akron's top-ranked School of Polymer Science and Engineering. Synthe6 Materials Accelerator is part of this cluster.
• University of AkroncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024University of Akron's School of Polymer Science and Engineering anchors the Polymer Industry Cluster. The university provides research expertise and talent pipeline for polymer innovation startups in the Greater Akron region.
• JumpStart Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Regional partner in the SBA Regional Innovation Cluster award supporting health tech startups developing new materials through the Kinetic network.
• Project MedTechminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Health tech Entrepreneur-in-Residence firm providing advisory services to Kinetic program clients at Bounce. Connects startups with experienced founders and industry expertise.
• Wave StrategyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Consulting firm providing Entrepreneur-in-Residence services for Kinetic program clients. Helps founders set goals, build momentum, and engage with the NEO entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• MAGNET (Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2018Joint program called 'Iterator' based in Bounce to help physical product companies overcome challenges of designing, engineering, and manufacturing. MAGNET provides expertise and methodologies while Bounce offers space and ecosystem. A MAGNET employee is stationed at Bounce to facilitate services.
• Elevate Greater Akron / SPARK AkroncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Bounce leads the Spark Akron initiative within Elevate Greater Akron's New Fundamentals Priority. Mission to develop and maintain robust entrepreneurial support services for inclusive growth and longevity of small businesses in Greater Akron. Spark is a collection of nearly two dozen entrepreneurial support organizations.
• Akron-Summit Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center partnership providing entrepreneurs access to additional business development resources and information.
• Business NavigatorminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Online resource helping entrepreneurs find the right resources in the Greater Akron ecosystem. Bounce refers entrepreneurs to this service for navigation assistance.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator network with cohort-based programs, mentor networks, and corporate partnerships — comparable to Bounce's Synthe6/Flywheel/Kinetic accelerator model at much greater scale.
• Galvanize: Multi-city campus combining coworking, event space, and tech-education programming — comparable to Bounce's Generator coworking + Beyond Startup workshop hybrid model.
• MassChallenge: Global nonprofit accelerator supporting early-stage startups across verticals with cohort programming, mentor networks, and corporate partnerships — overlaps with Bounce's Flywheel/Software and Kinetic programs.

Others

• JumpStart Inc. Cleveland-based nonprofit venture-development organization providing funding, mentorship, and connections to NEO startups — overlapping partner and ecosystem role to Bounce's SPARK Akron convening function.
• BIO Enterprise: Healthcare/biotech industry organization running programs and convening for life-science innovation — relevant adjacency to Bounce's Kinetic healthcare innovation vertical and Polymer Industry Cluster.

Regional players

• AlphaLab: Pittsburgh-based innovation studio and accelerator providing capital, mentorship, and workspace to early-stage tech startups — comparable Midwest regional innovation hub with similar accelerator/incubator orientation.
• Rev1 Ventures: Columbus, OH-based startup investor and accelerator combining capital, programming, and workspace — directly comparable regional Midwest hub competing for the same Ohio startup pipeline.

Direct peers

• 1871: Chicago-based nonprofit innovation hub providing coworking, accelerator programming, corporate partnerships, and ecosystem convening — the closest functional analog to Bounce's model of combining workspace, verticals, and community leadership.
• University City Science Center: Philadelphia-based nonprofit hub combining wet lab space, programming, and startup support; nearly identical structure to Bounce including lab facilities, accelerator programming, and university/medical partner ties.
• Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC): Operates large-scale innovation campuses with coworking, lab, and event space alongside venture-creation programming; comparable to Bounce in physical-infrastructure-plus-programming hybrid model, though for-profit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Bounce_Hub
• Facebookfacebook.com/BounceInnovationHub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bounce-innovation-hub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments14 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bounce Innovation Hub