What Santa Fe Business Incubator does

Santa Fe Business Incubator (SFBI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit economic development organization founded in 1997 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It operates from a 30,000-square-foot facility at 3900 Paseo del Sol (valued at $4.8M) that houses office space, the shared BioScience Lab (added April 2014), the Archimedes Fab Lab (added February 2017), warehouse and production space, and meeting rooms. The organization serves early-stage entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, freelancers, and growing local businesses primarily in Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico, currently housing 18-20 resident client businesses representing approximately 140 people and hosting more than 9,500 visitors annually.

SFBI's service portfolio is structured around four client tiers (Resident Client, Affiliate Client, Workspaces, and the RUNWAY pre-incubation program) plus educational offerings such as Expert Connections workshops and a Startup Toolkit. The incubator does not take equity from client companies. Revenue derives from monthly space rentals ($500-$1,000 for office, $1,000-$1,200 for bioscience lab benches), affiliate memberships ($375/month), workshop punch cards ($375/10 visits), and grants/charitable contributions. Earned revenues cover only approximately 50% of annual operating costs, with the remainder funded by sponsors including the City of Santa Fe Office of Economic Development and NMSU Arrowhead Center.

Since founding, SFBI reports having supported more than 160 companies with a 70%+ graduation rate and a cited "4x survival rate" versus non-incubated peers. In fiscal year 2019, SFBI clients and alumni contributed $82.1M in economic impact to the New Mexico economy, 771 jobs, $36.4M in earnings, and $5.94M in state and local tax revenue. The organization maintains strategic partnerships with over 60 economic development entities, including LANL Feynman Center for Innovation, UNM Rainforest Innovations, Kiva (as a Trustee Organization for 0%-interest micro-loans up to $10,000), and the South Valley Economic Development Center for food industry incubation. Leadership transitioned during the period covered; the structured data identifies Marie Longserre as President/CEO, while a later leadership snapshot lists Dana Catron as President, suggesting recent leadership turnover.

Name

Santa Fe Business Incubator

Legal name

Santa Fe Incubator

Website

https://sfbi.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Santa Fe Business Incubator is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 that provides office, lab, and coworking space plus pre-incubation programs to early-stage entrepreneurs in Santa Fe, New Mexico, operating from a 30,000-square-foot facility with bioscience and fabrication labs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Incubation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Facilities Support Services (56121)

SIC

Services-Equipment Rental & Leasing, Nec (7359)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Business incubation services
• Pre-incubation programs
• Entrepreneurship support
• Specialized lab facilities
• Coworking workspaces

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Fe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Space Rentals: Rental income from office spaces, lab benches, warehouse, and production facilities to resident client businesses. This is the primary revenue stream supporting incubator operations.
2. Program Fees: Fees from structured programs including the pre-incubation RUNWAY program that serves emerging entrepreneurs.
3. Affiliate Client Memberships: Monthly membership dues from affiliate clients who access incubator resources without resident office space.
4. Grants and Charitable Support: Funding from sponsors including the City of Santa Fe Office of Economic Development and NMSU Arrowhead Center to support program operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Santa Fe Business Incubator (SFBI) is a not-for-profit business incubator providing shared office, lab, warehouse, and production space in a 30,000 square foot facility, along with structured programs including the RUNWAY pre-incubation program, Expert Connections workshops, coworking workspaces, and access to specialized facilities (BioScience Lab and Archimedes Fab Lab). The incubator supports early-stage founders, solopreneurs, and growing local businesses through mentorship, networking, and access to capital sources including Kiva micro-loans.

Product overview

Santa Fe Business Incubator is a not-for-profit business incubator established in 1997 providing a multi-tiered program portfolio. The core offerings include the RUNWAY Pre-Incubation Program for early-stage entrepreneurs, Expert Connections quarterly workshops with business experts, and various client programs (Resident Client, Affiliate Client, and Workspaces). Physical facilities include a 30,000 square foot facility with office, lab, warehouse, and production space, plus specialized labs (BioScience Lab and Archimedes Fab Lab). Additional services include business coaching, mentoring, consulting, meeting room access, and educational workshops. The incubator does not take equity from client companies and helps identify funding sources including Kiva micro-loans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RUNWAY: Pre-incubation program at the Santa Fe Business Incubator designed to assist early idea stage individuals and teams in assessing market potential and forming a working business concept.
• Expert Connections

Products and services

• RUNWAY Pre-Incubation Program Pre-incubation program for individuals and teams who have a business idea but need help forming it into a viable business model, including testing ideas through customer feedback and networking. Sponsored by City of Santa Fe and NMSU Arrowhead Center.
• Expert Connections Quarterly workshops and free micro-consultations pairing entrepreneurs with business experts in various areas of expertise.
• Resident Client Program Rental of office, lab, warehouse, and/or production space in the incubator's 30,000 square foot facility with access to collective resources, meeting rooms, programs, and events. Priced at $500-$1,000 per month depending on space type.
• Affiliate Client Program Non-resident membership providing access to meeting rooms, collective resources, programming, and coaching for businesses located outside the main campus. Priced at $375 per month.
• Workspaces Flexible coworking spaces for solopreneurs, freelancers, and professionals in Santa Fe, offered as a change of venue option.
• BioScience Lab Shared wet laboratory space with bench rental between $1,000 and $1,200 per bench for biotech and bioscience companies, including shared equipment access.
• Archimedes Fab Lab Fabrication laboratory providing prototyping and manufacturing equipment for client businesses across multiple industries.
• Startup Toolkit Resources and tools supporting business planning, management, financing, promotion, marketing, and evaluation for incubator clients.
• Kiva Micro-Loan Assistance SFBI is a Kiva Trustee Organization assisting small businesses in applying for micro-loans of up to $10,000 at 0% interest through the Kiva crowd-lending platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Incubated companies are 4x more likely to survive compared to non-incubated businesses
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• NMSU Arrowhead CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNMSU Arrowhead Center serves as a RUNWAY program sponsor, providing funding and programmatic support for the pre-incubation program serving emerging entrepreneurs in the Santa Fe region. This partnership connects SFBI with New Mexico State University's entrepreneurial resources and statewide innovation network.
• KivacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKiva is a micro-loan platform partner providing access to interest-free crowdfunding loans for SFBI client entrepreneurs. SFBI helps facilitate Kiva applications and supports entrepreneurs in accessing this alternative capital source through workshops and one-on-one assistance.
• South Valley Economic Development CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with South Valley Economic Development Center to deliver the Food Industry Incubation Program, expanding food business incubation services beyond Santa Fe to the South Valley region of New Mexico.
• Over 60 Economic Development OrganizationssupportingOthersSFBI maintains active partnerships with over 60 economic development organizations and business support programs throughout New Mexico. These organizations refer potential clients to SFBI and receive referrals of clients who need services outside SFBI's scope.
• UNM Rainforest InnovationssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology transfer and startup support organization associated with the University of New Mexico. Participates in SFBI events and programming, providing connections to UNM research and startup ecosystem.
• LANL Feynman Center for InnovationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLos Alamos National Laboratory's innovation center that supports technology transfer and startup creation from laboratory research. Participates in SFBI events and programming, connecting regional innovators with LANL resources.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MassChallenge: Global nonprofit startup accelerator offering workspace, mentorship, and programs to early-stage founders without taking equity. Directly comparable to SFBI's non-profit, no-equity incubation model, but operating at much larger scale across multiple geographies.
• 1871: Chicago-based nonprofit tech hub and incubator providing workspace, programming, and community to early-stage entrepreneurs. Closely comparable to SFBI in mission (nonprofit founder support), programming structure, and reliance on corporate/community sponsorship.
• Arrowhead Center at NMSU: New Mexico State University's entrepreneurship and technology commercialization hub. Direct partner of SFBI (NMSU Arrowhead Center sponsors the RUNWAY program) and offers comparable programming, mentorship, and commercialization support across New Mexico.
• gener8tor: Midwest-based venture-backed accelerator running multi-industry programs with mentorship and investor connections. Comparable in structured cohort programming but differs in taking equity stakes from participating startups.

Broad incumbents

• CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center): Large multi-location innovation campus operator providing coworking, lab, and office space for startups and corporates. Comparable in providing physical infrastructure and programming, but operates at much larger scale and as a for-profit.
• Techstars: Global startup accelerator offering equity-based cohort programs, mentorship, and investor access across multiple verticals. Comparable in accelerator programming model, but operates at much larger scale with a fundamentally different equity-based funding model.

Regional players

• ABQid: Albuquerque-based startup accelerator supporting New Mexico founders with programming, mentorship, and pitch events. Operates in the same regional ecosystem as SFBI, though based in Albuquerque rather than Santa Fe.
• WESST Enterprise Center: New Mexico-based nonprofit providing entrepreneurship training, business consulting, and small business support. Comparable in mission and nonprofit funding model but focuses on consulting rather than physical incubation space.
• South Valley Economic Development Center: Albuquerque-based nonprofit providing food business incubation and small business development in New Mexico's South Valley. Direct SFBI partner on the Food Industry Incubation Program and operates a comparable nonprofit incubation model in an adjacent region.

Emerging players

• Bunker Labs: National nonprofit supporting veteran and military-spouse entrepreneurs through education, networks, and community. Comparable in nonprofit incubation programming model, but specializes in a specific founder segment (veterans) rather than general founders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SantaFeInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/SantaFeInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/santa-fe-business-incubator
• Instagraminstagram.com/santafeinc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Santa Fe Business Incubator