The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation

What The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation does

The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation is a non-profit university-affiliated innovation center operated by Emory University and founded in 2020. Housed in a 15,000-square-foot facility at 1578 Avenue Place Suite 200 in Atlanta, Georgia, it serves undergraduate and graduate students across all nine Emory schools, guiding them from initial inspiration and skill-building through venture launch. Its core offering is a portfolio of programs — Incubator, Accelerator, Rose Program (focused on women founders), Techstars Emory Founder Catalyst, Innovation Leadership, and Internships — supplemented by Proto Labs (prototyping facilities) and mentorship services. As reported in the source, the center has supported 9,228 total program participants, 302 student ventures, and $10.2 million in venture funds raised by those ventures.

The center's business model is non-commercial: programs are delivered free of charge to Emory students, and operating funding comes from Emory University institutional support and donor/philanthropic contributions rather than tuition, fees, or product sales. Pricing is not applicable, and there are no disclosed paying customer segments. The Hatchery distributes programs through Emory's institutional channels — the nine schools, career services, academic advising, and student organizations — and markets to its community via an email newsletter, LinkedIn, Instagram, the Emory University news hub, and on-campus events.

Operationally, the center has built a broad partner ecosystem spanning accelerator support (Techstars), legal services (Troutman Pepper Locke), financial and accounting services (Aprio, Trillium Partners UBS), economic development (Invest Atlanta), and peer/mentor networks (EO Atlanta, ACES), among roughly 13 organizations. There is no proprietary technology stack, AI/ML capability, or mobile application in evidence. The entity is governed under Emory University's institutional umbrella with no external venture or private-equity ownership.

Name

The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation

Legal name

Emory University

Website

https://hatchery.emory.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Hatchery is Emory University's non-profit Center for Innovation, founded in 2020 and based in a 15,000-square-foot Atlanta facility. It serves students across all nine Emory schools with incubator, accelerator, mentorship, prototyping, and Techstars-backed programming, funded by the university and donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Entrepreneurship Programs

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Startup incubation programs
• University innovation center
• Venture acceleration services
• Entrepreneurship mentoring programs
• Student entrepreneur support

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. University Funding and Donor Contributions: The Hatchery is funded through Emory University institutional support and external donor contributions. Revenue is not generated through commercial product or service sales but through educational institution funding and philanthropy to support student innovation programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Hatchery is a university-based innovation center operated by Emory University that supports student entrepreneurs across all nine Emory schools through a multi-stage program portfolio. Core offerings include the Incubator and Accelerator for venture creation and scaling, the Rose Program, the Techstars Emory Founder Catalyst, Innovation Leadership training, internships, Proto Labs prototyping facilities, and mentorship services. Programs guide participants from initial inspiration and skill-building through to launching real-world ventures.

Product overview

The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation is a university-based innovation and entrepreneurship center that provides a multi-stage support ecosystem for student innovators. Housed within a 15,000-square-foot creativity and collaboration space, it offers a portfolio of programs including the Incubator (for early-stage venture support), the Accelerator, the Rose Program, the Techstars Emory Founder Catalyst, Innovation Leadership programming, and Internships. Additional offerings include Proto Labs (prototyping facilities), mentorship services, and resources for innovators. The programs collectively serve students from all nine Emory schools, guiding them from inspiration and skill-building through to launching real-world ventures. As evidence of impact, The Hatchery reports supporting 302 student ventures that have raised $10.2 million in venture funds, with 9,228 total program participants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Techstars Emory Founder Catalyst: A program in partnership with Techstars supporting student founders through accelerator and mentorship opportunities.
• Rose Program
• Proto Labs

Products and services

• Incubator Early-stage venture support program that helps Emory student entrepreneurs develop and launch their startups with mentoring, structured guidance, and resources.
• Accelerator Growth-stage program designed to accelerate the development and scaling of student-founded ventures at Emory.
• Rose Program Named entrepreneurship program providing specialized support and resources for student innovators and women founders.
• Techstars Emory Founder Catalyst Partnership program with Techstars providing student founders with mentorship, networking, and accelerator-style programming to launch their ventures.
• Innovation Leadership Program designed to develop leadership skills focused on innovation and entrepreneurship among Emory students.
• Internships Internship opportunities providing Emory students with hands-on experience in innovation and entrepreneurship settings.
• Proto Labs Prototyping facilities and labs that enable Emory students to build and test physical prototypes and Proof-of-Concept projects.
• Mentorship Services Mentorship matching and support connecting Emory student innovators with experienced entrepreneurs, industry professionals, and partner network mentors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9,228 total program participants
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TechstarscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechstars partners with The Hatchery to deliver the Emory Founder Catalyst program, providing startup acceleration support, mentorship from Techstars network, and potential investment pathways for student ventures.
• Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) at Goizueta Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEI is a key academic partner within Emory's Goizueta Business School that collaborates with The Hatchery on entrepreneurship education and innovation programming.
• Palladin TechnologiesminorOthersTechnology partner providing career opportunities and potential mentorship for student innovators interested in technology and innovation careers.
• Troutman Pepper LockeminorOthersLaw firm partner providing legal expertise, mentorship, and resources for student ventures navigating legal aspects of entrepreneurship.
• Invest AtlantaminorOthersAtlanta's economic development authority partner providing connection to Atlanta's startup ecosystem, potential funding resources, and regional economic development support.
• EO AtlantaminorOthersEntrepreneurs' Organization chapter providing mentorship from established entrepreneurs and connection to the global EO entrepreneurial network.
• Better Business Bureau Serving Metro Atlanta, Athens & Northeast GeorgiaminorOthersBBB partnership providing student ventures with resources on ethical business practices and marketplace trust building.
• TractianminorOthersTechnology company providing career opportunities for students interested in hardware and industrial innovation.
• RightshiftminorOthersPartner providing resources and support for student innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Atlanta Collegiate Entrepreneurship Syndicate (ACES)minorOthersLocal entrepreneurship network connecting Atlanta-area college students with startup ecosystem resources and mentorship.
• TraktionminorOthersPartner providing resources and support for student founders and entrepreneurship initiatives.
• ApriominorOthersAccounting and advisory firm providing mentorship on financial aspects of starting and running ventures, including accounting, tax, and business advisory services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator operating numerous programs across geographies and verticals. Relevant because The Hatchery has a Core strategic partnership with Techstars, and Techstars represents the broader commercial-accelerator model The Hatchery's Founder Catalyst bridges into.
• Y Combinator: The dominant global startup accelerator. Represents the upper-bound benchmark for venture creation outcomes that Emory student founders may aspire to and provides context for what an investor-operated accelerator can achieve at scale.

Direct peers

• Harvard Innovation Labs (i-lab): Harvard's university-wide innovation hub providing incubation, mentorship, and prototyping resources to students across all schools. Closely mirrors The Hatchery's all-schools reach, physical space, and venture support stack.
• MIT Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship: MIT's university-wide entrepreneurship center offering mentoring, accelerators, and venture support across all schools. Directly comparable mission and program structure to The Hatchery's cross-school, student-founder focus.
• Columbia Startup Lab: Columbia University's NYC-based startup workspace and community for student and alumni founders. Comparable as a university-based, mentor-driven program stack supporting early-stage venture creation.
• Stanford StartX: Stanford-affiliated accelerator/incubator supporting student and faculty founders from ideation through venture creation. Highly comparable as a university-based innovation center with a structured program stack and corporate partner network.
• Berkeley SkyDeck: UC Berkeley-affiliated accelerator supporting student and faculty founders with cohort-based programs and investor connections. Comparable as a university-anchored accelerator with venture outcomes and corporate partner network.

Emerging players

• Venture For America: Fellowship program placing emerging talent into startup roles across U.S. cities including Atlanta. Comparable as a talent-and-entrepreneurship development pipeline targeting recent graduates and supporting regional innovation ecosystems.

Regional players

• Georgia Tech ATDC (Advanced Technology Development Center): Georgia Tech's statewide technology incubator and accelerator serving Georgia-based founders. Highly relevant regional peer given The Hatchery's Atlanta footprint and shared talent pipeline through Invest Atlanta partnership.

Others

• Invest Atlanta: Atlanta's economic development authority and ecosystem partner of The Hatchery. Included as an adjacent enabling organization that channels regional funding and resources to Atlanta-area founders coming out of programs like The Hatchery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hatcherycenterforinnovation
• Instagraminstagram.com/emoryhatchery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation