Accelerators & Incubators

Business accelerators and incubators provide another avenue for launching and growing a business. Pennsylvania offers a range of accelerators nand incubators ready to work with businesses. Accelerators work with existing businesses to take their business to the next level, while incubators help entrepreneurs move from idea to launch. Often these programs provide workspace, classes, intense one-on-one support, as well as other business services. Typically, this service comes with a fee or for a stake in the business. The list below includes a range of Pennsylvania accelerators & incubators as well as their industry focus.

CENTRAL PA ∨

Aspire Smart Health Innovation Lab
Lancaster

We advance market-ready healthcare technologies by creating a more efficient, more effective path to market. The Smart Health Certification Program is a 12-week program to help startups gain provider adoption & insurer reimbursement.

BEN FRANKLIN TECHCELERATOR @ THE CANDY FACTORY
Lancaster

The BF TechCelerator @ The Candy Factory allows Lancaster tech startups to participate in the program(s) that will help them grow.

Bloomsburg Regional Technology Center
Bloomsburg

Tech-based business incubator with space.

Bucknell University Entrepreneurs Incubator
Lewisburg

Entrepreneurs seeking to develop & commercialize innovative new products have access to faculty, college technical staff, student interns, & class-based projects at one of the Best Colleges of Engineering in the Nation.

Happy Valley Launch Box
State College

The FastTrack Accelerator program, is designed to help early-stage startups who have validated their idea to build a solution & test the market.

JD BROWN CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP @ YORK COLLEGE
York

Office space, intellectual resources, innovative businesses & more make this the epicenter of entrepreneurship & innovation at York College.

YORK LAUNCH BOX
YORK

A startup accelerator program, co-working space & design thinking workshops nested in Working Class, a maker space with a suite of metal, wood, & glass fabrication equipment, tools & resources to help Penn State York faculty & students, as well as community makers & entrepreneurs accelerate their ideas.

SOUTHEAST PA ∨

DREAMIT
Philadelphia

Dreamit is a globally-recognized digital health & urban tech accelerator designed for pre-Series A companies seeking to grow their business and to scale with technology.

Founder Institute
Philadelphia

The Founder Institute is the world’s premier pre-seed startup accelerator, with chapters across 180+ cities. We provide high-potential entrepreneurs & teams with the critical support network & structured process needed to build an enduring company.

PENNSYLVANIA BIOTECH CENTER
Northern Philadelphia

The Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center seeks to advance biotechnology in Bucks County & the surrounding region, maximize synergies between nonprofit scientists & their commercial colleagues, & launch new ideas & discoveries that will make a difference.

NORTHEAST PA ∨

Ben Franklin Tech Ventures
Bethlehem

Internationally acclaimed high-tech workspace & community for early-stage tech companies.

Bridgeworks Enterprise Center
Allentown

The 64,000 square-foot Bridgeworks Enterprise Center is the only business incubator in the Lehigh Valley dedicated primarily to manufacturing startups.

CAN BE BUSINESS INNOVATION CENTER
Hazleton

The CAN BE Business Innovation Center features office & light industrial space that is uniquely suited for a variety of clients.

Carbondale Technology Transfer Center
Carbondale

Shared-use, licensed commercial kitchen outfitted with state of the art equipment; Adaptable industrial space, with access to overhead and loading bay doors; Shared-use, electronic makerspace with equipment for Surface Mounted Technology; Business & marketing planning assistance, access to office & conference space.

East Stroudsburg University Business Accelerator
East Stroudsburg

The Business Accelerator at ESU is an intense program focused on mentorship & resources that help early stage entrepreneurs scale their ventures. Participation in the program guarantees exclusive office space, access to funding opportunities, a network of mentors & advisers, & a chance to take innovative ventures to the world stage.

GREATER PITTSBURGH ∨

Alphalab
Pittsburgh

AlphaLab provides early-stage technology companies with an extensive mentor network, educational sessions with industry leaders, & a rich entrepreneurial work environment within a nationally-ranked accelerator program.

Alphalab Gear
Pittsburgh

AlphaLab Gear is consistently ranked as a top-20 accelerator nationwide. We provide early-stage physical product companies with an extensive mentor network, educational sessions with industry leaders, & a rich entrepreneurial work environment.

Ascender
Pittsburgh

Ascender is a Pittsburgh-based non-profit organization providing mentorship, programming, strategic partnerships, funding & collaborative workspace to early-stage startups across all industries & growth models.

Founder Institute
Pittsburgh

The Founder Institute is the world’s premier pre-seed startup accelerator, with chapters across 180+ cities. We provide high-potential entrepreneurs & teams with the critical support network & structured process needed to build an enduring company.

Idea Foundry
Pittsburgh

Foundry is a Pittsburgh-based, non-profit economic development organization dedicated to creating living-wage, high-opportunity jobs. We do this by investing in & working alongside entrepreneurs to transform innovative business ideas into viable commercial activities & leveraging global programs to attract talent, capital & business to our region.

Innovation Works
Pittsburgh

Part of Ben Franklin/State of PA Funded. We support tech entrepreneurs through each stage of their idea — helping them build their startup from scratch, find the resources to grow their company & find the funding they need to keep their idea moving forward. Innovation Works is the largest seed stage investor in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region, & one of the most active in the country.

LifeXLabs
Pittsburgh

Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh, LifeX Labs is a purpose-built space for collaboration, creating a culture of excellence & resilience, mentoring, expanding networks & company building.

PGH Lab
Pittsburgh

The PGH Lab program provides a platform where local startups use technology to make the City of Pittsburgh more efficient, sustainable, & inclusive. PGH Lab connects local startup companies with the City of Pittsburgh & local authorities to test new products & services in a real world environment for three to four months. In the program, startups are encouraged to test, gain valuable market feedback, & iterate. In turn, the program gives local government the opportunity to explore new ways to use technology & services to make government more efficient, transparent, sustainable, & inclusive.

SteelBridge Labs
Pittsburgh

SteelBridge Labs provides selected FinTech startup companies with deep industry experience that arms entrepreneurs with the appropriate tools for success.