The Incubation Model:
The National Business Incubation Association defines a business incubator as a comprehensive-assistance program targeted to help start-up and early-stage firms, with the goal of improving their chances to grow into healthy, sustainable companies.
Here at La Cocina, each qualified kitchen user is a separate business entity. This means that each business must have its own business license, insurance, staff, business records, tax returns and so forth. Each business owner will also be responsible for complying with the city, state and federal regulations concerning licensing, food safety and sanitation, taxes, employment, etc.
The cycle of the incubator model as applied here looks something like this:
Application and Enrollment
Qualified Applicants
Pre-Incubation
A 6-month period where program participants receive technical assistance to establish the foundations of their business in the areas of Product, Marketing, Finances, and Operations.
Incubation
Program participants whose first 6 months have been successful continue to receive technical assistance in all of those areas and have access to affordable commercial kitchen space to grow their businesses’s sales.
Graduation and Alumni
Program participants reach all established Incubation benchmarks and expand their business out of La Cocina’s kitchen while remaining part of the alumni community.
At-A-Glance Process
To participate in the La Cocina incubator program:
Attend the Orientation. The next orientation is on Wednesday, March 7th 2012 6-7:30 @ La Cocina – 2948 Folsom Street.
Submit your application no later than April 10th 2012 your Application and Business Plan. Review our resources for help on putting together a business plan.
Qualified applicants will be interviewed by La Cocina staff.
Get approved and sign the user's agreement to become an official participant!
Incubator Program
The Incubation Model:
The National Business Incubation Association defines a business incubator as a comprehensive-assistance program targeted to help start-up and early-stage firms, with the goal of improving their chances to grow into healthy, sustainable companies.
Here at La Cocina, each qualified kitchen user is a separate business entity. This means that each business must have its own business license, insurance, staff, business records, tax returns and so forth. Each business owner will also be responsible for complying with the city, state and federal regulations concerning licensing, food safety and sanitation, taxes, employment, etc.
The cycle of the incubator model as applied here looks something like this:
Application and Enrollment
Qualified Applicants
Pre-Incubation
A 6-month period where program participants receive technical assistance to establish the foundations of their business in the areas of Product, Marketing, Finances, and Operations.
Incubation
Program participants whose first 6 months have been successful continue to receive technical assistance in all of those areas and have access to affordable commercial kitchen space to grow their businesses’s sales.
Graduation and Alumni
Program participants reach all established Incubation benchmarks and expand their business out of La Cocina’s kitchen while remaining part of the alumni community.