Incubator
Also called: startup incubator
ELI5
A programme that helps very early businesses develop.
Used in conversation
“The incubator provides laboratories but no investment.”
Definition
An organisation or programme supporting early ventures, often with workspace, advice and longer development periods.
Here “Incubator” means: An organisation or programme supporting early ventures, often with workspace, advice and longer development periods.
Pitch context
You will see “Incubator” in fundraising decks, data rooms, term sheets and investor conversations when the discussion reaches founders & startup ecosystem.
Why it matters: It helps a reader interpret founders & startup ecosystem without confusing the measure, decision, role or evidence being discussed.
Sources & evidence · 5
Supporting source families. This entry is an editorial synthesis rather than a quotation from one canonical glossary.
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — Small Business Capital Formation GlossarySupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — Exempt OfferingsSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16
- National Venture Capital Association — Model Legal DocumentsSupporting source family · institutional · checked 2026-08-16
- Y Combinator — Safe financing documentsSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-16
- Y Combinator — Series A Term Sheet TemplateSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-16