Incubation
Incubation is for hardtech companies that have a working prototype and a market left to validate: use testing, the first commercial hypotheses, iterations toward a manufacturable product.
We support each company for 12 to 36 months, at the pace that company sets.
- Technical development
- Product roadmap
- Business strategy
- Non-dilutive financing
- Investment readiness
- Intellectual property
- Industrial design
- Manufacturing network
Structured support that takes a company from prototype to production
The program
We assess every company entering Incubation with the Garage Readiness Level, our diagnostic. With the GRL we measure the maturity of a hardtech company across eight dimensions: technology, commercialization, financing, business model, intellectual property, team, manufacturing and supply chain. From that reading we build a support plan for the company, and each quarter we run the diagnostic again to measure progress and adjust priorities.
Our experts in residence
Companies in Incubation work with our experts in residence, our technical entrepreneur and our designer in residence, in regular working sessions. These experts have built and shipped physical products. They weigh in on the decisions that will not wait: a technical architecture choice, a design trade-off, a negotiation with a first industrial customer.
Prototyping and iteration
Companies use our equipment and the expertise of our prototyping team to design, test and iterate. The workshop stays open for the whole length of the support, and prototyping hours come at a reduced rate. We push our founders to build prototypes that answer precise questions, because a prototype that has not yet failed is a prototype that has not been tested.
Non-dilutive financing
Our financing team works with companies to find and win non-dilutive capital: government programs, tax credits, industrial partnerships. We fund the riskiest iterations this way so that the company keeps its equity until the valuation justifies giving any of it up.
Dedicated support
Every company works with a member of the Garage&co team in office hours. Together we prepare the product roadmap, we put pressure on the market hypotheses before they cost an iteration, and we work on the go-to-market strategy.
Community
The company we support joins a group of founders working under the same manufacturing, certification and financing constraints. A founder who asks a question in that circle has answers within hours rather than weeks.
Manufacturing network
Our network brings together more than 60 manufacturers across Quebec and Canada, and we open the doors: targeted introductions, plant visits, and first design for manufacturing conversations. The company then owns the relationship, because it is the one that will produce with that partner for years.
Who this program is for
You have a prototype that works
Your device powers on, it does the job you designed it for, and it survives a demonstration. What you still have to learn is whether it holds up in real use, and what it will cost to manufacture in series.
You have a technology validated in the lab
Your results are published or reproducible, and you are now looking for the industrial application that turns them into a company. You need a first real use more than you need financing.
You have letters of intent
Potential customers tell you that the product you are building interests them. You now have to turn that stated interest into proof of a market, before you raise capital on it.
The community
Part of what moves a hardtech project forward comes from the community: the other founders, the manufacturers and the experts in the same room. We include these gatherings in all three programs.
Peer-to-peer sessions
Founders who live with the same constraints meet in a small group, without our team in the room.
Meetups
Founders, manufacturers and investors meet in the same room.
Workshops
In each session, one company brings a case and leaves with an answer it can apply.
Events and conferences
We hold workshops and conferences throughout the year. Keep an eye on our monthly programming.
How to apply
- 00
Diagnostic
You fill in the Garage Readiness Level in under ten minutes. It situates the project, and you see which of the three programs fits.
- Time
- 10 minutes
- Result
- GRL report
- 01
Admission meeting
We go through the file with you and we set the scope of the work.
- Time
- By appointment
- Result
- Scope of the program
- 02
Offer
You receive the written offer, with the price and the terms.
- Time
- Two weeks
- Result
- Written offer
- 03
Start
The Garage&co team welcomes the company and builds the support plan with it.
- Time
- Week 1
- Result
- Support plan
Frequently asked questions
How much does Incubation cost?
CA$3,600 a year, payable in advance, or instalments of CA$330 a month. The fee covers the support from the first day to the last, and it includes the Connect membership benefits.
How long does the program run?
From 12 to 36 months, depending on the complexity of the product and the number of proofs the company has to establish.
Does Garage&co take equity in the companies it supports?
No. Garage&co is a not-for-profit organization and takes no equity in the companies it supports.
Do I have to be incorporated to apply?
No, though you have to be incorporated before the end of the first year. If you have not done it yet, our team walks you through that step in the first weeks.
Do I have to be based in Canada?
No. We accept international companies that want to use Garage&co as a soft landing space. Membership fees can then vary with your country of incorporation.
Let's talk about your project
We answer as soon as we can · info@garageincubation.com