IN Like Flint: How the Innovation Incubator at UM–Flint Fosters Social Entrepreneurship in a City Remaking Itself

Abstract

This paper focuses on how the University of Michigan–Flint’s Innovation Incubator supports emerging for-profit businesses and nonprofit organizations through programming, business plan development, and ongoing mentorship. The Incubator is especially interested in supporting start-ups that address key social issues in the surrounding community, including economic vitality. This goal aligns with the university’s mission, which emphasizes that engaged citizens can exercise some control over the social, environmental, and economic factors in the larger community.