Press release from Hatch Asheville:
Hatch Asheville (Hatch), a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity in downtown Asheville, has restructured as a 501c(3) non-profit foundation. Launched in 2016, the goal of Hatch is to turn Asheville into a city known and recognized for innovative and diverse startup companies. Hatch supports this mission through Place, Programming and Partnerships.
“Place” means co-locating startups under one roof in downtown Asheville. Hatch currently has 6 startups in residence at its 45 South French Broad location including of Plum Print, LoLo, Anthroware, Shiny Creek, Galaxy Digital and UGoTour. Entrepreneurs literally bump into each other in the hallways to share advice, tips and support.
“Programming” provides a structured way to learn together, solve a tough problem or even build a new business in a weekend! As an example, Hatch Salons provide an informal forum for entrepreneurs to discuss startup challenges such as problem solving, building teams or setting pricing strategy. Hatch This is a weekend-long competition where teams come in with a new business idea, build the business over the weekend with the aid of mentors, and then compete for prizes.
Finally, Hatch seeks to create “Partnerships” around common interests, such as Asheville’s strengths of Outdoors, Health Care, Climate and Bio-tech. These Partnerships will be formed between startups, between startups and big corporations, and between startups and universities.
“The purpose of Hatch is to be a test bed for the best that Asheville has to offer” says President of Hatch, George Glackin. ”We seek to foster a startup culture consistent with that of the City of Asheville, one that is welcoming to entrepreneurs, nurtures trust, and celebrates ‘paying it forward’”.
Local companies have also seen the value in the Hatch mission. According to David Kozak, Asheville Savings Bank Chief Credit Officer, “Supporting an organization like Hatch is not just good for this organization but it is also good for our whole community. We understand that every time a small business opens its doors, hires an employee, or expands its facilities that it helps our entire economy prosper. That is why an organization like Hatch that helps small businesses thrive is key to the long-term future success of the small business community here in Asheville.”
As noted above, Hatch announced an exciting new event called Hatch This. This inaugural event, which is a celebration of startups, will be held from September 8-10. Hatch This is planned to be a startup weekend, a hackathon, and a business accelerator. Organizer Jeffrey
Kaplan, Brand Strategist and Product Owner at Anthroware (a Hatch member company), described this event by saying “Participants will have the opportunity to pitch a business idea, form teams, receive expert mentorship, and compete to win prize money and office space at Hatch’s South French Broad location.”
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