Shared workspaces are excellent for building a community with like-minded colleagues and associates. It is especially advantageous if you hope to strategically strengthen your business’s network outside of visiting the shared office space a few days a week.
LAUNCH is one of HAYVN’s premier programs intended to address challenges female founders and entrepreneurs encounter across all industries while crafting a strategic plan to help them fulfill their goals and building their online presence across various social media channels and applications.
Some of the issues participants come across are fierce competition, lack of resources, limited network, and direction. By the end of the program, they walk away feeling more prepared to tackle business.
LAUNCH’s success has been made possible through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs grant.
SBIR + STTR Grant
The Difference Between Accelerators and Incubators
Startup accelerators are group-based programs that are likely to include mentorship, access to seed and angel investors, and educational components that boost a startup’s growth. The grants help “…ventures define and build their initial products, identify promising customer segments, and secure resources, including capital…”
Compared to an incubator, accelerators focus more on expediting the growth of existing companies. Whereas incubators work with fresh new businesses and early-phase startups that need to develop a product and business model.
An accelerator program might be right for you if you hope to grow your company and already have a minimum viable product (MVP) “in the hands of early adopters with an established product-market fit.”
How Do Accelerator Grants Impact Coworking Spaces?
SBIR and STTR are one of many highly competitive accelerators that offer more than meets the eye. The mission behind them is to support “scientific excellence and technological innovation through the investment of Federal research funds in critical American priorities to build a strong national economy.”
It falls in line with our mission at HAYVN to foster innovation and entrepreneurship from women of all backgrounds. The grant enables pioneering women with small businesses across Connecticut to explore their potential. Additional goals include:
- Fulfill federal research and development needs
- Motivate participation in innovation and entrepreneurship
- Increase private-sector commercialization
- Learn more about: pitch decks, teasers, financial projections, data rooms
HAYVN LAUNCH includes a community of coworkers, a strong investor network, an educational space, and mentorship. Those who get accepted are to participate in an 8-week program that takes a hands-on approach to build deliverables investors expect. Participants will walk away with the following when the program concludes:
- Fluency and confidence in investor conversations
- The ability to pitch with HAYVN’s extensive network of investors
- Have a scalable idea with an addressable market opportunity
The Journey Began With Three Phenomenal Women
As you might already know, co-founders Felicia Rubinstein, Christine Sullivan, and Marie Rocha kicked off LAUNCH last year. They won the SBIR grant in the fall through the 2021 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. Because of their efforts, the SBIR grant is now available to help female entrepreneurs raise capital and build a stronger online presence for their businesses.
Christine Sullivan, HAYVN Member + Co-Founder of HAYVN LAUNCH
Sullivan, a business advisor for the Connecticut Small Business Development Center, counsels owners about how to scale their small businesses and raise capital. She shared a few thoughts on how the grant has helped fund new initiatives.
“What I’m hoping for the future for HAYVN LAUNCH is that we grow bigger!” she said. ” There’s no reason we can’t scale what we’re doing here for women and minorities across the state and even further away.”
“I really do think it’s magic what we were able to put together and would love to have more people involved.”
HAYVN Coworking
Founded in 2018, HAYVN is a flexible workspace for enterprising women (and men) to connect, create and grow. Along with a vibrant & engaged coworking community of entrepreneurs and business professionals, HAYVN is a business HUB, offering short- and long-term office space leases, meeting rooms rentals, and events to support local businesses. HAYVN is proud to be a Certified B Corporation™ and a CTNext partner. We believe in using the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy and have met the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. HAYVN’s workshops and signature programs encourage women of all colors and ages and acts as an incubator for developing skills and pursuing funding. HAYVN Launch incubator is a 2021 winner of the SBA's Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC), and the only 2021 winner in Connecticut.
Visit our beautiful safe ‘HAYVN’ in Fairfield County, CT at 320 Boston Post Road, Darien, CT, 06820. Arrange a private tour today, or to learn more about our health and safety response, read through our detailed guidelines here.
