Wednesday, June 26, 2013

The Design Accelerator Launches Incubator At Idealab

A new, startup incubator-created by the Art Center College of Design and the California Insitute of Technology--said this morning that it has launched a brand new, design-focused incubator, housed at Idealab. According to The Design Accelerator, it will help startups by selecting promising early stage, design-driven technology companies from the Art Center and Caltech communities for an intensive three-month program.

The new incubator is headed by Mark Breitenberg and Erik Hovanec. Breitenberg is special assistant to the president of Art Center College of Design. Hovanec is a technology startup veteran, having most recently been CEO of LeisureLink; he also was involved at Green Dot and GoTo.com/Overture.

The incubator said it is focused on the "power of great design to create market disruption"--citing such products as Apple's smart phone and Pinterest as examples. In a model similar to the popular accelerator model that has spread nationwide, the three month program will aim at positioning graduates for larger rounds of funding from angel, strategic or venture capital investors.

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