Student Innovation & Incubator
Empowering student founders from idea to marketplace. Located in historic Bauer Hall, we provide co-working space, venture capital pitch competitions, legal patent guidance, and mentor networks.
Bauer Hall Innovation Center: Where Ideas Become Enterprises
The Bauer Hall Innovation Center is the entrepreneurial heart of University of Bridgeport. With modern collaborative co-working suites, video podcast recording studios, maker prototyping tools, and industry mentors, students of all disciplines launch scalable businesses, digital products, and social enterprises.
Venture Lifecycle
The 4 Phases of the UB Incubator Program
From initial napkin sketch to seed funding and commercial launch.
Ideation & Problem Validation
Refine your business thesis, conduct customer discovery interviews, and identify your addressable market under mentor guidance.
Rapid Prototyping & MVP Build
Utilize campus 3D printing labs, software development sandboxes, and maker spaces to build your minimum viable product.
Legal, IP & Corporate Structuring
Work with our Technology Commercialization Group to navigate copyright, trademark, provisional patents, and LLC registration.
Pitching & Seed Capital Funding
Compete in annual campus and statewide venture competitions to win non-dilutive seed grants and connect with angel investors.
Ecosystem Resources
Innovation Center Resources & Programs
Comprehensive support services accelerating student enterprise.
Student Entrepreneur Center (SEC) Club
Student-led innovation community organizing weekly hackathons, fireside chats with startup founders, and networking mixers.
'What Will UBecome' Media Studio
Broadcast-quality video and podcast production studio empowering student founders to tell their startup stories.
Technology Commercialization Group
Intellectual property licensing, industry partnership matching, and technology transfer for university inventions.
Executive Industry Advisory Board
One-on-one mentorship from accomplished regional venture capitalists, corporate attorneys, and successful tech CEOs.
Annual Pitch Competitions & Seed Funding
Every year, UB student innovators pitch their business plans to panels of angel investors, venture capitalists, and civic leaders.
Winning ventures receive cash seed grants, free legal and accounting services, and automatic admission to regional startup accelerators.
- Annual Bauer Hall Business Plan Competition with $25,000+ in seed funding
- CTNext Collegiate Innovation challenge sponsorship for Connecticut student founders
- Dedicated intellectual property patent filing support through corporate law partners
- Alumni venture mentor network connecting students with funded founders
Do I have to be a business major to use the incubator?
No! The Bauer Hall Innovation Center is open to all University of Bridgeport students, faculty, and alumni across every major — engineering, health sciences, arts, education, and business.
Does the university take equity in student businesses?
No. The university does not take equity or ownership in student-created companies or intellectual property created outside of sponsored university grant contracts.
How can I record in the podcast studio?
Students registered with the Student Entrepreneur Center can book recording sessions in the Bauer Hall Media Studio with assistance from our multimedia technicians.
Bauer Hall Innovation & Incubator Center
Visit Bauer Hall to tour incubator workspaces or register your student venture.