The document discusses the shift in education and employment, highlighting that many millennials are becoming entrepreneurs rather than seeking traditional jobs due to economic challenges. It introduces academic incubators as innovative spaces that foster partnerships between academia and industry, providing resources and support for entrepreneurial endeavors. The report emphasizes the need for these incubators to create environments that stimulate collaboration and creativity among students and professionals alike.

1. © 2015 Gensler
Academic Incubators:
Garage innovation meets higher education

2. © 2015 Gensler
The traditional model of graduating
college and finding a job has been
turned upside down.
Are today’s universities preparing students
for lifelong learning and to succeed in the
workforce?

3. © 2015 Gensler
Today’s tech success stories are idolized by
millennials...
And were also famously founded
by college drop-outs.

4. *Pew Research: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/05/30/5-facts-about-todays-college-graduates
** **Federal Reserve Bank of New York: http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/current_issues/ci20-1.pdf
$
25,000
© 2015 Gensler
The number
of young people
making less than
$
25,000
has spiked to the
highest level since
the 1990s.*
44%
of college grads in their
20s are stuck in low-
wage, dead-end jobs.**
The recession has put millennials in the corner.

5. © 2015 Gensler
27% of
millennials are
already self-
employed.*
Millennials
launched almost
160,000
startups each month
in 2011.*
Rather than looking for jobs,
they’ve turned to creating them.
*Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Young Invincibles (2011) Young Invincibles
Policy Briefing. http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/millennials-want-to-start-companieswhen-
economy-rebounds-poll-says.aspx

6. © 2015 Gensler
*US Chamber of Commerce
**Kauffman Foundation - http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/2012/11/an-entrepreneurial-generation-
of-18-to-34yearolds-wants-to-start-companies-when-economy-rebounds-according-to-new-poll
92% of millennials
want increased access
to education & training
needed start a small
business.** 50% of students
in entrepreneurship
curriculum are
unsatisfied.*
60% of
millennials are
interested in
entrepreneurship.*
The desire to create is there; what’s missing
are the resources and connections

7. © 2015 Gensler
Academic incubators can fill this gap.

8. What is an academic incubator?
A new kind
of place
Designed to spark
strategic partnerships
between academia
and industry; a
place to test and
grow ideas.
They connect
students to start-
ups, investors, and
institutions they
might not otherwise
encounter.
Academic incubators
provide the community,
resources, and physical
environments that
empower entrepreneurial
leaps.
© 2015 Gensler

9. To foster a
permanent connection
between industry
and academia
To retain
entrepreneurial
students, faculty,
and researchers
To remain
competitive
To maintain
relevance
Why are universities building them?
Today’s university students don’t just
want degrees; they want to launch
their own businesses.
© 2015 Gensler

10. © 2015 Gensler
Share ideas. Make mistakes.
Work hard. Change the world.

11. © 2015 Gensler
Depending on their unique mission
and vision, incubators may include:
co-working spaces maker spaces cafés
conference rooms lab spaces mentors concierge services

12. © 2015 Gensler
Incubators merge garage
innovation with an academic
and business foundation.

13. © 2015 Gensler
dreamers
angel
investors
...and more
venture
capitalists
tinkerers
free
agents
programmers
entrepreneurs
designers
Who uses incubator spaces?
Incubators are worlds unto
themselves, ecosystems
populated by the curious
and inquisitive, and not
limited to students.

14. © 2015 Gensler
Students who want
to connect to the
professional world
Research organizations
seeking people who think
in entrepreneurial ways
Companies looking to
recruit top talent
Who uses incubator spaces?

15. © 2015 Gensler
Industry:
• Mine intellectual capital
• Recruit talent
• Access to cutting-edge
research, without fully
funding it
Cities:
• Position as an innovation hub
• Attract businesses
• Spark new start-ups that
bring jobs
Universities:
• Relevance
• Attract the best students
What benefits do incubators offer?

16. How does design impact the success of an incubator?
Generates the right type of
connections and interactions
for cross-pollination
Provides an exciting,
inspirational environment
Encourages serendipitous
collaboration
Enables flexibility, yet not so flexible
nobody knows what to do with it
Offers students cues for
how to use the space © 2015 Gensler

17. © 2015 Gensler
Successful incubators are
designed around the activities
you want to happen inside.

18. © 2015 Gensler
For more information on
Academic Incuabors:
www.Gensler.com/education