Start-up incubators and accelerators have long played an important role in facilitating technological innovation in the automation space. Although it can be challenging for small companies to break into an already-saturated field such as industrial technology, incubators can provide them with facilities to work in, resources such as equipment and expertise, and opportunities to acquire funding. Moreover, incubators often grant them access to a network of potential partner companies who can assist in their development, technology licensing or, in some cases, even acquiring their businesses entirely.
One such organization is MassRobotics in Boston, which refers to itself as a “start-up escalator,” according to Fady Saad, co-founder and vice president of strategic partnerships.
“We call ourselves a startup instigator to differentiate ourselves because rather than focusing on moving companies from ideation to prototyping, we focus on moving them from prototyping to production,” Saad says. “We basically host companies who are at the prototyping stage, and help them to scale all the way to a finished product for real-world applications.”
MassRobotics’ location is strategic, with Boston being in the vicinity of 35 robotics research and development programs across 18 universities as well as numerous sites approved for indoor and outdoor testing of ground- and air-based robotics. In addition to providing resident companies with access to local resources and facilities, MassRobotics boasts a partner network of companies including Amazon Robotics, FedEx, GM, and—its most recent addition—Procter & Gamble.
