Two of New Hampshire’s startup incubators, the abi Hub in Manchester and the New Hampshire Innovation Commercialization Center on the Seacoast, have announced they are merging.
They are two of a handful of organizations in the state that help entrepreneurs launch startups with competitions, investment, mentoring, and co-working spaces.
The NH-ICC’s CEO Mark Kaplan will take the reins of both organizations. The abi Innovation Hub’s leader – Jamie Coughlin – stepped down to take a job at Dartmouth College last fall. Kaplan says the NH-ICC brings institutional support from UNH, while the abi Hub brings has more visibility and a stronger brand. All in all, he says, together is better:
We can instead of having two organizations creating a mentor network an advisor network and relationships with investors and service providers, we can have one network that cuts across southern N.H. to provide those things to entrepreneurs.
The merged organization will keep the abi Hub’s name, and will combine the two organization’s boards of trustees. The hub’s locations will remain in Manchester, Durham and Portsmouth.