HARLINGEN — A healthy climate for small business is the foundation of a strong local job market.
The Harlingen Economic Development Corp. has commissioned a feasibility study on the possible formation of a small-business incubator here in the city.
So what’s a business incubator?
Business incubators are specialized programs designed to provide discounted office space, resources and expertise as new business startups go through their growing pains. The hope is that, once established, these entrepreneurial endeavors blossom into a full-bore business.
“A well-done incubator is going to provide resources to small business, to startup companies, that they otherwise wouldn’t have,” said Raudel Garza, manager and CEO of the Harlingen EDC. “That can include access to capital, such as CIC (Center for Innovation and Commercialization) in Weslaco, and that one is run by UT-Rio Grande Valley.”
“They identify startups that have the potential to scale to the point where they could someday produce a product that is well-received, at least in the marketplace, that would be well-received within the investment community,” he added.
Brownsville also has a business incubator, Garza said, and Pharr has the Pharr Technology Incubator.
“But the danger in incubators, if they’re not done right, is they become nothing more than a public landlord to small businesses,” Garza said. “So what we’re trying to find out is if there’s a desire, a demand, for incubator space related to one of our larger industries here in Harlingen, and that would be health care. So UTRGV is helping us by putting some data together and then an analysis of whether or not something like this is even feasible.”
Garza said any potential incubator has a broad spectrum in how to operate, and office space is not necessarily a requirement.
“Incubators don’t have to have walls,” Garza said. “They can be what we call ‘virtual’ incubators and virtual incubators are basically for support to startups and small businesses so that they can have access to information, have access to expertise, and we’ve got the foundation to do all of that, but we haven’t pushed it further.”
