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incubator

/ɪnˈkjuːbeɪtər/  ·  say it: IN·kyoo·bay·tur

an organization that nurtures early-stage startups

In Business & Marketing

In more detail

1. (noun) a heated container that keeps eggs warm so they will hatch

2. (noun) a piece of medical equipment that keeps premature babies or sick newborns warm and safe

3. (noun) an organization or program that helps new businesses develop and grow

Examples

• The farmer used an incubator to hatch the chicken eggs.
• The newborn spent two weeks in an incubator because she was born too early.
• The tech incubator provides funding and mentoring to startup companies.

How to use incubator

Incubator is used across three distinct domains: agriculture (hatching eggs), medicine (neonatal care), and business (supporting startups). In the business context, it has become a standard term for organizations providing mentoring, funding, and resources to early-stage companies, often used interchangeably with accelerator, though incubators typically involve longer timeframes and earlier-stage ventures. The term is neutral in tone and appears frequently in professional and technical contexts.

Common phrases

• incubator program
• business incubator
• startup incubator
• incubator period
• egg incubator
• neonatal incubator

Synonyms

hatchery · nursery · accelerator · startup hub · business accelerator

Word family

incubate · incubation

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse incubator with accelerator; while related, an incubator typically supports very early-stage startups over longer periods, whereas an accelerator focuses on scaling already-formed companies more rapidly.

Nearby in Business & Marketing

forecast, gig economy, headhunting, joint venture, layoff, low-hanging fruit

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained