Business incubators an increasing source of new businesses in Oklahoma

B usiness incubators can be a valuable resource for new companies. Entrepreneurs in Oklahoma are increasingly turning to business incubators to help them start a corporation, according to the Tulsa World.

The paper says the number of licensed incubators has doubled in recent years. More than 50 of them now operate in areas across the state, helping entrepreneurs with networking, business coaching and even introducing them to potential investors. Some are general, while others are focused in a specific area such as manufacturing, technology or medical businesses.

"There’s something different here that you could feel in Silicon Valley before the boom there," Sean Griffin, the chairman of The Collaboratorium business incubator, told the paper.

According to the paper, businesses that enroll in the program get free exposure, along with special tax breaks and grant opportunities.

Oklahoma has seen a great deal of new business formation recently. A Kauffman Foundation study found that Oklahoma was tied with Montana as one the two most entrepreneurial states in the country. According to the study, 470 out of every 100,000 residents started a new business every month last year.