FAQ

LRL is an innovation hub in the heart of downtown Jackson. Technically speaking LRL is a co working space. With flexible desk and office options for members. Inside you’ll also find Fortress Cafe, a locally owned and operated coffee shop open to the public and serving locally roasted coffee and grab and go food from various downtown restaurants. The lab has multiple meeting rooms, conference rooms and event space bookable by both members and the public. On any given day you might walk in to find a pop up bakery or retail shop, or a Michigan Tribe Networking Event. (Michigan tribe is a female entrepreneur meetup. The lab is also a community of amazing people; creators, innovators, leaders, professionals, non profit directors, tech startups, solopreneurs, work from home moms and dads and many more. People collaborating, creating and supporting each other. We have various professional service providers on site as well; including patent attorneys, social media experts, photographers and videographers. And then there’s the stuff you can’t see. Lean Rocket Lab is an MEDC SmartZone Business Incubator designated to support tech focused entrepreneurs in Jackson County. We run multiple programs including a ManuTech incubator and the Automation Alley Industry 4.0 Accelerator. These programs consist of educational resources, access to a variety of professional service providers, experts engineers, prototypers and manufacturers. We also have a network of early stage investors and manage a seed fund where we can make investments in startups as well. Our primary goal with these programs is to catalyze entrepreneurship in our community, attract best in class technology to Michigan and specifically help strengthen our manufacturers. Lastly - we run Local - a program specifically designed to help neighborhood based small business owners. The program consists of a 6 week boot camp, intensive mentorship and support, access to milestone based grant funding; and even access to small business lending. Simply put, we’re a physical space, a community, and a deep set of resources all designed to help people grow their businesses and be a blessing to our community.

Our Manu-Tech Virtual Incubator is a robust, resource packed platform designed to guide entrepreneurs through the process of Ideation, Validation, Start Up, Commercialization and Growth. Manu-Tech is unique in that it combines the resources, network and expertise of two manufacturing incubators, the Lean Rocket Lab and Centrepolis Accelerator. Accepted teams get access to the full breadth and depth of Lean Rocket Lab's and Centrepolis’ entrepreneurial ecosystem, resources, and partners, at a very low cost. • Coaching • Software suite • Mentorship • Prototyping • Professional services • Office space • Manufacturing partners • Investor Network

Spearheaded by Michigan's Industry 4.0 Knowledge Center, Automation Alley - the Industry 4.0 Accelerator is the first of its kind in the United States. ​ • Powered by Centrepolis at Lawrence Tech University and Lean Rocket Lab in Jackson • Backed by a $1.3M strategic Industry 4.0 investment fund • In partnership with Michigan's top OEM's and downstream suppliers ​ We've received applications from teams across the globe. Because we've always supported teams both virtually and in person, our program continues to run largely uninterrupted during this time. While our investment fund focuses on Michigan intent, there is no required 'on location' or classroom style requirements in the program.

Lean Rocket LOCAL will take the current success of Lean Rocket Lab and expand its mission to support its efforts to launch and scale neighborhood and placed based businesses and organizations. • Fellows Program: 10 teams are selected to participate in our fellows program. This intensive year-long cohort provides in depth access to mentors and milestone-based financial incentives. • Business Basics: Basics is a series of workshops and courses designed to help people learn and grow in what it takes to run a business. From finance to business planning.