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HBK Incubates Application

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About the Start Program

PROGRAM OVERVIEW


Start is a 15-month incubator designed to help cottage food businesses grow from home-based operations into shared commercial kitchen space. Participants receive direct capital support to cover kitchen costs for up to one year, along with hands-on assistance to scale their business: financial coaching to build a clear growth plan, technical support to address operational challenges, and market connections to increase sales, so you can sustainably afford and thrive in a commercial kitchen.


Eligibility Requirements

  • In business for at least 6 months
  • Demonstrated market demand for your product
  • Working full-time on your business, or able to commit full-time through participation in the program
  • Registered as an LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp, or other formal business entity
  • Household income at or below 120% of NYC Area Median Income
  • Demonstrated barriers to entrepreneurship

Location

  • Onboard at a shared commercial kitchen of your choice in the NYC area
  • Training and technical assistance are primarily virtual, with in-person support at Chelsea Market or your kitchen as needed

Time Commitment

  • Time in the kitchen will vary by business model; you should be prepared to commit the hours needed to meet the growth plan we develop together during financial coaching
  • Financial coaching includes biweekly 2-hour sessions for the first 2 months, plus 5–10 hours of independent work each week to build your growth plan and onboard to a kitchen
  • After onboarding, 2 hours of meetings per month with our team and your cohort

Cost

  • Free to participate

Application Process

  • Apply by the deadline below
  • Selected applicants will be invited to interview
  • Final participants will be notified by email

What You’ll Graduate With?

  • A financial and growth plan, including a path to earning income through your business 
  • Established operations in a shared commercial kitchen
  • Market connections to grow your sales

2026 PROGRAM SCHEDULE

  • Apply by: May 29, 2026
  • Interviews: June 5-May 17, 2026
  • Final participants notified: June 22, 2026
  • Program launch: July 7, 2026
  • Expected program completion: September 30, 2027

2026 INCOME ELIGIBILITY

Family Size120% AMI
1$136,080
2$155,520
3$174,960
4$194,400
5$210,000
6$225,600
7$241,080
8$256,680
Application Support
If you have any questions about this application or program, please visit https://hotbreadkitchen.org/hbki/ or email the HBK Incubates team at hbkincubates@hotbreadkitchen.org.
Application Checklist

In addition to a completed application, please include the following attachments on page 3 of the application. (If you have any questions about the requested attachments, please email hbkincubates@hotbreadkitchen.org)


  1. Business plan or a completed business plan framework template 
  2. A profit and loss statement
  3. A recent cash flow statement
  4. A recent balance sheet

Program Eligibility





Contact Information








Please note: we will communicate with you by text after receiving your application. Standard messaging rates apply. If you would prefer not to receive text messages from us, please answer "no" to this question.



Referral Information


Income and Employment










Demographics

You must be at least 18 years old to apply.




Pronouns are the words we often use to talk about a person when we're not using their name. For example: She/Her, He/Him, They/them, She/They














Program Participation




Business Information




255 characters max






255 characters max

250 words max







255 characters max
Employees



Production and Sales


255 characters max


255 characters max

250 words max
Income and Finances

You will be asked to enter your estimated income from your business on the next page.

255 characters max



Additional Financial Questions




Please list the amount, type (e.g., credit card, personal loan, investment), and repayment terms (e.g., interest rate, loan term) for each.



Over the past 6-12 months, or as many months as you have data for, please report on your:
  • Business revenue
  • Personal income or money taken out of your business

To be considered for Start or Scale, please also report on:
  • Ingredient and packaging costs
  • Labor costs
  • Total business expenses (excluding ingredients, packaging, and labor)
  • Net profit
Use the same time period as your revenue and income reporting.
Instructions:
  • Select the year under Year.
  • For each quarter, enter your business revenue and income from business during that time.
  • If you have no data, enter a zero.
  • If you don't have exact numbers, estimates are okay.
  • To add additional years, select Add another response.


January - March

April - June

July - September

October - December

January - March

April - June

July - September

October - December

January - March

April - June

July - September

October - December
To be considered for Start or Scale, please answer some additional questions about your business expenses.

An estimate is okay. If you don't know, indicate that.

An estimate is okay. If you don't know, indicate that.

An estimate is okay. If you don't know, indicate that.

An estimate is okay. If you don't know, indicate that.
Growth Needs








Capital Needs






How confident are you in the following areas?
1 - Not Confident 2 3 4 5 - Very Confident
Please check the reCAPTCHA box and hit "SUBMIT" to submit your program application.

If you have any questions, please contact our Hot Bread Kitchen Incubates (HBKi) team at hbkincubates@hotbreadkitchen.org. 
To submit, please ensure that your First Name, Last Name, Email are filled in on the previous page.
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