I should clarify that incubators don’t all suck. However, if you’re a business person with a strong reputation, track record, and access to capital there’s little logical reason why you’d chain yourself to the limitations and intellectual property constraints of most incubators.

If, however, you are earlier in your career, less able to make decisions on your own, and don’t have ready access to financing or have yet to build a solid business plan, then incubators are a great (and safe) way to get that established. Those “entrepreneurs in my peer group” typically fall in the former category.

And you all should always do as much diligence on any investor, incubator or otherwise, as they do on you.

-Ian.