OhioX Road Show: Youngstown Business Incubator

The OhioX Road Show is touring and highlighting destinations, companies, and organizations across the state that are doing all sorts of interesting and innovative things that make Ohio a tech hub.

This OhioX Road Show stop? Youngstown Business Incubator.

Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) is more than just an incubator. YBI focuses on developing successful digital businesses, advancing women & minority entrepreneurship, and furthering advanced manufacturing technologies. Over the course of the past two decades, YBI has redefined the west end of downtown Youngstown, creating a 200,000 sf campus across five buildings. However, their work doesn’t stop there. Their entrepreneurship programs reach across the full 21 counties of northeast Ohio – and are attracting companies from California, Colorado, Israel and the UK to the region. Get a sneak peek into what YBI does in this short video.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THIS ROAD SHOW STOP:

• A tour of YBI's six-building downtown campus
• Deep dives into Tech Block Building 5 (TBB5) and America Makes
• Preview of the new building six - Innovation and Aerospace Defense Hub
• Insights into YBI's Advanced Manufacturing and EVOLVE Technology programs
• Learn more about the YBI's Minority Business Assistance Center and the youth-focused Explore VR program

YBI is a globally recognized nonprofit economic development organization advancing innovation and inclusive growth across Ohio and beyond. With a focus on advanced manufacturing, technology commercialization, and supporting underserved entrepreneurs, YBI offers business consulting, connections to capital, and tech integration services for scalable startups and established manufacturers.

YBI is home to the Center of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing and a lead partner in the Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace & Defense, led by America Makes. Through its EVOLVE Technology Program, YBI delivers bespoke, founder-focused support to help innovators bring new technologies to market, access nondilutive funding, and scale without giving up equity.

YBI also operates a no-cost business assistance program (currently known as MBAC), which provides consulting, certification assistance, loan readiness, and access to state and federal resources for minority-, women-, veteran-, and disadvantaged business owners. In addition, YBI supports workforce development through immersive employer storytelling and real-world classroom experiences via its Explore VR program.

Through these efforts, YBI is shaping the future of advanced manufacturing and entrepreneurship across the region and beyond.