In 1959, the Batavia Industrial Center opened in a small city in New York state. Housed in a decommissioned factory, it offered small companies space, equipment, and guidance for growth — a novel business model at the time. One of the earliest tenants there was a hatchery, whose chick-filled coops inspired the Center’s owner to come up with a newfangled term for his newfangled enterprise—business incubator.
