In early February, we celebrated the kickoff of Hatching Success Cohort 7, and the turnout was fantastic. Through this bootcamp, our participants within the startup ecosystem began their 12-week journey in a collaborative environment that fully understands and supports the growth of their business ideas and endeavors🎉

We want to thank everyone who signed up, and we’re looking forward to the next weeks of Hatching Success!

A couple of weeks later, we had a twist for this month’s Resident Roundtable with the official launch of HatchBridge Studios. Our founders had the incredible opportunity to meet with our Student Fellows to discuss their project goals so the students can help make it happen! This collaboration allows the students to apply their skills to real professional work, while the founders receive fresh perspectives and assistance on their early-stage projects.

HatchBridge is excited to see our founders and fellows develop and launch their hard work.

At HatchBridge, we talk a lot about the founders and companies we serve. This month, I want to turn the spotlight inward and introduce you to the team that makes it all work. 

These are people who show up every day with purpose, who care deeply about the founders and faculty we serve, and who are building something that did not exist before they got here. They deserve to be recognized, and I am grateful to work alongside each of them. 

Marie Northington, Operations Manager

If you have ever walked into HatchBridge and thought "this place just works," that is Marie. She is our Operations Manager and the person who keeps every train on every track running on time. 

Marie came to HatchBridge with a background that most people in university operations simply do not have. She spent time at R/GA, one of the most respected innovation consultancies in the world, where she managed fast-moving projects across startup founders, agency creative teams, and senior clients spanning the private sector, government, and academia. She worked at Boomtown Accelerators, a Boulder-based innovation platform that has made over 170 investments in early-stage companies. She co-founded and operated Northington Studios. She has a certificate from General Assembly and a degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. Marie has seen how world-class innovation programs operate from the inside, and she brought all of that here. 

But what Marie has done recently goes well beyond keeping the lights on. She launched HatchBridge Studios, a full-service creative and business support agency that she oversees along with our Fellows and intern teams (more on this below). 

Lauren Lange, Program Leader

Lauren joined HatchBridge after building her career at Georgia Tech, one of the most important innovation institutions in the Southeast. She worked within the Enterprise Innovation Institute, Georgia Tech’s economic development and technology extension arm, where she served as a Program Manager in Innovation Ecosystems within the Economic Development Lab. Before Georgia Tech, she worked at the Georgia Department of Economic Development and The Carter Center’s China Program. That is an extraordinary background for what we are building at HatchBridge, and Lauren has wasted no time putting it to work. 

Lauren is developing new programming around using AI tools for business building, prototyping methodologies, expanding our mentor program with more structured engagement, and creating dedicated courses around startup finance. 

Julie Collins, Commercialization Consultant

Julie has joined us as a consultant to help expand our commercialization programs for faculty at KSU. This is a critical piece of what we are building. 

Julie brings over 18 years of experience working at the intersection of technology commercialization, SBIR/STTR federal funding, and early-stage venture development.  

KSU has incredible research happening across its colleges. Faculty members are developing innovations in areas ranging from medical devices to sustainable agriculture to advanced computing.

Ian Cohen, Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR)

Ian is a multi-time founder, entrepreneur, and founder coach with experience launching and advising early-stage ventures across technology, nonprofit, and asset-backed industries. He has led accelerator programs, coached founders through customer discovery and go-to-market strategy, and built operational systems supporting both startups and established organizations. His work focuses on translating research and ideas into clear market positioning and real-world traction.

Our HatchBridge Fellows 

Our current Fellows team includes Anais Turner, Carson Rudd, Ciyanna Grant, Dylan Johnson, Howard Rodman, Jadah Johnson, Malachi McElroy, Riley Womack, Sid Sanghavi, and Sofia Torres. They are the ones powering HatchBridge Studios across marketing, design, finance, production, and editing. They are gaining experience that most students do not get until years into their careers. 

What Comes Next 

We are not done building this team. HatchBridge is growing because the demand is growing. We are serving more companies, supporting more faculty innovators, and expanding our programming in ways that require more hands, more expertise, and more dedicated people who understand what it takes to help entrepreneurs succeed. 

We will be adding to the team in the months ahead to continue scaling our support for companies and innovation at KSU. In the meantime, I want to close by saying something simple. The people in this newsletter are the reason HatchBridge works. I am grateful for every one of them. 

Mark Feinberg
^{Interim Director
HatchBridge Incubator}

The hiking trail is temporarily closed, but our community isn’t! Come join HatchBridge on Friday, March 6th, for this month’s HatchBridge Hangout, where startup founders and innovators are encouraged to gather in good company to get connected and visit local businesses.

Our meetup will be at Rev Coffee in Smyrna, GA.

HatchBridge Hangout is open to everyone in the Atlanta startup ecosystem. This gathering welcomes meaningful conversations while sipping coffee and enjoying treats in a relaxed and engaged setting.

Registration isn’t required, but recommended. See you there!

March 6th, 9 - 10 AM | 📍 Rev Coffee (1680 Spring Rd SE B, Smyrna, GA 30080)

Join HatchBridge on Friday, March 20th for this month’s Slice & Advice, featuring Director of Academic Engagement & Instruction Karen Doster-Greenleaf, who will speak on the topic of “Research Like a Pro: KSU Library Resources for Entrepreneurs”. Though it’s great to have thorough information about your business itself, it’s also important to have the skill of finding reliable, in-depth market research to grow it. Credited through her experience as Librarian Professor at Kennesaw State, Karen will guide us on how to best navigate and utilize research materials when resources can seem out of reach.

March 20th, 12 - 1:30PM | 📍 HatchBridge Incubator (1111 Chastain NW)

Pizza will be provided🍕 Click the button below to RSVP!

For this month’s BuildIt!, we will have speakers Dylan Goldblatt (founder of AI Agency Aquilops), Laila Harrison (Creative Technologist & AI Strategist), and Lauren Lange (Program Manager at HatchBridge) to discuss how to get started with launching a digital product. If you have an idea for an app, a platform, a tool, or other system, but you don’t know where to begin with costs, production, promotion, and even finding the right people to connect with, you’re not the only one hitting a wall. Join us on Friday, March 27th to talk openly about the hurdles and gain the tools to bridge the gap from idea to app.

Your participation in this BuildIt! will directly contribute to our upcoming HatchBridge Cohort, so this is an opportunity to give input on what will be in the next session.

March 27th, 12 - 1:30 PM | 📍 HatchBridge Incubator (1111 Chastain NW)

Click the button below to RSVP!

Bring a founder friend and join us on Friday, March 30th for HatchBridge Open House! Tour the coworking spaces and explore ways you can get involved through our community events and Membership and Residency Program, as we have several dedicated desks and office spaces available.

March 30th, 1:00 - 2:00 PM | 📍 HatchBridge Incubator (1111 Chastain NW)

To RSVP, click the button below.

~Have a great March!~

Contact: Marie Northington, Operations Manager - [email protected]

Interested in getting involved at HatchBridge? Follow us on Social Media for the latest events and updates ⬇️