Bentley Entrepreneurship Hub - CIC Partnership

Introduction

The Bentley E-hub CIC Workspace Initiative is designed to provide members of the Bentley community access to the vibrant entrepreneurial community in Greater Boston as they develop their ventures. The E-hub is a leasing member at CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center). CIC is the premier co-working space that focuses on innovative start-ups. The E-hub now provides access to a Dedicated Workspace at CIC to teams of Bentley community members who are well on their way to building their entrepreneurship ventures.

Purpose

Access to this Dedicated Workspace is intended for actively building your start-up venture. Access to this Dedicated Workspace is not intended just for professional networking or socializing. Access is, therefore, based on your progress towards developing your start-up venture, and a competitive process.

Access Details

When should a Team consider the CIC Workspace

Teams of Bentley community members who have progressed beyond an initial idea for a start-up venture may consider applying for access. Ideally, the team should have developed their idea for a start-up, should have worked with faculty and/or alumni who are a part of our Mentor Network for questions such as initial business model / addressable market / business strategy / product or service strategy / product market fit / revenue model and many others, and should have or be fairly close to a proof of concept towards an implementation of the product or service offering.
If you are not yet at a stage where you have a fully developed business idea or if you are working on your ideas and want to use resources and spaces where you can brainstorm, collaborate, and engage in early-stage idea development, we encourage you to explore the various other resources and spaces on-campus, such as the Somers Garage run by the E-hub or the Creative Space in Collins Hall. These spaces offers an informal, welcoming environment conducive to creativity and ideation. They are ideal for individuals or teams who are in the nascent stages of their entrepreneurial journey. You can also use these resources to further develop your idea. And you can access the Orbit Platform to identify co-founders and build your team, or look at what others are building and ask to join their team.

Minimum Criteria: Teams must fulfill all the following criteria to apply for access.

The team is engaged in developing a start-up venture.
The team lead is a Bentley community member (student/recent alum).
The team agrees to access the workspace only for day/time allocated.
The team agrees to abide by the code of conduct for use of the workspace.

Competitive Criteria: Teams that satisfy the following will be more competitive.

The team has actively engaged members with requisite skills
The team has a proof of concept that demonstrates their idea
The team has worked with one or more faculty mentors to develop their idea
The team has formed a business entity to pursue their idea
The team has done market feasibility assessment
The team has developed a business model and a revenue model

How will a Team use the Workspace

The dedicated desk has the capacity for one occupant. It is meant to provide the student team the ability to have a presence at CIC as they build their start-up venture. It is, however, possible for the team to use the access to CIC facilities that the dedicated desk provides as they develop their venture. The E-hub will help your team, once selected, learn how to use their time at CIC.
If selected, your team will be given access to the Workspace for a certain timeslot, such as Monday Mornings or Wednesday Afternoons and so on. Typically, access is granted for the duration of a semester, renewable based on a new application for access.

Code of Conduct for Using the CIC Workspace

The lead member of the team is responsible for collecting the access card from the E-hub.
The lead member of the team is responsible for promptly returning the access card to the E-hub.
The lead member of the team remains responsible for the cost of a lost access card.
A member of your team (coordinating with the lead member) may access the Workspace only on the assigned day of week and time.
No member of your team may use the Workspace as a study location.
Each member of your team agrees to use the Workspace as a place to work on your venture, connect with the vibrant ecosystem at CIC, and develop their venture.
Each member of your team agrees to represent their own venture as well as the Bentley E-hub and the Bentley University with the highest standard of professionalism. Any abuse or disruption of CIC will result in the removal of access.

How will the E-hub manage concurrent use by multiple teams

Teams of Bentley community members will be assigned exclusive access to a specific timeslot, shared across days of week and at different times of day. To ensure that a team has sustained access to the workspace over a period of time so they can plan their time, develop their venture, and build their connections – access will be granted for a semester.
For example, your team, if selected, may be given access to the Workspace for a certain timeslot, such as Monday Mornings or Wednesday Afternoons and so on. Typically, access is granted for the duration of a semester, renewable based on a new application for access. The E-hub will manage this access by sharing the right access cards to the right teams at the right time each week.