BEYOND MILESTONES
In the past few years, Kashmir Valley has seen the rise of several startup incubation centers within colleges and universities, most of them subsidized by generous government aid coupled with sincere institutional goodwill. In theory, there is forward movement. In practice, however, we still seem to be at our first or second step, and even that feels rather shallow. The problem is less about lack of funding and more about misguided understanding: that incubation is a system to be managed instead of an art to be nurtured.
This is the article’s premise. It attempts to appeal to everyone, policymakers, managers, and system builders to understand incubation as not merely a set of processes but rather a highly emotional and strategically human one. Only then can we get closer to osmosis.
It is a delight to see many startup incubation centers being set up in the colleges and Universities acrossthe valley of Kashmir. It is even better that the major centers are adequately funded by the government through different schemes. Although we have shifted from step 1 to step 2, the advancement is rather troubling. So, what we need to find out is what the roadblocks are? This article has been put forth for further exploration of the matter and collective problem-solving.
First things first, it has to be conclusively acknowledged by everyone that incubator centers are not ordinary bureaucratic functions that are to be checked off a list. They are alive with deep intellect and active imagination because they involve great human, dynamic, and high-risk activities, which are intensely focused on transforming concepts into reality. If we approach them as administration, we will miss the depth and the possibilities presented on so many levels.
It’s not only about the paperwork and processes. Although the incubation centers require some structure, such as onboarding documents, policy adherence, reporting intervals, and milestone documentation, this attention to detail is logistical support. It does not represent the essence of incubation. Incubators focus mainly on vision catalyzing, motivation of the founders, giving the founders a tap on the back, building self-esteem, networking, and guiding change, are all the things that focus on the heart and spirit of the issue.
These are “For God’s sake” NOT checklist items.They are relationships, conversations, and actions that involve empathy, strategic assessment, and judgment at varying degrees. Routine management thrives on repeatability; every Startup is Different. Therefore, the very nature of the startups makes the constant adaptation by the incubation centers a prerequisite for their relevance in the first place. From a different perspective, each startup comes with its own set of challenging timelines, unique founders, technologies, and markets.
The assistance required is ever shifting. One might be navigating regulatory complexity; another might be facing a team breakup. Such diversity cannot be encompassed within a single standard process, in terms of incubation…. In terms of incubation, this means: a) Emotionally alive, not robots in the system who are devoid of humanity, b) Government packed, not corporate style red tape. Those journeys are deeply personal. Founders often encounter the all too real self-doubt, unrelenting burnout, and crippling fear of failure. What they need goes beyond the templated offer of shared printers, co-working spaces, prototyping labs, seed capital, or even the countless ‘funding with strings’ schemes.
What they need are emotionally charged, dedicated spaces, real conversations, emotional resilience, and honest feedback. Focusing solely on managing tasks for executives in incubation centers misses the pivotal opportunity to become trusted partners during the most vulnerable period in a startup’s life cycle. Whosoever is tasked with handling Incubation centers needs to radically shift their mindset towards strategic thinking instead of ‘checklist’, where progressive centers operate under “Strategic Interventions over SOPs.”
An appropriately timed action, such as a well-constructed business model, an additional captivating way of thinking, a well-timed pivot, or even a straightforward and honest review, can fully operate a startup project. None of this requires policy books or handbooks; it does need immense insight and drastic measures. Incubation, by default, requires leadership, people who can identify opportunity within disorder, and can assist in refining crude concepts into viable businesses. The administrative tasks merely aid the operation of the incubation centre.
People running the incubation centers have a mandate that stretches far beyond the infrastructure to intention. Startups are not in need of office managers; they need partners through the haze of ambiguity. Real incubation is intentional; it constructs competencies, reveals possibilities, and accelerates growth.
Providing the operational space and internet, and even conducting a couple of seminars, does not qualify for incubation. It necessitates a specific culture that promotes failure, values trial and error, and fosters entrepreneurial activity anchored on set goals. Such culture does not happen by accident; it is the product of commitment, care, vision, and deep empathy. Someone has to bear the blame, or rather the credit, of it all, and that is the person responsible for the incubation centre. I think it is time to identify and honor it as such.
The crucial aspect of the real operation of the incubation centers is the people in charge. Every effective incubation centre is motivated by a single individual, not an administrator but a visionary enabler. The center’s success relies on the character and capability of the person who runs it. This leads us to ask: What is the ideal profile of the person heading an incubation centre?
The ideal person is to be at the forefront of a strategic planner, not a task organizer. To them, startups are not checkboxes to be completed, but EVOLVING ORGANISMS that require serious attention, guidance, and at times, tough love. They are self-starters with unparalleled adaptability because no two startups in business are ever the same. One founder may be coping with burnout while another is struggling to navigate the waters of product-market fit.
The incubation lead should be poised to handle all of them with insight, resolve, and empathy. Instead of getting buried in endless paperwork, these individuals are passionate about engaging in conversations; honest, encouraging, difficult, and in fact, awe-inspiring conversations that help entrepreneurs navigate through market volatility, turn chaos into clarity. An extrovert able to read the room will provide them with the tools to speak into existence a market that will bank on crushable chaos.
They are not well connected for the sake of status, rather for connecting startups to mentors, investors, industry specialists, and occasionally, even future co-founders. They are always looking out for new ways to develop the ecosystem around the incubator and think like ecosystem builders. The individuals linked to these centers are, in fact, these centers’ cultural builders, who turn the culture into one where experimentation is day-to-day normal and where the process is equally valued as the results. Their greatest asset is not a funded project or policy document, but rather, the vision, empathy, care, and unwavering belief in the impact of entrepreneurship.
Simply put, the ideal figure running an incubation center is all of a mentor, a strategic thinker, an empath, and a leader combined. Incubation centers that are successful need both heart and mind. These attributes are far from a passive administrator’s scope. Without such a person, even the most generously financed incubation centers risk having their essence stripped and becoming another office with a nameplate on the door.
The examples below demonstrate the integration of the above ideas in actual incubation settings where effective management and impact driven leadership anchors the difference.
- Overcoming Burnout and Belief – The Founder Who Barely Made It
After being continuously rejected, one young founder was provided with neither funding nor mentorship, a simple dry conversation over coffee with the head of incubation alongside rehashed structure-less informal mentorship. While lacking designation, this particular situation made the founder feel valued enough to oscillate. This metacognitive reset enabled her to raise her first seed round six months later.
- When Strategy Beats SOPs
A biotech company was about to become ineligible for government sponsorship due to missing two reporting deadlines. Prior to imposing punitive measures, the incubation lead conducted a heuristic analysis of their challenges and discovered a technical constraint bottleneck. Thanks to their connection with a retired pharmaceutical industry expert within the ecosystem, the team achieved product-market fit in weeks. No handbook dictated any of that.
- Moving Towards Culture Instead of Compliance
A university incubation center instituted standard monthly seminars, which led to low turnout. The lead reinvented this paradigm by removing it altogether. He began to invite failed founders to share their candid narratives in small, open circles. It worked. Startups started to engage with each other, collaborate, and share identities. A culture was created not enforced.
Conclusion
While the infrastructure, policies, and funding of an incubation center matter little, the people who run them usually define its value. In the best of cases, these centers are not staffed by administrators, but by leaders, mentors, strategists, connectors, and possibility-propellers.
What these individuals do cannot be simply called following a procedure. Their work demands emotional labor, guts, and deep, unwavering faith in the entrepreneurial odyssey.
If we continue to treat startup incubation as merely a chore to be ticked off, an effortless task, we will be condemning innovation to an environment built for mediocrity. Incubation, however, should be seen as a craft, something beautifully organic and purposefully human. That allows us to create ecosystems in which startups don’t just stay alive, they absolutely thrive. Now is the time; this shift would allow us to stop operating from a place of administration and shift to aspiration.
(The Author is Senior Assistant Professor; Department of Management Studies, South Campus and Nodal Officer NewGen IEDC, University of Kashmir)
