No. 14 on TIME’s America’s Best Incubators & Accelerators 2026 List

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact:
Kim Blomquist 
Senior Director, Marketing and Communications 
kim@mhub.org 

mHUB Named No. 14 on TIME’s America’s Best Incubators & Accelerators 2026 List

National recognition highlights mHUB’s impact supporting hard tech startups from early development through commercialization

(Chicago, IL - August 18, 2026) – mHUB, the nation’s largest independent hard tech innovation center, ranked No. 14 on TIME’s list of America’s Best Incubators and Accelerators 2026, announced today, August 18. The award is presented in collaboration with Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider, and recognizes 80 top incubators and accelerators across the United States.

The rankings were based on three primary dimensions:

• Alumni Evaluations: Feedback from more than 2,000 founders who participated in incubator and accelerator programs between 2020 and 2025, including assessments of mentoring and training, infrastructure, legal assistance, funding opportunities, networking, and business development support.
• Track Record: An evaluation of measurable startup outcomes based on leading companies supported by each organization, supplemented by Statista research using publicly available information.
• Expert Recommendations: Recommendations from startup investors and experienced entrepreneurs identifying the incubators and accelerators they regard most highly.

This recognition highlights mHUB’s platform for helping early-stage companies move physical technologies from concept to commercialization, including prototyping infrastructure, capital tailored to hard tech, and collaboration with industry for pilot and market access.

Since opening its doors in 2017, mHUB has supported more than 500 startups developing technologies across critical sectors including energy, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and deep technologies. Startups in the mHUB community have collectively generated over $5 billion in economic activity and created over 7,200 jobs.

“Hard tech founders face a fundamentally different path to market. One that requires specialized infrastructure, patient capital, technical expertise, and strong connections to industry,” said Haven Allen, mHUB CEO and Co-Founder. “mHUB was built to bring those resources together and reduce the time, cost, and risk of turning breakthrough physical technologies into scalable businesses. This recognition from TIME and Statista is a testament to the founders doing that hard work every day and to the partners and investors who make this model possible.”

Last year, mHUB was named a top workplace for innovators by Fast Company. Learn more about what makes mHUB a top destination for hard tech founders: Why mHUB Is a Fast Company Best Workplace for Innovators.

The full TIME America’s Best Incubators & Accelerators 2026 list is available on TIME.com.

About mHUB
mHUB is an innovation platform that drives the commercialization of hard tech, helping companies build, scale, and innovate with speed and purpose. The platform includes a Chicago-based incubator and prototyping lab; venture and real estate investment company, mHUB Ventures; and an engineering and product consulting arm. Together, infrastructure, capital, and expertise combine to enable emerging technologies, create new manufacturing businesses, and strengthen U.S. industry. To date, mHUB has worked with over 200 public and private partners and supported over 500 startups that have collectively generated $5B in economic activity. Learn more at mhub.org.

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