An Incubator

I'm not sure how this works, but Springboard seems like a great concept for an incubator. I work for Red Gate, and I think they're a good company. However even for them this seems like a bit of a leap of faith. I guess they're assuming that none of these ideas are Facebook-like, and so they'll likely be products that Red Gate would eventually buy, or take some equity in and help the company grow.

I like it, and I like the trust factor. The Red Gate offices are large, plenty of space for now, and so I think this might not be a bad use of space. I know they helped out another company recently, actually traded some space for services, and they are a large sponsor of The Business of Software. They look to grow the right way, slow and with revenues, not looking for a big payoff, but rather a sustainable business.

There's a nice post about how this started, and if you're beyond incubator stage, think about attending the Business of Software conference. I won't make it this year because of two other commitments around that event, but it was one of the most inspiring events I've ever attended.