Gateway Innovation Incubator Program
You Don't Have to Grow it Alone – we’re pairing new businesses with seasoned entrepreneurs to share knowledge, experience, & proven advice.
The Gateway Innovation Incubator Program is a new initiative that pairs emerging business leaders with experienced entrepreneurial veterans in the region to help jump-start their growth. By fostering mentorship connections, the Chamber creates an invaluable feedback loop, passing down proven strategies and insights to the next generation of local business trailblazers.
For a modest one-time fee of $200.00, new businesses gain access to a 6-week course with structured lessons and materials, as well as valuable business contacts and mentorship opportunities. Additionally, they receive a one-year Basic Connect Level Membership with the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce. Through weekly workshops and one-on-one sessions, new business owners will discover exactly how they can take their organizations to the next level.
Program Overview
Participants Will Receive:
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Weekly workshops
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One-on-one mentorship
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Networking opportunities
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Access to resources, tools, & more
Timeline:
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Week 1: Kickoff – Purpose, People & Possibility
Define your vision, clarify your mission, and identify your ideal customer while learning tools like the Lean Canvas and customer discovery interviews. -
Week 2: Build the Blueprint – Business Model & Branding
Establish your business structure, shape your core offerings, and create a brand identity with practical design tools for market testing. -
Week 3: Money, Pricing & Profit
Understand startup costs, set value-based pricing, calculate profit margins, manage finances with basic tools, and explore funding options.
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Week 4: Marketing Essentials & Visibility
Learn how to tell your story, plan content, master beginner-friendly social media and email marketing, and build visibility through PR and partnerships. -
Week 5: Pitch, Polish & Practice
Build and refine your pitch, strengthen slide design and delivery skills, and practice live with feedback from peers. -
Week 6: Celebration, Connection & Next Steps
Showcase your pitch, reflect on progress, map out the next 90 days, and celebrate with networking and certificates.
Meet the Instructors
Brandon coaches growth-minded leaders, who are unafraid of self-improvement. As a Certified Coach through Gravitas Impact, he has been implementing proven tools and systems for over 15+ years, working toward his greatest passion of helping people exceed the potential they thought possible in themselves. Brandon used his educational time through graduate school studying both how our institutions and organizations, as well as the policies around education, can multiply or diminish our individual and societal growth. This set him on a path that started in the nonprofit sector before crossing over to a small NYC start-up, where he helped turn a team of 5 into a nationwide community of over 300 full-/part-time employees in 6+ cities. He was so inspired and transformed by the Executive Business Coach that guided him on that journey that he decided to share his own strengths with other CEOs, small business owners, executive directors, as well as lower management leaders. Today, Brandon coaches leaders across the country on their journeys to build a thriving company, develop leadership skills, and increase accountability.
Chereese Jervis-Hill, CEO & Founder Events To Remember + PR To Remember, divisions of Events by Chereese, Inc.
Jacqueline Bufi
WyQuasia Capri, King's House of Fire
WyQuasia Capri is a powerhouse executive, entrepreneur, and philanthropist with a proven track record leading multi-billion-dollar corporations and scaling high-impact businesses. She is the founder of Class with Capri, a consultancy delivering strategic solutions to accelerate growth and impact. As COO of her family’s enterprises — Little Kings & Queens Learning Center, LKQ Entertainment Inc. (Fun Place, Video Game Truck, Party Patrol), and Kings House of Fire Cannabis Dispensary — she drives operational excellence across diverse industries.
A certified parliamentarian and creator of the history-making Divine Nine fashion collections, WyQuasia also established the WyQuasia C. King-Thomas Scholarship Fund. She is deeply committed to economic empowerment, cultural advancement, and next-generation leadership.
Monique Perretti, Marketing and Planning Solutions Group
Monique Perretti is the Founder and CEO of MAP Solutions Group, where she helps entrepreneurs and businesses sharpen brand identity, expand market reach, and drive profitability. With a BA in Arts Management and Communications from Manhattanville University and an MBA in Marketing and Media Management from Fordham University, Monique spent nearly twenty years in corporate marketing before launching her own firm in 2018. She also leads marketing classes to make high-quality education accessible, equipping business owners with tools for growth. As a mentor and speaker, Monique empowers leaders to overcome challenges and seize opportunities with confidence.