Lean Rocket Lab

Lean Rocket Lab is a nonprofit startup and small business accelerator based in Jackson, Michigan, offering coworking space, education, and mentorship to help entrepreneurs move from "surviving" to "thriving" in Michigan's economy. The LOCAL program's Fellows Bootcamp selects 12 small businesses annually for a cohort-based, intensive business bootcamp, providing milestone-based grant funding, coaching, and mentorship, focused on retail, restaurant, service, and storefront businesses in Jackson and Hillsdale counties. The Sales & Marketing Accelerator is a free, grant-funded 8-week program open to Michigan startups building software, physical products, or embedded solutions, selecting 8–10 companies per cohort for lecture-based learning, coaching, and networking, culminating in a live pitch event for milestone grant funding. Beyond these two flagship cohorts, Lean Rocket Lab also runs the ManuTech Incubator and the i4.0 Accelerator, a state-chartered program connecting manufacturing technology startups with Michigan manufacturers, alongside industry-specific "Collectives" for ongoing peer community and resource access.