After serving microbusinesses in Chattanooga for many years, LAUNCH started to identify additional gaps in creating access for budding entrepreneurs. 22% of LAUNCH-supported businesses were in the food industry, and it became apparent that finding a commercial kitchen that is affordable and accessible was an immense obstacle for most of the entrepreneurs we serve. In 2019, LAUNCH began evaluating what a kitchen incubator would look like in Chattanooga. We spent time getting to know the needs of entrepreneurs in the food industry and conducting a nationwide study on how kitchen incubators have operated in other cities. The research found that shared kitchen spaces in addition to mentoring programs increase an entrepreneur’s chance for success. In light of this and the significant number of food-centric LAUNCH CHA graduates, we embarked on the Kitchen Incubator of Chattanooga.