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A Program Designed for the Earliest Stages of Product Innovation 

Join mHUB through its pre-accelerator mPOWER programs and turn your idea into a reality

mPOWER Programs Give Founders the Opportunity to Validate 

mPOWER programs are designed to fast-track early stage startups through the discovery phase. Through an application-based, 4-month program, participants receive hands-on support to turn ideas into hardtech businesses at the nation’s leading independent innovation center for physical product development.

Founders conclude the program with a clear understanding of the problem they are trying to solve, who would be willing to pay for the solution, their market, and prototyping roadmap.

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mPOWER Program Eligibility & Benefits

There is no fee to participate in the program as membership is sponsored by program partners, who, with mHUB, define areas of focus for each cohort, such as energy, consumer products, hardtech, and more. 

If accepted into the program, you will receive:

  • Sponsored 4-month membership at mHUB with Shared Workspace membership benefits
  • Structured, hands-on programming for building a business and product at its earliest stages
  • Access to $6M worth of prototyping equipment
  • Dedicated support from a network of industry-leading mentors, mHUB staff, and founders
  • Networking opportunities
  • Speaker series to hear from entrepreneurs building technology in focus areas
  • Exclusive access to mHUB's Experts in Residence
  • The opportunity to apply for a microgrant to support your business

What Does the 4-month Program Look Like?

Workshops will take place on Wednesdays in-person at mHUB. If accepted, founders should anticipate spending 4-6 hours every week in active programming. 

Month 1

  • Orientation and welcome
  • Session 1: Intro to desirability, feasibility, viability (DFV): assumptions and risk management
  • Session 2: Problem expertise and customer discovery
  • Session 3: Differentiation and defensibility
  • 1:1 Meetings with dedicated experts in residence

Month 2

  • Session 4: Product & feature prioritization and testing
  • Session 5: Product requirements & acceptance criteria & product development stages
  • Legal Series: entity formation
  • Legal Series: Intellectual property Q&A
  • 1:1 Meetings with dedicated expert in residence
  • Cohort offsite

Month 3

  • Core messaging and anatomy of a pitch
  • Introductory pitch
  • Group sessions with dedicated speech & pitch coach
  • 1:1 Meetings with dedicated experts in residence

Month 4

  • Group sessions with dedicated Speech & pitch coach
  • 1:1 Pitch feedback sessions
  • 1:1 Meetings with dedicated experts in residence
  • End of program celebration

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this program open to?
 mPOWER is organized into one to two cohorts a year. To qualify, participants must have a clear problem they are trying to solve through a physical product and be able to dedicate 7-10 hours per week for the entirety of the 4-month program.

 

Where does this program take place?
Sessions take place at mHUB's innovation center at 1623 W. Fulton St, Chicago, IL, 60612. There will be some virtual accommodation for hybrid sessions, but the majority of programming will take place in person.

When do applications open and close?
 Applications for the 2026 mPOWER cohorts open on Friday April 17th and close on Friday May 22, 2026 at 11:59 pm CT.

How much does the program cost?

There is no cost to participate. mHUB membership fee is sponsored by program partners.

Does mHUB provide any funding as part of this program?

 Shared workspace membership is covered by program partners, so there is no fee to participate in the program. Participants may also become eligible to applying for a microgrant to support their business.

 

Will participants be able to produce a full prototype during the program?

Every product is different. Momentum in product development is dependent on the current stage of the participant, how much time they have available to contribute, complexity of product, and how much the participant has done in the areas of customer discovery/prototyping. That being said, all participants will have full access to mHUB resources and talent to make progress.  

During the interview process, the mHUB team can provide further insight to this question.

 

When will the next mPOWER program begin?
 The 2026 mPOWER cohorts will be selected in June, with workshops to begin in July 2026.

 

mPOWER Program Supported by

Join an mPOWER cohort

If you’re an aspiring innovator, and have a clear product idea or solution, mHUB will help you make it a reality.

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