SJBiz_NJIgniteDept_0719FINAL.QXD_Dept 7 / 19 / 19 12 : 20 PM Page 3 Igniting Success are paying a membership fee to be in the market but all of the companies are out of e - commerce and into a brick and mortar space . ” While not all incubators have availability to such markets , by signing on to be a par - ticipant in the Ignite program , host sites agree to sponsor eight events a year , which can further enhance the entrepreneur’s ex - perience at the site , according to Coviello . “ These events come in all kinds of differ - ent formats , ” she explains . “ They can be a seminar on , ‘ How do I pitch investors , ’ or a round table discussion with investors or other entrepreneurs , or office hours with ac - countants . … It brings When businesses skills to the doorstep of these entrepre - and industries ‘ ‘ neurs and makes it work together , it easy for them to tap typically leads to into these resources . ” more innovation , While the program is focused on assisting better products technologyand life sci - and an overall ences entrepreneurs , greater benefit to which has long been a strong sector in New the community . ” Jersey , as Maher points — Louis Cappelli Jr . , Camden County out , it also has a huge Freeholder Director return on investment for the state . In fact , Maher notes that 1776 shifted its real estate strategy to focus more in New Jersey now , thanks to the Ignite program . “ We’re looking to continue stretching along the Amtrak corridor [ which 1776 does now , down into Northern Virginia ] and up into Princeton , New Brunswick , Newark , ” she says . “ We’re going to look there instead of further south because the EDA offers such great programs for the entrepreneurs . ” Maher adds the application process was easy for both 1776 and its first Ignite mem - ber , which was recently approved to the program , while Coviello notes if there is an entrepreneur interested in working with a co - working site that is not currently ap - proved by the NJEDA , the NJEDA wants to hear about it . If this all sounds a bit unlike the typical business model , that’s because it is . But as Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr . points out , it is a model of the greater good . “ This is a totally different model than the highly competitive , zero sum game that most people think about out in Silicon Val - ley , ” he says . “ When businesses and indus - tries work together , it typically leads to more innovation , better products and an overall w greater benefit to the community . ” 26 | SOUTH JERSEY BIZ | VOLUME 9 ISSUE 7 | SouthJerseyBiz.net