Hello Incubator Family,

As we close out another remarkable year at the Incubator, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to everyone who has shaped this community in 2025. To our mentors, who continue to give generously of their time and expertise; to our students, who show up with ambition, curiosity, and grit; and to all Incubator members, alumni, partners, and supporters—you are the heartbeat of this program. Thank you for another year of bold ideas, courageous experimentation, and boundless collaboration.

This December, our Fall 2025 cohort reminded us once again why the Incubator exists: to build, to challenge, to innovate, and to elevate one another.

Fall 2025 Cohort Highlights

Altura Lacrosse Series is redefining youth sports by pairing elite competition with athlete development and empowerment; Breadcrumb is enabling hospitality and travel businesses to build personalized reporting without technical barriers; CareMetric Hub is bringing clarity and humanity back into value-based healthcare by consolidating clinical insights; Clairdoc is preventing billing denials with an AI copilot built for outpatient clinics; Reachhh is turning trusted local professionals into scalable, hyperlocal advertising channels; We.Tour is empowering local college students to provide authentic and affordable tours; and Yasha’s Breakfast Sandwiches is elevating the classic breakfast sandwich with bold flavors and thoughtful culinary craft.

Event Spotlight: Open Doors — The Hilton Entrepreneurship Experience

This month, we had the privilege of welcoming leaders from Hilton—including Grant Guinn, Andrew Harp, Talene Staab, and Courtney O’Donnell—for an inspiring conversation on hotel ownership, brand stewardship, and career pathways in hospitality. The discussion underscored a universal truth in our field: relationships are everything. Students left with insight, clarity, and actionable advice—plus a deeper appreciation for how vast and opportunity-rich the hospitality world can be. Thank you, Hilton, for your continued partnership and mentorship.

Industry Insights

Our curated December readings brought forward powerful themes shaping travel, hospitality, and entrepreneurship:

AI is rapidly reshaping the “front door” of hotel booking, giving suppliers new ways to personalize and streamline guest experiences.

Steve Jobs’ seven timeless rules for success remind us to communicate clearly, dream boldly, and build with intention.

A pulse check from industry leaders highlights both optimism and caution as stakeholders navigate AI, economic uncertainty, shifting traveler behaviors, and the quest for authentic, meaningful experiences.

Alumni Spotlight: Andrea Garrido, Chixa (Fall 2021 Cohort)

Andrea shared how the Incubator helped give her company early visibility—visibility that has now blossomed into a polished product and a real market presence. Her team has perfected their hard tepache formulation, begun soft launching in New York, and secured their first retail partner in Brooklyn. Congratulations, Andrea—we’re proud of you and cheering every step of the journey.

Mentor Wisdom: Grant Guinn

Grant reminded us that in business, risk is unavoidable—but manageable. Through data-driven decisions, resilient systems, strong teams, and multiple contingency plans, leaders can stay agile in the face of the unexpected. His lesson: growth requires risk, but smart preparation turns risk into opportunity.

Quote of the Month

"The most important thing to do if you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging.”
— Warren Buffett

As we wrap up 2025, I want to thank each of you for your contributions, your energy, and your belief in this community. You have built something meaningful here—together.

I wish all of you a joyful holiday season and a vibrant, opportunity-filled New Year. 2026 is already shaping up to be extraordinary, and I know that with this community, the best is yet to come.



With gratitude and excitement,
— Dr. K

Altura, meaning “the vertical rise to the highest point.” Altura Lacrosse Series goes beyond the traditional tournament by blending elite lacrosse competition with empowerment, education, and leadership development to help athletes grow both on and off the field. This series not only offers high-level competition but also hands-on training workshops, product demos, and inspiring panel discussions with collegiate and professional athletes, creating an engaging curriculum designed to strengthen the athletes skills and confidence. With this holistic solution for coaches and players, we stand by our mission to provide more meaningful experiences that are accessible to players from all backgrounds. Altura Lacrosse Series ensures that every athlete leaves with more than just a score. This is an experience built to elevate their game and their future; ultimately, redefining the youth sports experience.

Breadcrumb is an agentic business-to-business reporting platform. We empower hospitality and travel businesses to scale personalized reporting to every customer, partner, and stakeholder without needing a data team. In hospitality and travel, business reporting is often slow, manual, and bottlenecked by manual data work. Operators and vendors struggle to personalize insights for each property, partner, or market. As a result, opportunities are lost because decision-makers can’t access the right data when it matters. Breadcrumb solves this “last mile” of personalization by empowering non-technical users. Through an intuitive, conversational interface, business users can combine, explore, visualize, and share data - while AI agents handle the manual work.

The story of Care Metric Hub begins with a simple but powerful observation: in a system as advanced as American healthcare, it's astounding that a primary care physician still cannot get a simple, consolidated view of how their patients are doing and how their practice is performing. This daily reality of administrative burden and data blindness is what fuels our mission. We saw that the move to value-based care, while well-intentioned, was adding another layer of complexity without providing the necessary tools for success.

This deep empathy is baked into our platform—a single, unified environment that feels less like a software product and more like a capable partner. It automatically highlights care gaps, forecasts a practice's standing in its shared savings programs, and facilitates meaningful patient follow-up. We are building Care Metric Hub not just as a company, but as a catalyst for a more humane and rational healthcare system, where technology serves people, not the other way around, and where every stakeholder is empowered to succeed.

Clairdoc is building the future of medical billing with AI. Our platform acts as a denial-prevention copilot for outpatient clinics — automatically scanning claims to catch and correct issues before submission. By transforming complex billing data into clear, actionable insights, Clairdoc helps clinics reduce denials, recover revenue, and focus on what truly matters: delivering care.

The Hyperlocal Ad Network REACHHH creates a new-age hyperlocal a network powered by these real, trusted people. For example, a protein bar manufacturing brand could use the REACHHH platform to activate 50 gym trainers in a specific set of zip codes instead of putting the fund into buying a billboard. The platform organizes these "invisible" local professionals and firms into a scalable, trackable, and verifiable network, turning them into "America's New Billboards,” a new advertising channel that is more authentic and targeted.

The "Swipe UiUX" Matchmaking that connects the two sides of the network. A brand can log in, browse creator profiles on the "Reachhh Map," and filter by ZIP code or venue. Creators have their own dashboard where they can see brands and campaign offers. They can "swipe right" on the brands or campaigns they are interested in.

We.Tour LLC is a New York-based tour company that employs local college students as licensed tour guides. The company's goal is to offer more affordable tours compared to standard market prices by utilizing students as guides. The company operates on the idea that local students who have lived or studied in the area for a long time can provide tours of local places. Tours can be offered as private or as part of a tour plan listed on the platform. 

Yasha’s Breakfast Sandwiches is an elevated breakfast restaurant concept that blends creativity and innovation with genuine and personalized hospitality. The aim at Yasha's is to combine the familiarity and comfort of a classic breakfast sandwich with bold flavors, elevated culinary techniques, and thoughtful presentation—all served quickly for those on the go. Each sandwich is built with intention, from house-made toppings to carefully sourced breads and proteins, creating a memorable morning experience that feels both indulgent and accessible.

Earlier this week, the I-Hub Incubator welcomed four Hilton leaders for an insightful conversation on entrepreneurship, hotel ownership, and the future of hospitality. The panel featured:

● Grant Guinn - Former Hilton Executive & Hotel Owner
● Andrew Harp - VP Brand Leader, Tru by Hilton
● Talene Staab - VP Brand Leader, Home2 Suites by Hilton
● Courtney O’Donnell - Director of Development, Northeast Region at Hilton

The session, moderated by Dr. Richie Karaburun, offered students a rare inside look at how Hilton’s brand ecosystem operates and how emerging professionals can build meaningful careers in the industry.

Throughout the conversation, panelists emphasized that relationships are at the heart of hospitality. Building trust with owners, walking hotels together, and understanding each property’s unique culture were described as essential to long-term success. They also spoke candidly about working with management companies, ensuring brand consistency, and how banks often value experience as much as capital when considering hotel financing.

The event concluded with advice for students: say yes to opportunities, seek mentors, and avoid boxing yourself into one path. The session left students with actionable insights and inspiration, emphasizing how broad, interconnected, and opportunity-filled the hospitality industry truly is. Thank you, Hilton, for your partnership and for sharing valuable career and life insights with students!

Artificial intelligence isn’t just changing how travelers search — it’s redefining the entire front door of hotel distribution. At The Phocuswright Conference, leaders from Google Travel, Tripadvisor, and DirectBooker broke down how generative and agentic AI could finally shift power back to hotel suppliers. From conversational booking flows to new ways suppliers can bypass online travel agencies, this emerging tech wave could transform how travelers discover and book their stays.

Want to know why this matters — and what’s coming next for hotels? Read below for the full story and insights from the experts.

Read the full article by PhocusWire.

What does it really take to think boldly, lead creatively, and build ideas that leave a mark? In this week’s feature, we’re spotlighting Steve Jobs’ timeless principles for success — from mastering your message to dreaming bigger than anyone thought possible. Whether you're building a project, shaping your career path, or looking for motivation to take your next big leap, these lessons still hold power today.

Curious which rule might transform the way you work? Read below to dive into the full breakdown.

Read the full article by Entrepreneur.

From AI-driven transformation to shifting traveler behavior, industry leaders are navigating a moment of both uncertainty and exciting possibilities. At The Phocuswright Conference, executives from Priceline, Rome2Rio, Tourism Tasmania, HolidayPirates, and more shared their biggest hopes and concerns shaping travel in 2026. Themes like agentic AI, economic turbulence, authenticity in tourism, and geopolitical tensions all surfaced — along with optimism about stronger tech, smarter data, and travelers seeking deeper, more meaningful experiences.

Want to see what the industry's top minds are predicting next? Read below for the full breakdown of insights and perspectives.

Read the full article by PhocusWire.

Are you curious about past Incubator cohort members? You'll feel more inspired than ever as they share their takeaways and how they have grown since joining the Incubator!