Starting a new business is tough. We can help make it easier.
You can achieve your business goals. We’ll help make it easier, connecting you to the right resources at the right time.
Based in Traverse City and serving all of Northwest Lower Michigan, 20Fathoms is a nonprofit startup incubator and resource center for entrepreneurs and growing businesses. We work with entrepreneurs of all stages and industries, and specialize in working with technology-focused companies.
We’re your source for business coaching, education, connections, funding, and general support — whatever you need, we’re here to help you succeed.
Explore our resources below, or contact us for no-cost assistance.
This weekly event at 20Fathoms will include a workshop, coaching, expert guidance, and a supportive community. Join us and get expert guidance to help meet your most pressing startup needs, providing access to the right tools and the right people at the right time.
We know that every business is unique. Choose the resources you need, when you need them.
Hello! We know that starting a new business is tough. We can help make it easier.
Request a 1:1 consultation and tell us about your unique business needs.
Our partners provide comprehensive startup services.
The Startup + Tech Hub is an online community created by 20Fathoms that provides resources and connections for the region’s entrepreneurs, tech professionals, and ecosystem partners. In one easy-to-use website you’ll find events, news, programs, tools, a discussion board, a community of innovators, and much more.
“As a young entrepreneur who started out with little answers on how to get this business running, I reached out to 20Fathoms from a simple search on the web and have been granted so much helpful advice, including the big steps leading up to my very first TCNewTech pitch. They give so much of their time and personal experiences to help the start ups in the TC area. For that, I’m so grateful to work with them and continue to build my business in their region.”
“20Fathoms, first and foremost, are just a good bunch of people. Part of the challenges of being an entrepreneur and working on your own is encouragement. Having a place to go with some progressively-minded people who you can knock ideas around with, go to lunch with, talk about your dogs with…it’s just a great community.”
“Early on, we had a spot at the 20Fathoms coworking space and that’s where we started to build the company. It was great meeting investors and meeting other companies. It provided the structure that we needed to move forward to as a manufacturing company.”
“20Fathoms, through its thoughtful and proactive approach and via the ever-widening entrepreneurial ecosystem it has created in northern Michigan, is an invaluable ally for companies like MeetingMaker.”
May 15, 2025
20Fathoms and Venture North are pleased to announce the recipients of $75,000 in small business grants. Each of the following Northwest Michigan businesses received approximately $4,500. The recipients were selected based on their company’s…
May 8, 2025
Step into The Piping Plover in downtown Manistee, and you’ll find not only a clothing boutique, but also an art gallery and community gathering space. Lauren Carlson opened the store in May 2024 and from…
May 8, 2025
In partnership with Venture North, 20Fathoms is pleased to announce a new round of funding for startups and small businesses in Northwest Michigan. Designed for innovative startups and small businesses headquartered in Northwest Michigan, these…
This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number [SLFRP0127] awarded to 20Fathoms by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
