Spaceworks Is Looking for Tacoma’s Next Breakout Small Business

Tacoma has no shortage of artists, makers and imaginative people with promising business ideas. The harder part is turning that creativity into a company capable of surviving after the first burst of enthusiasm wears off.

Spaceworks Tacoma is looking for entrepreneurs who are ready to take that next step. Applications are now open for its Fall 2026 Creative Enterprise cohort, an intensive 12-week program offering business training, practical resources and long-term support to a small group of local entrepreneurs.

This is not a program for someone who woke up yesterday with an interesting idea. Spaceworks is specifically seeking applicants who have already tested a product or service with real customers—whether through markets, online sales, friends and family or an existing storefront—and now want to formalize or expand the operation.

Participants will meet once a week for three-hour sessions conducted through a combination of in-person and virtual instruction. Over the course of the program, they will examine their business model, sharpen their plans and learn how to explain what makes their company viable. Each entrepreneur is expected to finish with a complete, actionable business plan and deliver a pitch before a live audience.

Acceptance also comes with benefits that continue beyond the classroom. Participants receive commercial-lease guidance, professional portraits or product photographs, a one-year trial membership in the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce and a $1,200 stipend that can be spent on professional business services.

Graduates become part of the Spaceworks alumni network, giving them continued access to technical assistance, mentorship, peer support and networking opportunities. They also receive priority consideration for future Spaceworks programming and assistance promoting major milestones such as grand openings.

Spaceworks says it has supported more than 490 incubator alumni since 2010, with 83% remaining in business. Its alumni include recognizable Tacoma names such as Stocklist Goods, Tacoma Knife Sharpening & Mercantile, Tacoma Design Co., Tinkertopia and T-Shirt Men.

The program is intended for artists and makers who sell their work, owners of creative microbusinesses and Tacoma entrepreneurs who want their companies to contribute something meaningful to the community. Admission is competitive and the number of available seats is limited.

Applications close at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, September 27. The Fall 2026 cohort begins October 27.

Review the program requirements and apply through Spaceworks Tacoma here.