Collective CT - 2026/2027 Information Session
Collective CT Information Session
Hosted by the Cultural Innovation Lab at Yale
Monday, November 17, 2025 | 12:00–1:00 PM | Zoom
Collective CT is a statewide accelerator for non-profit theaters across Connecticut, designed to help transform creative ideas into sustainable ventures. Developed by the Cultural Innovation Lab at Yale in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and MOC Innovations, the program adapts the proven infrastructure of STEM-based accelerators—like Techstars and Y Combinator—to the cultural sector. The goal is simple: to give artists and institutions the same level of entrepreneurial support, financial literacy, and structural resources that have long powered innovation in science and technology.
Over an eight-month process (September–May), selected theaters and projects receive mentorship from Yale faculty and national experts, legal and financial scaffolding for intellectual property protection, mental health and leadership resources, and the opportunity to present at the Yale Innovation Summit, where participants can pitch for both grants and investment capital.
Our beachhead partnership with DECD centers theater because of Connecticut's incredible history of incubating large scale global brands like Annie and Hamilton right here from our local non-profit theaters. We are piloting a model that helps institutionalize the practices that made these brands global successes.
Collective CT helps theaters and creators build the next generation of cultural IP. Each cohort develops a “minimum viable product” (MVP), such as a workshop production, digital platform, or new business model, supported across five pillars: Mental Health (Dr. Amber Childs), Financial Health (Integrity Solutions Group), Purpose & Leadership (Life Worth Living), Capital Solutions (MOC Innovations), and Digital Strategy (BuskerAI).
Join us on November 17 from 12–1 PM on Zoom to learn how your theater can participate in the next Collective CT cohort launching in Fall 2026, access funding and institutional resources, and help build a more sustainable, innovation-driven cultural economy for Connecticut.