The criteria for entry as a student business into the Couri Hatchery are as follows:

• The students are undergraduate or graduate students at Syracuse University, interested in starting a company.
• The student business meets the definition and qualifications of an innovative and entrepreneurial business venture. The product or service should be based on new technologies or innovative concepts and should seek to develop a proprietary position.
• The student business has a business plan. If the student business does not have a business plan, the student business has a feasible business concept. The student business must complete and submit a business plan within six months of residency.
• The entrepreneur should demonstrate a strong desire to obtain adequate business or technical education, or business experience, to exploit the business opportunity. The entrepreneur must exhibit integrity, dedication, and commitment.
• The student business should graduate from the incubator within a maximum of two years.
• The student business should create jobs that contribute to Syracuse's and the region's economic development.