Drawing on examples from the tech and startup sectors, IUCN developed the idea of an incubator to identify and nurture ideas coming from protected and conservation area managers and stakeholders who lack the knowledge, resources, or professional contacts to make them a reality: the IUCN Incubator for Nature Conservation (INC). The objective of the present document is to pull together the key lessons, examples and resources generated through the INC pilot projects to inform future conservation finance projects and help bridge the gap between conservation and investment.