San Francisco, September 25 An incubator for entrepreneurs flying colours of Nasdaq opened in San Francisco on Thursday, promising to strengthen ties between Silicon Valley start-ups and the electronic exchange. The non-profit Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Centre billed its mission as being a hub where entrepreneurs from all industries can learn to build successful businesses and connect with experts, mentors, backers and more. Centre Executive Director Nicola Corzine described it as ‘a landing spot for founders, where they can learn from each other as they move their start-ups through the different challenges and growth stages of the entrepreneurial journey’. The 13,000 square foot (1,200 square metre) facility offers free education and training along with mentorship programmes created in partnership with the Nasdaq exchange, businesses, and academic institutions, according to the centre. The centre has the potential to help Nasdaq become the preferred exchange where hot start-ups go public with offerings of stock. “Today’s launch, which coincides with Nasdaq’s 25th anniversary in the Bay Area, opens the doors to opportunities for entrepreneurs to connect with Nasdaq’s network of innovative listed companies and their leaders,” said Nasdaq Vice Chairman Bruce Aust, president of the centre. San Francisco and Silicon Valley are home to a broad array of accelerators intended to be supportive campuses for start-ups, and spots where established companies and investors can get early looks at potentially hot innovations. The Nasdaq competes with the New York Stock Exchange to be the place where tech companies put their stock on the market. Nasdaq’s reputation took a hit in early 2012 when technical problems caused trouble with the high-profile initial public offering of Facebook shares.