If you’ve been around Koa recently or are reading Innovation Economy, you may have noticed that we’re bursting at the seams. The Start-Up Club took off, and we have more founders looking for space than we know what to do with. In the last two months, our founding club members Recorded Future, Resurety, Matter.io and Data-Tamer have grown so fast and demand from others has been so strong that we’ve decide to expand our operations in partnership with Hugo Van Vuuren and Halah AlQahtani of the Harvard Experiment Fund.
In keeping with our operating philosophy of providing places for founders to build great companies along the Red Line, we’re opening a new space around the block from our current digs. Located on the second floor of 66 Church Street, it’s right above the Market in the Square ― which is open 24 hours a day to help fuel the late nights our companies put in. I’m psyched to have some great companies joining us, including pushpage, OmniLync, Main Street Partners, Data-Tamer, Proximate and Fetchnotes.
My friend Hugo at Harvard’s Experiment Fund is helping us to design the space, bring in great Founders, and connect Koa with the immense intellectual capital at Harvard. I’m pumped to be creating an awesome space with him and the X-Fund so close to the ivy-gilded walls of Harvard. Harvard has evinced a long term commitment towards support entrepreneurism and this partnership is a great step towards building a Founder’s Culture in the Square.
There is no better place in the world to build a great, independent company than Cambridge. Koa and the X-Fund are going to provide a great complement to spaces like the CIC and structured incubators like Techstars and MassChallenge. As the huge demand for space shows, this is the best time in nearly two decades to start companies and I’m thrilled to do my part to help.
JR hard at work in the Data-Tamer arena
You may know I’m a bit of a rugby maniac. I’m affectionately nicknaming the space on the 6th floor of College House “Kiwi” after my favorite rugby team in the world, the New Zealand All-Blacks. The new space has earned the nickname “Springbok” after South Africa’s tremendous rugby team ― respecting Hugo’s home country.
Dedicated desks currently rent for $600 each, but cheaper part time and user agnostic desks are coming soon!
Make sure to drop by the Start-Up Common Room to hang out with us. Don’t forget to follow this blog and check out our Facebook page to stay up to date on the great Founders at Koa!
For more info, email Kelsey.cole@koalab.com
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