After Two Years, St. Louis’ T-Rex Gets Even Bigger

T-Rex, St. Louis startups, startup space

Tyrannosaurus Rex is undisputably one of the biggest dinosaurs in the world. So naturally, St. Louis’ startup hub and incubator, called T-Rex, is just as large.

The T-Rex space in downtown St. Louis already houses 70 startups, five funding and mentoring groups, including the 630 Accelerator, as well as space for entrepreneurial and startup focused events. We’ve covered T-Rex startups quite a bit here at Nibletz.

Now, as the space celebrates its second year and milestones like growing from 6 startups to 70 startups, they’re naturally ready for a big expansion. On Tuesday they announced that they would be acquiring the Lammert Building at 911 Washington Avenue, also in downtown St. Louis, giving them a whopping 160,000 square feet for startup and entrepreneurial greatness.

“Our move to the Lammert Building will provide us with 160,000 sq/ft of space, which we need to continue fostering St. Louis’ entrepreneurial activity and bring more startups to the area,” said Jay De Long, Vice President of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and T-REX Board Member. “A more permanent home will also give us a focal point for new activities that were described in the recent Regional Entrepreneur Initiative.”

“The building will provide opportunities for us to deepen and broaden our mission, which will include a strong focus on digital design,” said Kevin Farrell, Senior Director of Economic Housing and Development for the Partnership of Downtown St. Louis.

As a sponsored project of the City of St. Louis, the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis, and the St. Louis Regional Chamber, T-REX was able to fund its acquisition and renovation of the Lammert Building through a variety of partnerships.

The funding support includes New Markets Tax Credits allocated by St. Louis Development Corporation, which raised a $1.7 million investment by St. Louis-based U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation. The New Markets Tax Credits financing enabled T-REX to acquire the building and maintain its ability to provide stable, low-cost, and flexible membership to startup companies. These funds will also provide initial funding for tenant improvements.

“Many non-profits and incubators operate with a debt that hinders or slowly kills their mission,” said Joe Reagan, President & CEO of the St. Louis Regional Chamber. “Similar to the first round of a capital campaign, these tax credits enable T-REX to grow expeditiously and still fulfill its purpose of providing below market-rate space and services to startup companies.”

“T-REX is a game-changer in attracting entrepreneurs to the downtown St. Louis region,” said Otis Williams, Executive Director of the St. Louis Development Corporation. “Because we think that T-REX is a great approach to business development in our area, we have been supportive of its mission with creative financing opportunities, and we’ll continue to support it in the future.”

They plan on starting renovation on the building immediately and plan to move into the building in early 2014.

Find out more about T-Rex here.

T-rex image at top: rickety.us

Durham North Carolina Gets More Space For Startups

American Underground, Durham startups,startup space,startup accelerator,NC startupsThe Research Triangle in North Carolina, consisting of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill has always been a hotbed for technology. Over the past few years, tech startups have started to spread like wildfire in the region. Now a new startup hub and accelerator in the American Tobacco Historic District of Durham is adding to that growth.

American Underground, will offer another 22,000 square feet of space for up to 50 new startups in the Research Triangle Region, according to wral.com.  The space is formally called Underground@Main Street. 15 startups have already committed to moving into the space which will occupy 2 floors of the Self-Help Credit Union Building. They expect to open their doors in April.

The space is operated by Capitol Broadcasting which owns media holdings across the east coast including WRAL.  Capitol Broadcasting has been supporting the regions startup and entrepreneurial community with investments and now this space. They also own the American Tobacco Historic District where the new space will be housed.

“The Underground is full with a growing wait list,” Adam Klein Chief Strategist for American Underground said to WRAL. “We see the strongest demand coming for smaller private offices, which is one of the reasons we are expanding to Main Street.”

“Capitol Broadcasting believes its success is tied to the success of the communities in which it operates,” he told WRAL News. “We see the growth of the startup community as essential to the development of a talented, creative workforce that will lead this region for the next 50 years. Our investment in the Underground allows CBC to nurture and support the transformative and disruptive technologies that will create a new and bold future for the Triangle.”

The Durham area alone has seen startups increase from 30 in 2010 to over 80 now. The new accelerator will allow Capitol Broadcasting and the leaders of the Durham startup community to better serve companies at their earliest stages.

Capitol Broadcasting isn’t alone in this endeavor. NC IDEA, the Self Help Credit Union. Research Triangle Foundation, and Bandwidth.com have all partnered with Capitol to open the new space. Bandwidth.com will be providing tenants of the space with internet.

Here are the startups committed to the space already:

  • ArchiveSocial, a social media archiving firm
  • Green Plus, which focuses on sustainable development
  • HaitiHub, an online learning site for Haitian Creole
  • iKlaro, a mobile marketing technology company
  • Impulsonic, a developer of sound simulation software
  • Mint Market, which focuses on local food purchasing for restaurants
  • Pluribus, which is developing security software for mobile payments
  • PlusDelta Technologies, a pharmacy technology company
  • Privateer Digital, a social media firm
  • SalesTags, a software developer for jobs and careers
  • Song Backer, a web-based venue for musicians
  • Sqord, which focuses on games and increased activity for children
  • StartupSpot, a company focused on helping startups find financing
  • SyncHear, which is developing technology to deliver audio to smartphones in environments such as bars and restaurants from TVs
  • Thryv, an online site to track and share fitness

Linkage:

Check out the American Underground here

Here are more startup stories from North Carolina

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