Innovate 518 Coworking Day Celebrates Entrepreneurial Drive

ALBANY, N.Y. (August 14, 2017) -- For entrepreneurs, finding an affordable space to bring your business to life isn’t always as simple as setting up in the garage. As social media has ushered in a new level of connectivity, like-minded individuals have joined in by setting up “coworking spaces” – collaborative work environments that provide spaces for people to share equipment, knowledge and ideas.

Innovate 518 is helping to showcase coworking spaces that can be found throughout the Capital Region.

Each year on Aug. 9, individuals and businesses come together to celebrate these spaces that provide a new generation of professionals with the tools to succeed on their own terms.

Here in New York, Innovate 518 is helping to showcase coworking spaces throughout the Capital Region. The collaboration is led by the University at Albany, with support from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Center for Economic Growth.       

Spaces in Albany, Schenectady, Troy and Saratoga opened their doors on Aug. 9, providing an opportunity for professionals to see the benefits of setting up shop in a coworking environment.

“Innovate 518 Coworking Day is a chance for entrepreneurs to share best practices, network and learn in spaces that are designed to foster collaboration,” said Matt Grattan, director of Community and Economic Development at UAlbany.

"Innovate 518 has done a wonderful job bringing together a community of academic and for-profit organizations that have a common goal of supporting our local entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said Jeff Goronkin, CEO of the Electric City Innovation Center. “Flexible office space is a critical necessity in many early stage start-ups as well as access to mentorship, talent and financing.  Connecting with Innovate 518 is one of the best actions an entrepreneur can make."

“Entrepreneurs and business professionals are working differently in the Capital Region and we want more people to come experience it. Troy Innovation Garage is a coworking space where people can collaborate, challenge each other, and be inspired to work better than they ever have before,” said Michelle Schroll, community manager of Troy Innovation Garage. “We're a creative community dedicated to each other’s success.”

“The BizLab is happy to be a part of Innovate518 Coworking Day. There’s a reason incubators, accelerators and coworkings spaces are popping up throughout the Tech Valley region: People do their best work in a thriving, energetic environment. Entrepreneurs want to be around other budding business leaders to bounce ideas off of or collaborate,” said Rick D’Errico, managing director of the New York BizLab in Schenectady. “The simple fact is we need each other to grow as individuals and companies.”

Spaces involved in Innovate 518 Coworking Day included Albany BEAHIVE, Saratoga CoWorks, Electric City Innovation Center, New York BizLab, Troy Innovation Garage, Tech Valley Center of Gravity and IgniteU NY.

Innovate 518: Collaborating to help startups thrive in the Capital Region

Starting a business is never easy, but access to the right tools can help. Innovate 518 is a collaborative effort of incubators, accelerators and entrepreneurial service providers from New York's Capital Region, including Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington counties, working together to turn the region into a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity. Partners share best practices, networking, mentoring, educational and financial resources to better assist startup companies.

Innovate 518 is designated as the Capital Region Innovation Hot Spot, a NYSTAR program enabling program funding and a unique set of tax incentives for companies in their earliest stages. 

For more news, subscribe to UAlbany's RSS headline feeds