From INSIDE BUSINESS By By SANDRA J. PENNECKE
757 Startup Studios welcomed 12 inaugural tenants on March 29 to its new space in downtown Norfolk’s Assembly building. (Courtesy / HANDOUT)
NORFOLK — A dozen inaugural tenants will take up “residency” on May 15 in the newly opened 757 Startup Studios.
The space, at 400 Granby St. in Norfolk’s Assembly building, is the latest regional innovation and entrepreneurial hub for Hampton Roads’ startups.
757 Angels, the local investor group, and 757 Accelerate, the regional startup growing program, joined forces to create the studios and have offices in Assembly.
Monique Adams, 757 Angels executive director, said in a news release they continue to focus on building an inclusive ecosystem that supports the growth of all founders, including women, people of color, and military vets.
“We are proud that 50% of applicants and 83% of selected tenants for 757 Startup Studios have underrepresented founders on their teams,” Adams said.
According to the release, tenants receive six months of free rent — thanks to funding by TowneBank, Ferguson Venture, Cox Communications and the City of Norfolk. Tenants also have access to programming, mentorship and Assembly’s amenities, which include a rooftop event space, conference room, library, kitchen, mail and game rooms.
Ian Frazier, project manager for 757 Angels and 757 Accelerate, said that if the businesses meet key progress indicators, they can qualify for another six months of free rent.
“After COVID, when we can go full capacity, we’ll have around 24 companies in there, but right now we can only do 12,” Frazier said. “In addition, 757 Accelerate can hold seven companies.”
The selected tenants are:
- Modern Matter, a home fashion brand
- Frontline Gig, a gig work platform that provides workers for maintenance tasks like trash and weed removal
- Magazine Jukebox Inc., a digital magazine rack
- Precise Portions, a nutrition learning system that focuses on portion control and healthy eating
- Global Branding Agency, which focuses on streamlining production for independent apparel brands
- Innovative Warrior Technologies, a defense technology company aimed to advance the safety of the American war fighter
- Mayfair Project, which helps property and casualty insurers settle lawsuits
- Storystorm.co, a one-stop shop for visual storytelling
- 2E1B Lab, an environmental technology company
- CustomerDiscovery, which helps early stage founders build tech-driven products
- Realms, a social engagement platform that supports the eat, live, local initiative
- KarHappy, an app-based car concierge service
757 Startup Studios also houses the new executive director of Techstars, NavalX TechBridge and a representative from the Hampton Roads Biomedical Research Collaborative.
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com
