New venture studio to fuel tech talent at HqO, 16 Tech’s Innovation Hub
INDIANAPOLIS – NEXT Studios, Indiana’s newest venture studio and corporate innovation partner, announced a partnership to become the first venture studio located in the 16 Tech Innovation District in downtown Indianapolis.
“As Indiana’s newest and most exciting technology center, it’s natural that Indiana’s newest venture studio would choose to call 16 Tech home,” said John McDonald, managing entrepreneur of NEXT Studios. “We look forward to partnering with 16 Tech and 1776 in creating programs and experiences for our corporate innovation partners and portfolio startup companies alike to meet, make and innovate.”
Founded by four Indiana entrepreneurs with extensive experience in technology, NEXT Studios operates from co-working spaces across Indiana. The Studio will enable visionaries from around the state to develop their ideas and fuel them with talent and capital in their own local communities. NEXT Studios’ home base for statewide Studio operations will be located in the incubator space managed by 1776 and located at HqO, the innovation hub in the heart of the 16 Tech Innovation District.
“We are thrilled that the NEXT Studios team has decided to be part of HqO, 16 Tech’s innovation hub,” said Bob Coy, president and CEO of the 16 Tech Community Corporation. “Their experience and repeatable process will add an incredibly powerful engine to the creation of new startups and corporate innovation in the 16 Tech Innovation District.”
As a Benefits (B) Corporation, the Studio will use a portion of the proceeds from operations to reduce or eliminate Studio costs for startup companies. NEXT Studios will open its office at the same time as the opening of the HqO, slated for early 2021.
To learn more about NEXT Studios, visit the website at next-studios.org or contact Shelley Klingerman, managing entrepreneur, at shelley@next-studios.org.
About NEXT Studios
Founded in 2020, NEXT Studios is a venture studio that is a partnership of experienced entrepreneurs, including Joseph Cudby, Tom Kilcoyne, Shelley Klingerman and John McDonald, who help visionaries share their ideas, craft them through a repeatable process, and move them forward with capital and talent. The studio will work with entrepreneurs across the state to move their ideas into products and their products into companies. The studio will use a proven process to reduce the risk for investors and encourage more local investors to get involved in our local innovation economy.
About 16 Tech
The 16 Tech Innovation District is one of the largest talent attraction, retention and development opportunities in Indianapolis’s history. Located in downtown Indianapolis, 16 Tech leverages its proximity to top academic, corporate, and healthcare institutions—and a growing network of spaces, programs, and talent—to foster the cross-industry convergence and collaboration that make world-changing innovation possible. The nonprofit 16 Tech Community Corporation oversees the development of the district and ensures benefits of economic growth, new investment and job creation extend to nearby neighborhoods as well as the city, the region and the state. More information can be found at www.16tech.com.
About 1776
1776 is the nation’s largest network of business incubators that cultivates and empowers companies and entrepreneurs to fuel innovation and growth. 1776 transforms markets by curating communities of entrepreneurs and enterprises in flexible work environments. Our members gain access to a dynamic network and focused programming to provide the knowledge and resources necessary to spur innovation and solve complex challenges. With eight campuses across five states, 1776 is the nation’s largest network of incubators. For more information, please visit http://www.1776.vc and follow @1776 on Twitter and @1776vc on Instagram.
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Media Contacts:
Jennifer Chan, Porch Light PR
317.490.3770; jennifer@porchlightpr.com
Jacqueline Cromleigh Eckhardt, 16 Tech Community Corporation
614.390.9210; jeckhardt@16tech.com