Grand Rapids Collaborative, or coLab for short, recently finished renovations on the third floor of the Leonard building at 38 W. Fulton.
The building, formerly known as the Grand Rapids Tech Hub, features a wide variety of benefits including a shared kitchen, broadband Internet, coffee delivery from San Chez, a parking space, and a common space that encourages "startup" camaraderie.
Erik Hall says the coLab provides a unique opportunity for their tenants.
"First thing, we are focused on startups and small businesses. An issue with real estate is that it can be difficult to enter into a lease. We are very flexible with short-term leases. Within the building, you can start in
The Factory, incubate the business, then graduate into the smaller offices. As the business grows, you then can move into larger spaces."
After the renovations, the third floor features 15 office spaces and five conference rooms. The tenants include several businesses recently profiled by Rapid Growth, including
Open Device Lab, Ambassador, and
Huron River Ventures. The fourth floor of the building includes The Factory and
Universal Mind. Moving forward, the second floor of the coLab remains a possibility for development.
According to Hall, the name change is mostly about differentiating the building from other initiatives using "hub" in their name. It also plays off the popular
"coLearning" technology and programming classes being offered at The Factory.
To learn more about the Grand Rapids Collaborative, you can view their site
here.
Source: Erik Hall, Grand Rapids Collaborative
Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor
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