WAYNE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Evolve IP, one of the nation’s leading cloud services companies, officially announced it is establishing an Innovation Center. Located in Chester County, Pa., the Innovation Center at Evolve IP will aid startups by providing low-cost, highly flexible facilities that include professional office space, redundant high-speed gigabit fiber Internet access, cloud computing services, and more. The facility will focus on helping early-stage technology, smart energy, non-lab biotechnology, and life sciences startups initiate or accelerate their growth with technology solutions and economic drivers.
Located in Chester County’s Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ), the Innovation Center at Evolve IP was developed in partnership with the Chester County Economic Development Council’s Ideas x Innovation Network (i2n) and GPX Realty Partners, owner and manager of the Evolve IP Corporate Center. GPX Realty Partners is offering space to qualified tenants in order to facilitate the growth of the Innovation Center and the businesses of its occupants.
Startups that lease space within the Innovation Center will be eligible for i2n resources, including access to up to $100,000 in KIZ tax credits each year, which can be used by the tenant or sold for cash; assistance with facilitating tech transfer and product commercialization; and guidance on potential funding sources, such as local, state, and federal grants and loans; venture capital; and angel financing. Other services, such as training and workforce development; business mentoring by successful companies; legal counsel, insurance, and real estate advice; accounting support; and risk management, are also available.
“We wanted to make the economic benefits of an Innovation Center available in Chester County, place it in a KIZ, and provide our tenants with our award-winning cloud technology solutions,” says Guy Fardone, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager for Evolve IP. “The suburbs are a hotbed of what’s happening out here right now in biotech and tech innovation, with many local companies operating on a national stage. We’re excited that these initiatives will catalyze early-stage companies and benefit our community and regional economy overall. Our space and technology combined with i2n’s resources make this a no-brainer for early-stage and growth companies.”
“As a member of i2n and an early-stage tech company ourselves, we’re excited about the opening of the new Innovation Center and extremely optimistic that it will give this region the boost it needs to fulfill its potential as a major technology hub,” says Jonathan De Jong, President and CEO of SparkNet Technologies. “By providing access to technology, advisors, and other resources, the Innovation Center at Evolve IP will not only help foster the growth of local companies, but it will also attract new businesses to the area—businesses that might otherwise have opted to start up elsewhere. Thanks to Evolve IP, the Chester County Economic Development Council, Evolve IP Corporate Center, and i2n, a major void in this region has been filled.”
The Innovation Center at Evolve IP is conveniently located in Wayne, Pa., at the Evolve IP Corporate Center, with easy access to Interstate 476, Route 202, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and Interstate 76, heading straight into Center City Philadelphia. The office space is being provided by GPX Realty Partners. Initially, the company will be offering 10,000 square feet of space, with upwards of 100,000 square feet available. Offices are available ranging from 120-square-feet to 4,000-square-feet suites. The Innovation Center at Evolve IP already has several tenants signed.
“The Innovation Center at Evolve IP is great for the region,” says Mary Fuchs, i2n Co-Director. “It provides the upcoming generation of tech innovators with a high-tech IT infrastructure in a key location and access to all of the resources available throughout the region for emerging growth companies.”
ABOUT EVOLVE IP
Evolve IP, The Cloud Services Company™, offers businesses a better way to buy and manage their applications, infrastructure, and security solutions. Evolve IP helps organizations outsource technologies that are not within the budget, skills, or focus of their IT resources. Evolve IP customers upgrade their legacy environment without capital expense; accomplish more with enhanced features; increase stability and control with an award-winning portal; and reduce their carbon footprint, which allows them to focus on their core business and reduce costs. More information about Evolve IP is available on the web at http://www.EvolveIP.net.
ABOUT IDEAS X INNOVATION NETWORK
i2n supports emerging growth businesses throughout their entire life cycle by leveraging the assets of academic institutions and other partners to create a network of physical and virtual resources. Situated within the CCEDC, and funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Discovered in PA, Developed in PA program, i2n serves more than 60 companies across Chester County and Delaware County, and involves more than 25 educational institutions, for-profit and non-profit organizations. i2n builds on many of the strategies of the Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) program and, along with the support and direction of its 30-member board, offers a comprehensive package of resources, services and opportunities to emerging growth businesses. For more information, see www.i2npa.org.
ABOUT THE CHESTER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
The Chester County Economic Development Council is a private, non-profit economic development organization that has been nurturing economic growth in Chester County and the surrounding region for more than 50 years. The Council's portfolio of business growth services includes: low-interest financing, small business lending, workforce training, retention and expansion, customized international business assistance, land and building site selection, brownfields consultation and remediation, urban redevelopment, and agricultural economic development. The Council also offers state-of-the-art conference and training facilities at its facility in Eagleview. For more information see: www.cceconomicdevelopment.com
ABOUT GPX REALTY PARTNERS, L.P.
GPX Realty Partners, L.P. is a private real estate investment and advisory firm, focused on the sponsorship, development and management of a diversified portfolio of real estate investments.
Learn more about GPX Realty Partners at www.gpxrealty.com or contact Matt Lukof, Director, at (215) 259-2500.