Creative Incubator announces new building and new ventures
The HuB, a super-incubator for creative minds has announced its new location at 1680 Fruitville Road in the heart of downtown Sarasota, Florida. The building is expected to be completely finished by the end of the year, and will be the largest space the Hub has occupied since its inception in 2007. The addition of several new entrepreneurs and projects have both contributed to the fast growth of the organization.
Until today, we have made it a goal to not reveal what goes on inside the HuB, says founder Rich Swier Jr., "In fact, very few people know exactly what happens behind those walls, but with our expansion we want to open the black box a little and share the exciting things we are working on. "
Although many of the projects within the HuB are still in stealth mode, and can not be revealed, the HuB is proud to announce for the first time some unique projects that are ready to launch.
The most recent project, launched by HuBster David Daly, is an Artificial Intelligence software product that translates audible noises from canines into words. The company has been operating in secret for the past year under the name "Project BowWowWhat?" The company expects to release its first commercial product in early 2013. The company's CEO, David Daly says, "Our vision is to break the silence between Man and Dog. Our product will do for canines, what Twitter did for Egypt."
Another venture recently launched by the HuB is Saratopia, a web series that takes a satirical view of Sarasota, Florida. Produced by new resident and entrepreneur Lucas Colavecchio, Saratopia is already gaining a fan base locally and abroad.
"When we ripped off Portlandia, we had no idea how difficult it would be to write the scripts, so we decided to take old Three's Company and Golden Girl's scripts, change a few words and wing it," said Colavecchio.
The HuB is also announcing the major changes being made to the building. The well known green HuB logo has been installed on the exterior of the building and the interior is being renovated with cutting edge design to enhance its image as a creative space. "I envision the HuB inside to have no straight lines or edges. Every floor and wall will be curved. We don't want anything to prohibit the creative energy from flowing throughout the building. We also have plans to put a shark tank on the first floor, but we're still waiting on the city to approve the permit," said Swier.
Other additions being considered in the new building include a trampoline room, 500 square foot ball pit and a slip 'n slide connecting the 2nd and 3rd Floor. On the 3rd floor is a video and sound studio that will be available as a production facility for videos to be distributed online. Swier says, "We realized that we could never be a full sound-stage, so we decided to take a risk with an up-and-coming platform called YouTube, and see where that takes us."
Construction is estimated to be completed by October 2012. Once finished, HuB will hold a public event as a grand opening. Tickets will be $100 for business professionals, however for college students admission is free.
