August 15, 2015
Entrepreneur Wants to Foster Community Renewal with Co-working Facility
When technology hubs are spoken about, Silicon Valley immediately comes to mind. But Austin, Texas, has become one of the preeminent places for fostering innovation. By launching Urban Co-Lab, a 3,000-square-foot co-working space in East Austin, Natalie Cofield aspires to incubate companies that create sustainable, scalable solutions for education, housing, transportation and other areas of importance to urban communities locally and nationally.
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“By leveraging some of the brightest and most diverse minds in Austin and from throughout the nation, we plan to create disruptive advancements for global communities and the local economy,†says Cofield, 33, the project’s creator who partnered with a number of individuals and organizations to bring Urban Co-Lab to life, including Mission Possible Austin, a faith-based community improvement group; Kerry O’Conner, the chief innovation officer for the City of Austin; Navarrow Wright, founder of the Close the Divide Project; and Jason Towns, director of Code2040 Residency.
BlackEnterprise.com sought Cofield out to learn more about her motivations for the project and why she thinks investors should donate to its Indiegogo campaign.
What is the Urban Co-Lab?
Urban Co-Lab is a co-working space for urban entrepreneurs who have the ability to change our community and the world. We will house startup companies and individuals who work within the technology space. We will provide office space, programming, event space, access to networks, access to markets, and engagement with the community. We also have an extensive advisory board of directors who have agreed to mentor and engage with companies in our community. Our organization will also host entrepreneur-in-residence office hours and other supportive programming to help educate and engage our community. Lastly, we are looking to partner with national or local accelerators and organizations in the area that have a focus on social entrepreneurship.
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