Social Enterprise Incubator and Coworking Space to Open in Hartford
Catherine Smith, Commissioner of DECD, to welcome attendees
reSET, the Social Enterprise Trust, will officially open a business incubator and co-working space at 99 Pratt Street, Suite 200, in Hartford at an opening reception and ribbon cutting on Thursday, June 27, 2013 from 5 to 7 pm.
Social enterprises are organizations that use the free market to create positive social impact. reSET Social Enterprise Trust is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote, preserve and protect social enterprise and to help entrepreneurs leverage the power of business to create public good.
According to reSET CEO Kate Emery, “The incubator space in downtown Hartford is the result of years of dreaming and planning, and we are thrilled that it is poised to become the vibrant, collaborative, co-working space we envisioned.” Entrepreneurs ? both social enterprises and other businesses ? can work alongside one another and access administrative, legal, marketing, technical and financial services. The incubator will also offer professional development and business support programs, high-speed wi fi and flexible work space. The incubator is seeking to build a culture which is productive and which supports innovation.
Among the first occupants of 99 Pratt Street will be graduates of reSET’s first Social Enterprise Accelerator Program, an intensive ten-week educational program that helped nascent social entrepreneurs refine their business models and strengthen their companies.
Both the incubator space and the Social Enterprise Accelerator Program have received generous funding from private and public supporters. Major supporters include Boehringer-Ingelheim, a worldwide research and pharmaceutical company with offices in Ridgefield, CT; The Walker Group, an information technology consulting firm in Farmington, CT; and CT Next, a statewide network dedicated to strengthening Connecticut’s entrepreneurial community. Claire Leonardi, Chief Executive Officer of Connecticut Innovations, which has invested in reSET through CT Next, said “We are excited to see this space come on line to help social enterprises start and grow. This effort brings together not just space, but provides extensive business building expertise. This is a long term effort driven by reSet that we are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to support.”
reSET’s strategic goal is to establish Connecticut as a national leader in social enterprise. This is a growing approach to doing business that allows entrepreneurs to generate profits and create new jobs, while at the same time solving community problems. By helping entrepreneurs leverage the power of the free market to create social good, new business models are cropping up all over the state that create jobs and solve social problems without burdening the taxpayer. Creating a place where innovation lives in down Hartford is an important step in establishing social enterprise within Connecticut.
A number of successful social enterprises already operate in Connecticut, including Newman’s Own, which donates all of its after-tax profits to charitable causes; the Firebox Restaurant in Hartford, which uses its operational funding to train community residents for jobs in the restaurant industry, which helps community residents develop skills in food service and hospitality. The Firebox reinvests its profits in community development initiatives. The Walker Group, an information technology firm, designates a hefty portion of its profits to Social Enterprise Trust.
Social entrepreneurs, prospective entrepreneurs, and other businesses interested in learning more about the space are welcome to attend the opening, or may call the incubator at 860-560-9120.
Contact Information:
Joanne Donaghue
Director of Development
Phone: 860-560-9120
jdonaghue@www.socialenterprisetrust.org
