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The Big One: Workbox moves HQ to Chicago tech's 'center of gravity'
Flexible workspace provider Workbox is moving to Fulton Market.
After adding a 65,000-square-foot lease at 220 N. Green St. in a former WeWork space, the coworking space operator has decided to make the Fulton Market location its base of operations moving forward. Workbox now has 10 locations nationally, including six in Chicago.
"The amount of new company formations, the types of companies coming to Fulton Market and all of the tech talent in the neighborhood has created a center of gravity for new and growing companies," John Wallace, co-founder and CEO of Workbox, told Chicago Inno.
Workbox, which raised $17.5 million in Series A funding in June, focuses on small, early and growth-stage businesses for its portfolio.
READ MORE: Why Workbox is moving its headquarters to Fulton Market
What else you need to know
- Local startup Syenex was among four finalists at the BioTools Innovator, an accelerator focused on life-science tools. The program received more than 300 applications from around the world.
- U.P. Oncolytics, a company formed out of Rosalind Franklin University's biomedical incubator, received federal funding this week to help treat a deadly form of brain cancer.
Matter launches first accelerator as part of DHS program
Local health care incubator Matter announced this week that it is launching the first accelerator for the Paratus Digital Health Hub, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
BARDA, an office in HHS' Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, looks to ensure the nation has emergency medical countermeasures necessary to respond to health security threats. As the digital health hub in the BARDA Accelerator Network, Paratus, operated by Matter, will focus on developing digital health solutions to help the nation prepare and respond to health security threats and to improve the continuum of clinical care.
Areas of focus will include tools that enhance preparedness to public health emergencies due to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents, pandemic influenza, and emerging infectious diseases.
Applications for the first accelerator are now open and will close on Nov. 22.
Chicago Business Journal names its Women of Influence
Women featured in the Chicago Business Journal's Women of Influence this year represent a cross-section of industries in the city, including health care, finance, real estate and construction. These 10 executives also are active in their communities and with charitable endeavors, showcasing their influence away from their offices.
Among the honorees are a few that are sparking new innovation in Chicago's tech scene, including Hayes Ferguson, director of the Northwestern University Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Amy Rosenow, co-founder and chief financial officer of The Josephine Collective.
READ MORE: Chicago Business Journal announces 2024 Women of Influence
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