COhatch, a Worthington-based coworking company, is partnering with Ohio State University to open a digital design lab and coworking space for students to become immersed in the tech and startup industry in Columbus.
The Digital Flagship Design Lab, slated to open in early 2021, will live inside a new COhatch location that aims to foster education innovation and economic development for the local community.
Ohio State students will gain access to real-world experiences at the lab by working with local businesses and investors. Students will also have access to coding courses, pitch competitions, investor meet and greets and small business workshops. Besides these entrepreneurial and tech resources, COhatch says it also plans to provide scholarships to graduating students.
Construction on the lab is slated to begin this fall at 1581 N. High St., the former site of an Aveda hair salon. At more than 8,000-square-feet, the building will include 25 private offices, and coworking, conference and event space.
"Now more than ever we need to support entrepreneurs, freelancers and small businesses," said Matt Davis, the founder and CEO for COhatch and a graduate of OSU, in a statement. "By collaborating with Ohio State to accelerate innovation and learning opportunities, we can create more authentic and meaningful experiences than we could have offered alone."
The new location in Columbus comes as COhatch expands across Ohio, particularly in the Cincinnati area. The company currently has 20 locations open or under development, mostly in Ohio.
COhatch has plans to open two new spaces in the Cincinnati area in the coming months, one at the Deerfield Towne Center and another in Hyde Park. In the long term, the company plans to open eight more locations in the Queen City.
After briefly closing its spaces in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, COhatch began reopening spaces on May 4. The company will be keeping its spaces safe by utilizing signage, sanitation stands, frequent cleaning and temperature checks.
