Pittsburgh-based Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute is the first company to announce it will move into the St. Petersburg, Florida-based ARK Innovation Center.
The center is expected to open in mid-December, with signed companies moving in before then. ARM will work out of the space, but the established business won't be a part of the business accelerator program.
ARM Institute opened an office in St. Petersburg at the Tampa Bay Innovation Center in 2022. It develops and supports robotic technologies, skills and workforces to support U.S. manufacturing. It works with a national consortium of more than 360 member organizations and is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The space has yet to announce the other accepted companies that will be at the new center.
Suzy Teele, chief strategy officer of the ARM Institute, said it's "just getting started" on its mission to leverage Florida's manufacturing potential. The move to ARK is a way to further that mission.
"It seemed like the right thing to do," Teele said. "It's got capabilities that we'll be able to leverage, such as being able to hold advanced manufacturing conferences in that space."
It helps the institute grow its regional partnerships and is a newer, functional building for its high-tech needs. Cathie Wood, a prominent investor whose firm is the building's namesake, and her interest in robotics and advanced technologies align with the work ARM wants to accomplish. ARM may eventually house some robots in the space, too, Teele said.
The organization plans to continue learning about Florida manufacturing and the Tampa Bay area. It's excited for what the move will establish, she said.
"I could have chosen to go anywhere, but I did choose to continue to work there and to work with Tonya [Elmore] and her team to look for opportunities where we have our own mutual interest, which is in advanced technologies like robotics and AI," Teele said. "I definitely look at this as a partnership with Tonya."
Applications for the ARK Innovation Center program and spaces remain open, said Tonya Elmore, the president and CEO of Tampa Bay Innovation Center.
The building has around 40 office spaces and the availability to host more than 75 companies, Elmore said. Some clients from the Tampa Bay Innovation Center may transfer over, and ARK wants to have tech startups in the Internet of Things, energy, fintech, artificial intelligence and blockchain. Tampa Bay Innovation Center is in charge of negotiating and executing licenses, occupancy agreements and subleases for the center, according to previous reporting.
The 45,000-square-foot center is a combined workspace and business incubator. It will have a 200-person event space, a 2,000-square-foot prototyping lab, a virtual reality studio, two classrooms, conference rooms and a working space.
The center's accelerator program is a partnership between the city, Pinellas County, the Tampa Bay Innovation Center and the U.S. Economic Development Administration with a project cost of $15.87 million.
Wood, the founder of Ark Invest, moved the investment firm to the Tampa Bay area in 2021. Wood purchased the naming rights to the center, and Ark will have a presence there.
