Howard University has put out the call for someone to run the tech startup incubator it plans on opening in partnership with the D.C. government. Howard sent out an open Request for Proposal this week as the school and the District start working on the renovation of the 6,000 square-foot space in the Wonder Plaza retail center on Georgia Avenue NW.
"There's no short list or anything, it's a completely open call," Joaquin McPeek, the director of communications in the Deputy Mayor's Office for Planning & Economic Development, told DC Inno.
McPeek explained that the city is committing about $1 million to renovating the physical space, which is designed especially for underrepresented entrepreneurs. It will also be open as a host for venture capital firms and relevant organizations approved by the District.
"The mayor is dedicated to diversifying the entrepreneurial environment."
"The mayor is dedicated to diversifying the entrepreneurial environment," McPeek said. "The hub will foster more inclusion to build and capitalize on that goal."
Applications for the job are due Nov. 5, with a decision to be made not long after that. There's no hard date set for when the space will officially open, McPeek said. That will depend on how the renovation and staffing goes, but McPeek said he didn't think it would be hard to fill up the space.
"It's essentially in the District tech corridor, with high traffic and high visibility," McPeek said. "And when we're done renovating it will be move-in ready."
