INDIANAPOLIS (May 19, 2016) – The Speak Easy, a member based non-profit organization that brings established businesses and entrepreneurs together in the spirit of growth and acceleration, today announced it will open a second, downtown location this summer with founding partners Butler University, Bruce A. Bodner Company, Inc., and Nextech.
The Speak Easy Downtown will be located within the Mile Square in the historical Morrison Opera House building at 47 S. Meridian St. Its doors are scheduled to open September 2016.
Founded in 2011, The Speak Easy has graduated over 170 new companies from its Broad Ripple location. The approximately 300 active members of The Speak Easy range in size from small to medium sized locally owned businesses, to high-growth startups and established enterprise companies.
“When you look at research surrounding innovation hubs throughout the country, you find the most successful ones involve partnerships across multiple organizations with differing backgrounds,” said The Speak Easy Executive Director Danielle McDowell. “We want to accelerate the growth of these companies by convening the right players in our community – like Butler, Bodner, and Nextech – to set The Speak Easy apart as an institution for collaboration, not just business incubation.”
Like its Broad Ripple location, the Speak Easy Downtown will provide an inspirational and collaborative environment for entrepreneurs; however, it’s strategic focus will extend beyond early-stage companies and offer resources and programs to fuel the success of companies in the growing and scaling stages. In addition, with founding partners Nextech and Butler, the focus will expand beyond the current community of entrepreneurs to also include Indy’s next generation of innovators and business leaders.
“Thanks to our partners, the Speak Easy Downtown will be a hub of mentorship and critical business resources such as education, funding, and talent,” added Andy Clark, Board Chairman and co-founder of The Speak Easy. “This project is about serving our community of entrepreneurs by giving them the space and the resources to grow.”
The new location will offer co-working concepts, reservable desks, and small-office micro leasing. In collaboration with founding partners, the space will include programming, education opportunities, and exposure to collaboration resources needed to accelerate business.
“Butler University is passionate about innovation and community,” said Butler President James M. Danko. “This new partnership with the Speak Easy Downtown will allow us to further our support of Central Indiana businesses and entrepreneurs, while also providing exceptional opportunities for our students, faculty, and alumni to connect and collaborate.”
“The opening of The Speak Easy Downtown is a huge win for Indy and entrepreneurs throughout our city,” said Scott Dorsey, High Alpha Managing Partner and Nextech Board Chairman. “I am particularly thrilled about the Morrison Opera Place location, as this amazing building served as ExactTarget’s home from 2002 to 2005. It seems perfectly fitting that Nextech (the former ExactTarget Foundation) is helping to get this important initiative off the ground.”
“In our quest to fuel the next generation of tech pioneers, Nextech seeks every opportunity to connect today’s K-12 students to Indianapolis’ thriving tech community,” said Nextech President Karen Jung. “Place is such a critical piece of the equation. Joining forces with The Speak Easy and Butler provides the perfect environment to spark students interest in technology and provide ample opportunity for meaningful interactions and workplace experiences.”
“It’s a goal of our organization to serve the community as well as the client. That’s why we’re so pleased to be involved with the Speak Easy Downtown,” said Bruce Bodner, CEO of Bruce A. Bodner Company, Inc. “A flexible and professional workspace for entrepreneurs is critical. It not only represents the organizations within it and their talented people, but also the city of Indianapolis. We’re excited to be a part of the future of our city by fostering this unique ecosystem.”
The Speak Easy was founded in 2011 with a mission to cultivate the healthiest entrepreneurial ecosystem, anywhere. Since openings its doors to the Indianapolis community five years ago, it has brought together active and engaged entrepreneurs at every stage of business.
For more information on the Speak Easy, visit https://www.speakeasyindy.com/.
###
About the Speak Easy
Founded in 2011, the Speak Easy is an independent 501(c)3 member based non-profit organization that brings established businesses and entrepreneurs together in the spirit of growth and acceleration. With a location in South Broad Ripple and another within the Mile Square in downtown Indianapolis, the Speak Easy is the first collaborative workspace for entrepreneurs in Central Indiana. To learn more, visit https://www.speakeasyindy.com/.
About Butler University
Butler is a nationally recognized comprehensive university encompassing six colleges: Arts, Business, Communication, Education, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Together, these colleges offer more than 60 undergraduate areas of study, eight pre-professional programs, and 19 graduate programs. Around 4,700 students are enrolled at Butler, representing 45 states and 49 countries. Ninety-five percent of Butler students will have participated in some form of internship, student teaching, clinical rotation, research, or service learning by the time they graduate. This community-centered immersion is coupled with classroom learning that nurtures critical thinking, effective communication, cooperative teamwork, and ethical decision making to prepare students for both professional success and to have lasting impact in their communities.
About Nextech
Founded in 2011 as the ExactTarget Foundation, Nextech is nonprofit dedicated to narrowing the widening gap between computer-related jobs and the number of high school graduates pursuing them. By connecting educators, nonprofits and entrepreneurs, Nextech delivers educational programs and work-based learning experiences to inspire and enable students needed to fuel Central Indiana’s next generation of tech leaders. Nextech is a supporting organization of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, a $720 million public foundation. The relationship enables Nextech to provide additional technology-related resources to schools, students and communities while supporting CICF initiatives to improve educational attainment and self-sufficiency. For more information, visit www.nextech.org.
