After seven years in the IP Building, known as a hub for entrepreneurs, Launch Pad announced it would be moving to 400 Poydras Street in downtown New Orleans.
Launch Pad is the oldest coworking space in New Orleans, even one of the first in the country, and has seen the city’s entrepreneurial community growing and growing over the years. So, why is this a big deal?
“Think about where New Orleans is compared to where we were seven years ago,” shared Chris Schultz, co-founder of Launch Pad. “This is us experiencing a very positive change for New Orleans. The city has grown up.”
In the early days of the IP Building, many tech companies were under one roof such as Carrollton Group, Lucid, and TurboSquid, all of which have since expanded into other buildings across the city.
The Domain Companies, a New Orleans and New York-based development firm, recently announced it would be renovating the top two floors at the Contemporary Arts Center into a shared workspace. The Idea Village, producers of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW), will be moving with them after many years in the IP Building.
“We’ve always had a close collaboration with The Idea Village,” said Schultz. “The market can absolutely support multiple shared workspaces.”
The Idea Village has dubbed their new location at 900 Camp Street the city’s Innovation Corridor and the future home of NOEW. Schultz has spoken with the non-profit about extending the corridor from Lee Circle to Poydras Street to encompass Launch Pad as well.
As far as the timeline, “We need to be able to be nimble and move quickly,” said Schultz. “We’re glad to have a space that we have a lease on and the construction is getting started.” Launch Pad will open the new space in February 2017.