NEWPORT – RIHub, a Providence-based nonprofit startup support organization, is expanding its footprint southward, offering entrepreneurs in Aquidneck Island and the South County area their own entrepreneurial center in Newport.
On Thursday the organization will celebrate the grand opening of its new location at Innovate Newport’s 513 Broadway space with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. RIHub and Innovate Newport will be joined by Social Enterprise Greenhouse, another Providence-based startup support organization that also has a hub at Innovate Newport.
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The event will feature a networking opportunity and a “fireside chat” called “Network with the Gamechangers” with entrepreneur, artist and storyteller Aaron Samuels, who is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Blavity, a digital community for Black millennials, and Nick Cianfaglione, founder of Artist Republik, a music management and promotion company in Providence.
As part of the CIC Providence community on Dyer Street, RIHub is located at “the center of gravity for all entrepreneurship in Providence and the northern part of the state,” said RIHub Managing Director Annette Tonti.
The new Newport location will bring all services offered at RIHub’s Providence hub to another important entrepreneurial launchpad in Rhode Island, Tonti said.
“For us, it’s extremely important that we are accessible to all entrepreneurs across the state,” Tonti said. “RIHub is all about high-potential growth startups, and we know Newport and the South County area are extremely rich with interesting startups, especially in the growing area of ocean and marine technology.”
RIHub, which works with more than 250 startups throughout the state, offers resources such as a venture mentoring service, which pairs startups with leading industry professionals at no cost, and an incubator program offering mentoring and six months of free office space within RIHub.
Innovate Newport has already created “a central place for entrepreneurs to gather in Newport and the South County area,” Tonti said, “and we believe that that area of the state will continue to grow a great deal.”
Innovate Newport will also play a central role in hosting RIHub’s second annual startup week in October, Tonti said.
RIHub was attracted to the location for its proximity to the University of Rhode Island, Salve Regina University and an upcoming 401 Tech Bridge campus in Portsmouth, Tonti said. The location is also close to various robotics, aquaculture and other blue technology businesses.
The April 7 event includes opportunities to meet tenants of the hub, networking time and access to resources from business support organizations. Exhibitors include: The Business Development Co., MassChallenge, Blue Institute, Rhode Island Small Business Development Center, the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, Multicultural Innovation Center, Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce, Social Enterprise Greenhouse and R.I. Commerce Corp.
Innovate Newport, launched in 2019, is a collaboration between the city of Newport, Newport County Development Council and the Economic Development Foundation of Rhode Island.
PBN contributing writer Susan Shalhoub added to this report.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. She can be reached at Voghel@PBN.com.
