PROVIDENCE – The woman who helped transform a historic schoolhouse in Newport into a technology incubator and coworking space has taken the helm of a new collaboration and event space in Providence’s Interstate-195 district.
Tuni Schartner began her position as executive director of Venture Café Providence on Jan. 2. Schartner, who also owns her own business growth advisory firm, recently ended her 18-month contract as director of entrepreneurship and innovation with Innovate Newport.
Venture Café Providence, an extension of the Boston-based nonprofit Venture Café Foundation, is responsible for running an 8,000-square-foot public collaboration and event space called District Hall in the Wexford Science & Technology building at 225 Dyer St. As executive director, Schartner will be responsible for growing District Hall’s programming and events, and fostering partnerships with business leaders throughout the state.
Schartner, who describes herself as “Rhode Island’s economic gardener” emphasized her focus on promoting inclusivity of people and places outside the traditional downtown Providence business community.
She also said the position was a natural next step after the end of her 18-month contract with Innovate Newport, where she led branding and partnership-building for the hybrid incubator-cowork space in Newport.
“We’re all part of the same ecosystem,” Schartner said. “I just want to take whatever strengths and talents and tools I have to help grow the Rhode Island economy.”
Venture Café has Cambridge Innovation Center, a Boston-based coworking chain, to help “activate” the Wexford Science & Technology building. CIC has leased 63,000 square feet of the building for a coworking space, which has attracted more than 50 businesses since the building opened in July, according to Rebecca Webber, CIC Providence general manager. Other tenants in the building include Brown University and Johnson & Johnson, though the latter has not yet moved into its space.
About 62,000 square feet – the entire sixth and seventh floors – are still vacant and actively being marketed to interested companies, according to the development company.
In addition to running her own business advisory firm, Schartner also serves as co-founder and director of The Hive RI, a coworking facility and art gallery, and continues to run the community-based economic development initiative for The Mill at Lafayette in North Kingstown.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Lavin@PBN.com.
