HelloStartups, a joint venture that provides space and an ecosystem of services and advisors for teams developing innovative technologies, today announced the opening of its newest location at 68 Willow in Menlo Park. The first such facility in Menlo Park, HelloStartups occupies prime space within walking distance of downtown, 3 minutes away from Caltrain and in an area that has launched many successful Silicon Valley companies and Bay Area cultural icons. “We’ve been working to identify how the City of Menlo Park can foster innovation and nurture dynamic new companies,” said Peter Ohtaki, a member of the Menlo Park City Council. “Through ongoing conversations with business leaders, we successfully marketed Menlo Park as an ideal location for HelloStartups. We’re excited about the innovative incubator philosophy that the company represents. Teaming for success results in a better outcome than the City could have achieved alone.” HelloStartups is a joint venture between BootUp Ventures and SOMA Central, having locations in San Francisco, — and now Menlo Park — houses numerous incubators and startup companies, including foreign startup ventures and incubators dedicated to innovation in specific vertical markets. HelloStartups also provides a range of business services and an ecosystem of advisors who help startups launch, mature, and thrive. “BootUp has developed an ecosystem around startups to help them succeed,” said Mukul Agarwal and Marco ten Vaanholt, Managing Partners of BootUp Ventures. “Partnering with SOMAcentral and choosing Menlo Park for our venture made sense. We’ll have numerous incubators under one roof with one-stop-shop access to business services and the investment community, enabling them to can come together and significantly increase startup success at every stage of their lifecycle.” Ken Thom, managing partner of SOMAcentral, adds; “One example of an incubator in our space is our partnership with Steve Hoffman at FounderSpace. Together, we’re bringing exciting new business models to incubation that the Valley has not seen.” The 23,000-square foot former Willow Garage building that houses HelloStartups is part of a group of properties owned by Greenheart Land Company. Greenheart had invested in the former garage and works closely with the City of Menlo Park to ensure that its real estate investments improve the City and meet community needs. “I knew that this particular building would be of interest to many potential tenants,” said Ron Adachi, a principal at Greenheart. “Whether it’s our new apartments at 777 Hamilton, the transit oriented mixed use development proposed for 1300 El Camino Real, or HelloStartups at 68 Willow — we strive to bring value to Menlo Park.” About HelloStartups HelloStartups is a joint venture between BootUp Ventures, a full-service ecosystem for foreign startups, and SOMAcentral, a company that provides space for teams to create innovative technology. The company provides office space, business services, and access to entrepreneurs and investors to help companies launch, gain momentum, and accelerate performance. SOMAcentral also manages two locations in San Francisco that offer unique access to unmatched creativity, intellectual capital, and the relationships needed to thrive.

• published: 08 Aug 2014
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