The 天美影视传媒 (UW) plans to convert a small section of the UDistrict into a 鈥渟tartup hub鈥� that will help connect UW research activity with the entrepreneurial talent who can help commercialize it. The effort will begin with just one floor of Condon Hall 鈥� the old law school, which currently houses departments displaced by other campus construction 鈥� but will expand if there is demand. The ground floor will be transformed into an open meeting area, or 鈥渕ixing chamber,鈥� where University-based entrepreneurs can connect and collaborate with the startup community, including startups that don鈥檛 necessarily have a connection to the UW. The third floor may eventually be converted into space for startups. So far, TechStars, Founder鈥檚 Co-op, and UP Global (formerly Startup Weekend) are considering taking space on the second floor starting next July.
The Office of Planning & Budgeting and the Office of the University Architect are working on this and other UDistrict planning efforts. To read more about this project, see the 听by GeekWire. For more information about UDistrict planning as a whole, see the recent Seattle Times 听and visit the U District Livability Partnership .