Representatives of Comcast Corp., District New Haven and sundry public officials were on hand Wednesday morning for a ribbon-cutting marking the opening of the Comcast Business Innovation Lounge at the 470 James St. entrepreneurial campus.
The new facility is a dedicated workspace for technology workers to collaborate and innovate using advanced technology. The lounge affords users access to Comcast’s Xfinity wifi service and a high-definition video wall featuring the company’s Business X1 video service.
The lounge is a feature of the District Innovation & Venture Center, a new 501(c)3 located within the larger District New Haven campus. Its purpose is to provide workforce-development and education programs aimed at enhancing the region’s technology talent pool, which officials say is vital to the area’s business ecosystem.
Comcast representatives said their company had committed nearly $700,000 in cash and in-kind services to the new project. These include a multi-gigabit (Gbps) internet connection; Comcast business VoiceEdge, a hosted cloud-based phone system; Business X1 video service; and Xfinity wifi, which is deployed throughout the District campus.
“As Connecticut’s leader in connectivity and technology, we’re pleased to continue making a commitment and investment in the future of New Haven with the opening of the Comcast Business Innovation Lounge,” said Paul Savas, vice president of Comcast Business for the company’s western New England region. “We believe this space, as well as our technology, will play a critical role in helping District New Haven reach its innovation goals, in addition to providing a meeting place for entrepreneurs and those entering the technology community.”
The new facility will be used both by District tenants and the campus’ on-site educational resources, including the New Haven campus of the San Francisco-headquartered Holberton School, which trains software engineers, and the U of Next, whose mission is to develop literacy and fluency in 21st century skills, both technical and human.
At the Wednesday media event, Mayor Toni N. Harp called New Haven a place “where innovation, collaboration and a willingness to share resources are already popular.” She expressed confidence that the city’s “transition to digital dexterity will help this new technology center reach its full potential.”
And when New Haven State Sen. Martin S. Looney (D-11) called the Elm City “the high technology hub of the state of Connecticut,” not a soul disagreed.
Contact Michael C. Bingham at mbingham@newhavenbiz.com
