Fargo Startup House opens with a one-of-a-kind model to support and accelerate startups

Fargo Startup House, 721 9th Street North, Fargo (in the Cathedral District), is a brand new initiative that will bring six world-class tech entrepreneurs to Fargo to live and work together as they build innovation-focused businesses.

Fargo Startup House will provide participants with access to nationally recognized mentors, professional services, investors, and business leaders.

Selected participants from across the globe, or across the street, will be given all that the Fargo Startup House offers, including room and board, at no cost other than a commitment to live and work on their businesses full time during their participation in the program.  

The approximate five-week application process began July 2 and ends July 31st. The first class of startup participants is expected to move in to the house on September 1, 2014. Participants will be selected based on their talent and skills, as well as on the expected impact their business will have on the world. The program will include an initial residency of six months that can be extended for an additional six month if adequate progress is demonstrated. Fargo Startup House is partnering with international creative firm, Misfit, Inc., to reach a global audience in the application process.

"The Fargo Startup House is an attempt to accelerate both the number of early-stage, fast growth, innovation driven startups based in Fargo-Moorhead, and the pace at which those startups can succeed in having an impact on the world," said Miguel Danielson, Founder, Fargo Startup House.

The Fargo Startup House stands as the latest in a series of developments toward cultivating and strengthening the region's startup community.

"This opportunity represents one of the first accelerator-type concepts in the Fargo Moorhead region. Coupled with the recent coworking announcement by CoCo and other entrepreneurial endeavors, the Fargo Moorhead region is positioning itself as the epicenter for nascent technology development in the Great Plains," said Jim Gartin, GFMEDC President.

Fargo Startup House will feature gigabit, fiber-optic internet service to the house, one of the only examples of private, non-corporate residential fiber optic internet service in North America. Working with partners such as 702 Communications, Fargo Startup House will provide cutting-edge technology resources to resident entrepreneurs.

Immediately following the May 14th unveiling of the Valley Prosperity Partnership's strategic plan - An Action Agenda for Sustained Prosperity - three working groups came together to start putting the strategy into action. Three working groups, which have formed to focus on talent, water, and research, began discussing the region's most promising prospects and best next steps.

Water 

Water is among the greatest challenges that communities and businesses face in the 21st century. A recent national survey found that 80 percent of U.S. companies report that water availability has become an issue for their business. The VPP working group, focused on ensuring water security and management, has moved swiftly to lend its support to water supply and flood protection projects that will benefit the entire region to enable the attraction and retention of businesses in need of quality, affordable water.

Research 

Research is now an essential ingredient for success in an innovation-driven, global economy. The research enterprise at the Valley's research institutions - North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota - has made considerable strides in the last decade. The VPP working group on expanding research capacity and relevancy is focused on several crucial pillars of the research enterprise, including adequate and dependable resources, a talented and scholarly science and technology workforce, and world-class research in the Valley's emerging areas of specialization, e.g. precision agriculture, unmanned aircraft systems.

Workforce

Talent availability is an issue that touches every industry sector in the Valley and throughout the nation. The VPP working group on attracting, developing and retaining talent is looking for ways that the region can work together to ensure the Valley can meet and sustain current and future employment demands. Initiatives that have been discussed as having high potential include bolstering efforts to recruit college and university students, creating greater awareness of trade and STEM programs in the Valley, making more internship opportunities available, and piloting a program to attract foreign immigrants with skills that are needed in the region.

According to Delore Zimmerman, President of Praxis Strategy Group, the consulting firm that is facilitating the working groups, they "have moved decisively to prioritize specific steps for building on the Valley's current economic momentum. A common theme has emerged amongst the groups: the future looks bright - now it is up to us to seize the opportunities that are in front of us. "