Volta grows with the community
Last week Volta and Slate announced the location and size of our next stage of growth. It seems like a lot of space — 58 000 sq ft — but in reality it is enough to be just ahead of the growing demand in a community that is starting to show it’s potential. I am excited that Volta is able to grow to help more innovators build exciting things in Halifax and Atlantic Canada.
The new space is spread over three floors of the Maritime Centre in downtown Halifax which allows for some natural breaks in the space that represent phases that early companies move through.
Ground floor is the community floor
The big change for Volta is that it will now be on the ground floor of the building, easily visible and accessible to the community. This space will have a much larger space for community events, desks for people to drop in and work, along with meeting rooms, call rooms, and other resources open to Volta members.
A floor for where projects become products
Mezzanine will be were early companies get their start and corporate innovation spaces thrive. One half of the floor is for companies with 1–5 people and they are working with potential customers to build a product.
On the other side of the floor is space for our corporate innovation partners to host their Innovation Outposts. This builds on the success the Atlantic Lottery Corporation’s first Outpost.
The second floor will make room for companies on their first growth spurt
The floor will be where companies develop their sales teams and processes, refine products, and build their companies. There is also room for Venture Capital and other partners that are looking for an office in the heart of the Innovation District.
A growing ecosystem with many people nurturing it
With a place to call home and develop a density of innovators in downtown Halifax, Volta can better support and promote the success of other initiatives across Atlantic Canada. This is a similar strategy to what has proven to work in the Waterloo Region in Ontario over the last 15–20 years with an execution that is very much informed by what has been learned in Waterloo and the community here in Atlantic Canada.
As the ecosystem strengthens, building on the hard work of so many here in Atlantic Canada, the economy will continue to diversify. Volta is excited about it’s role and will continue to support the growing community as it develops.
