The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and the University of Wisconsin–Madison are joining seven other Midwest universities to launch Third Coast Foundry, a collaborative workspace in San Francisco designed to help university startups connect with venture capital investors, industry partners and alumni in the Bay Area.
“Third Coast Foundry represents more than just a physical space. Through this collaboration with our Midwestern peers, WARF and UW-Madison have a permanent base in San Francisco where the density of investors, talent and industry partners is unmatched,” Greg Keenan, senior director and partner of WARF Ventures and WARF Accelerator, said in a statement.
Third Coast Foundry is designed to bridge that gap by giving Midwest university founders a place to meet investors and partners where they are.
The new 3,500-square-foot space in San Francisco’s South Park neighborhood will serve as a base for university-founded startups and visiting research teams from UW–Madison, Northwestern, Purdue, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Washington University in St. Louis, Ohio State University and Carnegie Mellon University.
“This effort reflects a new level of coordination and ambition across the Midwest. By establishing a shared presence in the Bay Area, we’re increasing the velocity of our startups and demonstrating that venture-scale innovation from our universities belongs on a global stage,” Lewis Sheats, associate vice chancellor for entrepreneurship at UW-Madison, said in a statement.
