Northern Kentucky’s new startup hub, SparkHaus, is on track to open its doors this summer. With renovations underway, the former Sims Furniture Building in Covington is being transformed into a dynamic workspace designed to provide a home and community of support for new area businesses.
The 47,000 square feet of space features more than 170 individual desks and shared meeting spaces on the first floor and 31 dedicated offices with designs for two to 12 people on the second. The actual number of people who can be served in the space is fluid, said Kenton County Communications Manager Meg Erpenbeck.
The goal is to accommodate between 200 and 300 people a day, coming in and out as needed, she said.
“This coming year will focus on those initial tenants and those initial commitments that we’re in the process of securing… We’re also focused on how we build out the interior of the space to reflect the welcoming environment, with an open, innovative spirit, that we want to create,” Erpenbeck said.
Much of the focus also will be on getting the word out about what an asset Sparkhaus can be and its potential for our region. While there are hubs in other places, this will be a first for Northern Kentucky.
‘I think once we start getting our tenants in there, or even getting our tenants committed, people will see more clearly the impact potential of having your funders, your founders and your resources all together, what that environment, that ecosystem, will really be, and the power it contains.”
Building the community
As the building renovations take shape so does the roster of new tenants, and the next months will be dedicated to bringing in interested startups as well as venture firms and other resources for small businesses.
Blue North, designated as Northern Kentucky’s innovation hub, is responsible for finding and signing up tenant startups and resources. The nonprofit serves 17 Northern Kentucky counties and is a connection point between entrepreneurs and the critical resources many need to start and grow their companies. Blue North will move its offices from Pike Street to SparkHaus.
The first tenant is eGateway Capital, one of area’s leading venture capital firms. The company has 4,000 square feet and a separate entrance. According to a recent press release from Kenton County, eGateway has raised $120 million since 2021 and has invested in more than 14 companies.
Better Blend, a new smoothie franchise company, will open its first Covington location as part of SparkHaus. They will be located inside the SparkHaus cafe space, a public-facing space that will highlight local entrepreneurs. Better Blend will have access to the startup resources while also serving that community with healthy food options.
Other early commitments include: Sunflower Fuels, a bioenergy firm; BeyondWill, an technology-enabled estate planning company; and Builder Backed, a startup that connects homeowners to a vetted network of maintenance businesses. All three were recently recognized among roughly two dozen “Startups to Watch” in Kentucky.
The value of SparkHaus
While being in SparkHaus doesn’t guarantee a business funding, it puts people together that could facilitate that funding as well as share invaluable knowledge.
“It creates a community and a culture where if you’re struggling to figure out what the right next step is or decide if you even need to raise private capital, you’ll have a relationship with those investors. Just by the nature of working in the same building with them, where you could approach one of them and say, ‘Is this the right path for me? What do you think?’ You get the knowledge transfer you wouldn’t have if you were just working from home,” Erpenbeck said.
She said the message she’d like to share with the Northern Kentucky community is the positive impact a vibrant entrepreneurial community can have on our region.
“It’s about what this can mean for Northern Kentucky to have this asset to give our startups and our entrepreneurs a space where they can grow their business and learn from each other. The value of having that community is phenomenal. For me, that is the big thing with SparkHaus —that shared experience is so critical, helping founders get over those initial hurdles of starting a business. It’s not an easy task, and we all know that most startups fail. So, if we can get the playing field as level as possible for our founders, we can see more Northern Kentucky success stories,” she said.
“We want these companies to be able to start out in SparkHaus, grow and then turn into the next company whose name you see in our skyline…The point of SparkHaus is to give companies with high-growth potential a place that can flexibly meet their needs, give them a good network of founders and venture capitals to learn from and then, ideally, ignite their growth.”SparkHaus is located at 727 Madison Avenue in Covington’s Central Business District. To learn more, contact BlueNorth at hey@bluenorth.com or visit the BlueNorth website.
