The TechArb is a coworking space for University of Michigan students. Humbly enough, it began with a few students looking for a shared office to work on their start-ups. Through assistance from RPM Ventures and Maize Ventures, the TechArb was born in May 09 as a 4-month experiment to support 30 students as they run nine distinct start-ups.
On April 15th eight student-led startup companies “graduated” out of the University’s business accelerator and 14 new student enterprises prepared to take up residence at the facility beginning in May.
"The needs (that places like Ann Arbor SPARK cater toward) didn't necessarily cater to students," says Jason Bornhorst, an organizer behind TechArb. "The needs of students are definitely different than someone who has graduated."
"The thrust for this was about a year ago I had a previous venture that unfortunately sort of fizzled out once we hit the semester. We had nowhere to work," said Jason Bornhorst, Maize Ventures group manager and co-founder of one of the incubator's businesses. Bornhorst will be a senior in Computer Science and Engineering.
The TechArb exists now as a four-month experiment, but those involved hope that it will continue throughout the school year and, with more support, become permanent.
