"We are thrilled to relocate our corporate headquarters to St. Petersburg, Florida, as we believe the Tampa Bay region's talent, innovative spirit, and quality of life will accelerate our growth initiatives," stated Cathie Wood, ARK's Founder, CEO, and Chief Investment Officer in their recent press release. "ARK is not a traditional Wall Street asset management firm, and we are looking forward to breaking the mold further by relocating to St. Petersburg, a city investing in technology, science, and innovation.
Our relocation and the ARK Innovation Center will allow us to be more innovative and to impact the broader community while shining a spotlight on the technological advances and creativity permeating the Tampa Bay region." The new headquarters will be in the heart of downtown at 200 Central. While a substantial number of employees have chosen to relocate and work in the office, ARK's hybrid back-to-work model will harness technology to accommodate working remotely.
In tandem with the relocation, ARK is collaborating with the Tampa Bay Innovation Center on a new incubator that Pinellas County will build and own. The incubator, designated as ARK Innovation Center, is scheduled to open in July 2023 and will be located at 4th Street South and 11th Avenue South in the St. Pete Innovation District.
By 2026, the 45,000-square-foot building is expected to impact the county by $28 million thanks to the 1,265 direct and indirect jobs expected. Moreover, its clients and graduates are expected to generate $127 million in annual revenue.
To learn more about the move: ARK Investment Relocates-Plans St. Petersburg, Florida, Corporate Headquarters - Area Development
source: SPID October Newsletter
A group of support organizations, led by the Innovation District and fueled by a grant from Duke Energy, developed our first Tampa Bay Innovation Ecosystem Map in 2023. We aim to continue guiding entrepreneurs to the best possible resources with an updated version.
The graduation of the CodeBoxx AI Literacy and Applications Bootcamp was held on Saturday, August 9th at the ARK Innovation Center. The celebration included a tour of the ARK building, a sneak peek at the Vu Studio, and a hackathon. This bootcamp is designed to give participants a competitive edge in the job market by teaching practical ways to use AI. AI literacy and tech communication are more important than ever, and we're incredibly proud of this graduating class for taking that step forward.
Josh Rojas of Bay News 9 recently visited the Maritime and Defense Tech Hub, where he was welcomed by CEO Alison Barlow and COO Lauren Bell for a discussion about the building’s future expansion. The Hub is already home to a thriving community of companies and demand continues to grow. To accommodate this momentum, leaders are envisioning Hub 2.0, a second building proposed for the west parking lot.