"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
Two helpful opportunities are available for small businesses focused on growth and innovation: FL FAST Webinars: The next session is on August 5 and will cover Communicating with the DoD — a key step for companies interested in Department of Defense SBIR/STTR funding. Learn more.
Our neighbors at the ARK Innovation Center, MADTECH.AI, are doing some seriously impressive work. As a Marketing Decision Intelligence platform, they’ve built a system that takes the headache out of data wrangling and lets teams focus on strategy. Their tools unify, transform, and visualize data in one AI-powered hub—saving time and uncovering insights faster.
Congratulations to the USF College of Marine Science for their collaboration with Telemundo on a powerful new documentary. This Spanish-language series explores how weather buoys help forecast storms and hurricanes forming in the Gulf. Meteorologist Rubén Capote and news anchor Samantha Díaz explain why this technology is vital for Florida and beyond.