seedchange Announces Launch of New Startup Ecosystem in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO - July 14, 2014 - PRLog -- seedchange today announced the opening of The Vault, the first startup ecosystem in San Francisco’s Jackson Square. Jackson Square is the city’s most historic commercial area and lies on the edge of the Financial District and the Embarcadero downtown.

“Jackson Square is changing as more and more technology and venture capital firms move into the area,” said The Vault co-founder Kevin Smith.  “It’s becoming known as the new Sand Hill Road.  That environment, the location at the intersection of San Francisco’s most interesting neighborhoods and the extraordinary building—one of the city’s most historic—made this the ideal location for a startup incubator.”

The Vault focuses on technology startups and already includes 19 companies in sectors ranging from Software-as-a Service (Saas), financial technology, enterprise software, health technology and retail technology to hardware, crowdfunded publishing and digital marketing.  Most are early stage companies although The Vault includes two that have completed later rounds of financing.

“Through seedchange we’ve met well over 1000 startups during the last year and we’ve developed a deep understanding of the issues startups face, particularly with funding and early growth,” said Smith, who is also co-founder and CEO of seedchange. “With our backgrounds in startup growth, finance and law and the deep networks we’ve built we knew we could provide significant development support to startups at this stage.”

Nate Phillips, co-founder of The Vault and co-founder and COO of seedchange, added “When we were looking for space for seedchange, we found the coworking and incubation spaces available in San Francisco were missing key elements that are important to growth of startups and development of company culture. We thought we could do better.”

Membership in The Vault comes with 24/7 access to dedicated workspace in a unique atmosphere, high-speed fiber and wi-fi connections, free conference and collaboration areas, an outdoor patio, a well-stocked kitchen (and bar for happy hours) as well as workshops and presentations, office hours, mentoring and membership in a collaborative community.  Brick walls, high open-beamed ceilings and a speakeasy-themed lobby contrast with contemporary furnishings throughout the space.

Already full just weeks after launching, The Vault will nearly double capacity later this summer as it expands into the remainder of the ground level, adding a large modern kitchen, a second outdoor patio and more work and collaboration space.

“We’ve been tremendously surprised by the reaction to The Vault,” Phillips said.  “People from a dozen cities on three continents have asked us to open a local version of The Vault.  For now we’re focused on developing The Vault in San Francisco. Together with seedchange, that’s plenty to keep us occupied.”

About The Vault

The Vault is a startup ecosystem in San Francisco’s oldest neighborhood, Jackson Square. Home to nearly 20 companies, The Vault provides a strong, supportive environment for technology companies to thrive with top-flight infrastructure, a culture of collaboration, educational and advising activities in an innovative community. http://www.thesfvault.com

About seedchange

seedchange is a global platform connecting Wall Street and Silicon Valley and bringing a new asset category to the portfolios of smart investors all over the world.  seedchange combines rigorous company analysis with an innovative investment platform to transform the way investors access, analyze and invest in early-stage companies. seedchange has offices in San Francisco and New York.  www.seedchange.com