Social Innovation gets new east side home

Austin nonprofit groups, social enterprises and capital providers have a bit of a welcome mat in East Austin with the announcement of a campus that is intended to become a home for the city’s social innovation ecosystem. The Center for Social Innovation, a 50,000-square-foot complex located within the Springdale General development on Springdale Road near Airport Boulevard, is seeking tenants that can potentially collaborate and partner on new projects together, utilizing 10,000 of common co-working space located on-site. The center is one of several nonprofit, socially focused efforts launched by Notley Ventures, a venture capital fund co-founded by former BuildASign.com CEO Dan Graham. Available spaces range from a single desk to an entire stand-alone building with 10,000 square feet of space. “I really think that in 10 years what we’ll have is an entrepreneurial area, or district, that’s centered in East Austin as a hub for socially-minded businesses in every stage of development,” Graham said in a prepared statement. “I really believe that with its booming tech industry, growing population and the giving nature of its residents, Austin is a well-positioned city to leverage its capital, wealth of nonprofits and the entrepreneurial nature of the city to become a global leader in the field of social innovation.”