Created by a partnership between the HUB Seattle, Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) and Social Venture Partners, The Center for Impact and Innovation opened on October 26. The Center aims to build a community of social entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, and nonprofits who will collaborate on building innovative and sustainable solutions to the world’s challenges.
Co-founder of BGI, Gifford Pinchot told the audience that, “BGI…was the first business school to bring social and environmental responsibility to every nook and cranny of the MBA curriculum. …We believe that you have to think about these things all together as one thing.”
“I was reflecting on the idea of the city of the future and what it meant,” Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said. “Fifty years ago they said we were going to be the city of the future…and we stand here today and know that we have an amazing reputation all around the world for entrepreneurs, environmental sustainability and idealistic values…we have that reputation because of you folks in this room.”
McGinn, joined by Gifford Pinchot, concluded the ceremony by formally cutting the ribbon, officially opening the Center and kicking off the festivities.
The Center for Impact and Innovation is located at the HUB Seattle building in Pioneer Square. It occupies more that 35,000 square feet in the Masin’s Furniture Building at the intersection of 2nd Avenue South and the 2nd Avenue South Extension. The HUB Seattle offers memberships for social impact organizations, sustainable innovators, nonprofits, investors and mentors, which provides coworking space, access to support services and discounted meeting and event space.
Here is a video of the new location from Geekwire.
Source: Examiner.com, October 2012.