LOCAL Houston | The City Guide February 2017 | Page 48

THE SKY ’ S THE LIMIT STATION HOUSTON PUTS HIGH-TECH IN A HIGH-RISE

By Tim Moloney | Photography by Carl Fehres
The days of entrepreneurs toiling away at home or in a cramped , dark office to launch a new business have gone the way of the Motorola StarTac™ . Welcome to Station , a co-working space for innovation and entrepreneurship , and Houston ’ s tech community hub .
Housed in 25,000sf on the 23rd and 24th floors of 1301 Fannin ( in the former Deutsche Bank trading floor space ), Station connects entrepreneurs with the mentors , talent , co-working space , accelerator programs and investors they need to launch high-impact , high-growth start-ups – with floor to ceiling windows that offer an unparalleled view of the city , stretching all the way east to the San Jacinto Monument .
“ Imagine you ’ ve just quit your job or gone off to start your own business ,” says JOHN “ JR ” REALE , co-founder and managing director of Station . “ A view like this on a beautiful day or evening is really inspiring .”
Inspiration is only one part of the equation . Studies show that start-ups succeed if they have access to experienced mentors , diverse talent and leadership , practical education and an active network . Station features all this and more : expert volunteer mentors ( 81 as of press time ), an experienced and knowledgeable team ( with Reale and another co-founder , GRACE RODRIGUEZ , at the helm ), insightful programs and a proactive work environment that fosters connection and collaboration .
“ Co-working isn ’ t new , and it ’ s a growing real estate trend ,” says Reale . “ Our value is in the mentorship aspect – the experience and knowledge that successful real-world entrepreneurs are bringing to our community – with no financial upside for them .”
In a testament to its success , Station has come a long way in a short time . “ We launched at Surge in Midtown in March , and in a month we had already reached capacity ,” says Rodriguez . “ So , after an intense search , we found this space and moved in October 31 ,” she adds . They now have 131 members , many of whom come in every day .
Reale sees the location as ideal to building high-tech start-up density in the city . “ Excited is an understatement ,” he says . “ We always wanted to be between Downtown , Midtown and Montrose , to build that central tech density you find in coastal communities . Station will be Houston ’ s access point for innovation and talent .” www . stationhouston . com | info @ stationhouston . com
48 LOCAL | february 17