In response to the 2014 opening of Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, CNN Business ran the headline: “Can this Small Town Compete with Silicon Valley?” While Ithaca has made headlines for its oversized number of startups per capita and having the highest R&D expenditures in New York state, 10 years later, it’s clear Rev: Ithaca Startup Works is not interested in competing with Silicon Valley, but in imagining an entrepreneurial ecosystem entirely its own. Over the past 10 years, Rev’s member startups have created over 1,000 jobs and generated over 100 million dollars in revenue.
Rev: Ithaca Startup Works is a business incubator located in downtown Ithaca, New York. Rev’s core mission is to help startups launch, scale, and succeed through dedicated workspace, personalized 1:1 mentorship, and entrepreneurial education offerings.
“We’re a teach-to-fish organization; we’re not a fish-for-you organization,” says Rev Director Ken Rother. “We’re here to help people develop the skills they need to be successful entrepreneurs.”
When you walk into Rev, you’ll immediately notice the multicolored chalkboard wall highlighting the successes of its over 35 current member companies, 25 entrepreneurs in residence, and upcoming events that draw over 1,000 attendees each year. You’ll be intrigued by the entrepreneurs soldering, 3D printing, and coding in the incubator’s state-of-the-art prototyping facility, and wonder at the bright, techy-but-comfortable workspace.
“Rev is more than just a house for entrepreneurship,” says Rother. “The members, mentors, and program participants make it a home.”
Sponsors
CFCU
Fish & Richardson
IncubatorWorks
Ithaca Area Economic Development
