Cleveland's Global Center for Health Innovation announced this week that a major tenant will be renewing its lease. The Health Information and Management Systems Society will maintain space in the building through 2021.
Aram Nerpouni is the CEO of startup accelerator BioEnterprise, which coordinates strategy for the Global Center. He says the move by the society, a globally recognized not-for-profit, is encouraging.
"They’ve had five employees on site. They’re building towards 10 – I think they’re at eight now. Together with BioEnterprise’s team, there now with over 25 (full-time employees)," says Nerpouni. "And then the other international brand in Plug and Play, there’s almost 50 people who are working from the Global Center every day. And so, it’s exciting to see that kind of activity out of the gate and a lot more good things to come."
Plug and Play, a startup booster based in California, announced late last year that it would occupy space in the Global Center. Since taking over in October, Nerpouni's strategy has been to shift the Global Center from a set of showcase rooms to a more collaborative environment.
Nerpouni says one part of the strategy includes a 10,000-square-foot health incubator on the fourth floor.
“Part of that is creating a health IT incubator and co-working space, which will go on the fourth floor in a portion of that level that had not been built out yet. It will be closely aligned with the health information society's effort, and it will be about 10,000 square feet targeting early summer to be opened up,” says Nerpouni.
