HAX accelerator chose Newark headquarters location for proximity to top universities like Princeton
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In June, the celebrated business accelerator HAX is slated to open its new U.S. headquarters in Newark, New Jersey. Last week, Garrett Winther, a partner with HAX, told NJ.com that the company was drawn to choose Newark for its headquarters due to the region's engineering talent pool and the city’s proximity to top universities like Princeton, Rutgers and the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
"When we started digging into Newark, we found it was the perfect intersection of what we do," said Winther, according to NJ.com. "The hypothesis for coming to Newark is coming true fairly quickly."
Back in September 2021, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that venture capital firm SOSV selected Newark as the location for the U.S. headquarters for HAX, its program for launching early-stage "hard tech" companies focused on solving difficult and complex technological problems. As an accelerator, HAX’s job is to bring startups’ products to market. Selecting growth-driven startups for an initial $250,000 investment, it puts them through an intense, rapid and immersive process to make their products available quickly and efficiently.
On behalf of Andrea Goldsmith, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Office of Corporate Engagement and Foundation Relations worked with external partners including the NJEDA and ChooseNJ to successfully support New Jersey’s bid for the HAX location.
"The underlying technical knowledge and New Jersey ecosystem, especially the pharmaceutical industry, is unbeaten anywhere else in the world," Winther told NJ.com. "There is just really high-end technology throughout New Jersey."
Read the NJ.com article on HAX.
Read about the Office of CEFR’s support of New Jersey’s bid for the HAX location.