[vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px”][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/1″][text_output]Media Contact: Jessalyn Holdcraft, NewBoCo Director of Marketing
(319) 382-5128
jessalyn@newbo.co
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, December 7, 2016 – The New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative (NewBoCo) invites the community to join them for a ribbon cutting ceremony in celebration of the opening of Vault Labs tomorrow (Thursday, December 8), from 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Vault Labs is the home of Iowa’s first adult code school, DeltaV Code School; a virtual reality (VR) lab; and a prototyping lab outfitted with electronics and 3D printing and modeling capabilities.
“These new technology facilities are a major leap forward for entrepreneurs in our community,” NewBoCo Executive Director Eric Engelmann said. “With the ability to prototype, build, and test new products, we aim to put Cedar Rapids on the map for entrepreneurs creating tech-enabled companies.”
NewBoCo hired Engineer-In-Residence Jesse Lane to oversee the prototyping lab and VR lab and to manage Vault Labs membership with Vault Coworking & Collaboration Space Community Manager John Foster.
“I love making and hacking, constantly learning, and solving problems. I also love entrepreneurship,” Lane said. “Vault Labs will let me combine those passions daily to help out other entrepreneurs build amazing things.”
Class will be in session for DeltaV on Saturday, December 17. Code 101: Intro to Software Development & Careers in Tech is the first course offered in the Code Fellows curriculum.
“The DeltaV format requires a full-time commitment – eight or more hours per day – in order to grow technical skills as quickly as possible,” Senior Software Instructor Keith Dahlby said. “The labs and projects are collaborative, hands-on experiences representative of real-world software development.”
The Vault Labs project was made possible by grant funding from the Hall-Perrine Foundation, Rockwell Collins Charitable Corporation, and Linn County. The Hall-Perrine Foundation contributed $115,000 for the build-out of Vault Labs. Rockwell Collins Charitable Corporation funded the outfitting of the prototyping lab with $50,000, and Linn County granted $10,000 for the VR lab.
Vault Labs is located on the first floor of the Geonetric building at 415 12th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401.
NewBoCo will host the January BizMix event in the new Vault Labs on Thursday, January 19, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
DeltaV Code 101 registration link: http://www.deltavcodeschool.com/course-catalog/code-101/
December 8 Ribbon Cutting event link: vault-labs.eventbrite.com[/text_output][/vc_column][/vc_row]