Santa Cruz Accelerates #9: The 418 Project
Santa Cruz Works is excited to share some of the applicants who have applied to our Santa Cruz Accelerates Program. We will be featuring a handful of startups each week!
Name of your startup: The 418 Project
Team: Laura Bishop, Megan McGuire, Claudia Aguilar
A snapshot of the problem your startup will solve to make the world a better place:
We are creating an adaptive community art space that will:
+build an equitable and diverse community serving 150,000 annually
+reduce pollution, cool the neighborhood and help heal the River
+be a ground-zero for arts entrepreneurs of all stripes (we estimate we will serve 2,000 artists yearly)
+contribute to the economic resurgence of downtown Santa Cruz after Covid
+serve as a model for respectful social change
The nonprofit has just invested and purchased an outdated 22,400 sf movie theater, ideally located to provide the lowest barriers to entry for everybody—particularly BIPOC, women, artists and teachers, who are historically disproportionally affected by development. By green converting our new permanent home, we are creating an accessible artspace serving Santa Cruzans and beyond for generations to come, providing a truly accessible and affordable center to inspire, cultivate and present art, thus fostering diversity and social vibrancy in Santa Cruz.
On top of our ecosystem of adaptive, extremely affordable entrepreneurial spaces and an oasis serving food and drink from morning to night will be a living community roof garden overlooking the River, that will serve as an open air educational, healing, gathering and performance space for everyone.
By speaking to the problems of capitalism and systemic racism creatively and inclusively, we intend to serve as both a local and regional hub, and as a model for public private partnerships that can inspire the world.
"As an arts nonprofit, we are thrilled to be included in this cohort, because we cannot grow our incredible vision without the backing, knowhow and support of our tech community, nor can we achieve our goals without the amazing mentorship we know will lift us to the place we need to be to succeed. We are super stoked to be here!”
To learn more about our Accelerates Program or apply, click the link below.