Startup Talk: Verizon Converts Former HQ Into Co-Working Tech Space In NYC
by October 15, 2015 7:02 pm 169 views
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VERIZON CONVERTS FORMER HQ INTO CO-WORKING STARTUP/TECH SPACE IN NEW YORK CITY: Wireless giant Verizon Corp. on Tuesday announced a new initiative designed to connect with New York City’s tech and startup community by opening up a co-working space at its landmark building at 140 West Street in lower Manhattan, across from One World Trade Center.
As part of the initiative, Verizon will convert 10,000+ square feet of an underutilized floor space at its former headquarters building. The space will connect the co-working community to Verizon’s advanced Internet services and provide flexible workspace options for startups and entrepreneurs seeking access to a networked community of diverse talent and expertise.
GARTNER: 3Q MARKET FOR PC SHIPMENTS SHOW CONTINUED WEAKNESS – Worldwide PC shipments totaled 73.7 million units in the third quarter of 2015, a 7.7% decline from the third quarter of 2014, according to preliminary results by Gartner Inc. Desktop PCs continued to show weakness with a high-single-digit decline, while the segment that combines notebook PCs and premium ultramobiles (such as the MacBook Air and Microsoft Surface Pro) recorded a low-single-digit decline.
Windows 10 was launched in the third quarter of 2015, but it had a minimal impact on shipments in the quarter. The focus of the Windows launch in the quarter was to upgrade to Windows 10 on existing PCs, rather than ship on new PCs, Gartner analysts said. The Windows 10 rollout will, however, ramp up in holiday sales.
Despite the gloomy market conditions, 50% of consumers expressed intention to purchase a PC in the next 12 months, compared with 21% for tablet purchase intentions, according to Gartner’s 2015 personal technology survey.
METOVA OPENS NEW FAYETTEVILLE OFFICE, CREATING 30 JOBS: Metova Inc., a technology development company, announced the opening of its new Fayetteville location bringing 30 new technology jobs to the region. The Franklin, Tenn.,-based company said it’s expanding outside its Arkansas footprint in Conway with new a Northwest Arkansas office to help facilitate its rapid growth. The new jobs will primarily be in application programming and development, said John Adams, CEO of Metova.
DATARANK ACQUIRED BY SEATTLE ANALYTICS FIRM: Fayetteville-based DataRank has been acquired by social media analytics firm Simply Measured for an undisclosed sum. DataRank touts itself as a “leading social intelligence platform bringing the world’s online conversations to brands both big and small.” The market research firm utilizes analytics tools to provide business insights from consumers and users. Seattle-based Simply Measured helps companies plan social campaigns and optimize activities for better results on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
SBA FORMS ENTREPRENEUR PARTNERSHIP WITH PROMINENT CIVIC GROUPS: The U.S. Small Business Administration has formally partnered with several prominent civic organizations to help new and aspiring entrepreneurs launch their business ideas and understand the steps to build a business that is credit ready. Some of the prominent organizations involved in the partnership include the National Peace Corps Association, the U.S. Black Chambers of Commerce, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Faith Works Community Development Corp.
As part of the partnership, the SBA and the National Association for Government Guaranteed Lenders (NAGGL) developed the Business Smart Toolkit and recently launched a free “train the trainer” resource for community-based organizations to teach entrepreneurship and financial literacy. To learn more, click here.