[ibimage==28283==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-center]
With a recently announced $18 million round, Galvanize is setting its sights on nationwide expansion. Here’s the action plan, as told by founder Jim Deters: educational gSchool offerings will be expanded, the San Francisco SoMa office will be decked out with more learning spaces like a 250-seat auditorium and then campuses in Denver’s LoDo and Fort Collins will open their doors.
It was just two years ago that Galvanize moved into the former Rocky Mountain Bank Note building in Denver. Shortly after Galvanize’s launch, over 100 startups and over 25 gSchool students began to call it home, gaining it a reputation of being both an entrepreneurial and educational hub. Today, Galvanize is living up to its rep with the rigorous 24-week gSchool development program and also more flexible workshops for Galvanize members.
[ibimage==28285==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-center]
“Our goal at Galvanize over the next five years is to build a new mode of education that aligns working and learning into the same context,” Deters said. “We are creating the modern urban campus where entrepreneurship is the baseline and everyone has access to a continuum of skills-based learning and a community of innovators, mentors, investors and others to support their entrepreneurial journey.”
[ibimage==28284==Medium==none==self==ibimage_align-left]
As of this week, Galvanize’s own journey is financially supported by University Ventures among other investors. In the long run, the funding will allow Galvanize to connect entrepreneurs and companies like Box, WordPress creator Automattic and Pandora all around the country.
“Connecting each of the communities — literally creating new relationships across and between Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins and San Francisco —enriches each community and its constituents. Of course, we are looking at other great communities nationally to add to the network,” Deters said. “We think of each campus in each community as a ‘super node’ of innovators and entrepreneurs. As we add more nodes to the network, the entire network gets stronger.”
