EIGHT UNIVERSITIES based in the Midwest will open a shared workspace in San Francisco this month to foster relationships in technology and venture capital.
The Third Coast Foundry will be located at 625 Second St., near Oracle Park in the South Park neighborhood. It will operate as a base for the universities to connect with venture capital, tap into the region’s innovation in artificial intelligence technology and accelerate innovation, according to a news release from Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office on Tuesday.
Three of the universities are based in Illinois: Northwestern University, University of Chicago, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The others that will move into the space “immediately” ahead of a grand opening ceremony this summer are: Carnegie Mellon University, based in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Washington University in St. Louis; University of Wisconsin-Madison; The Ohio State University, and Indiana-based Purdue University.
The 3,500-square-foot building will be a base for university-based startups and their teams traveling to and throughout the region to hold demos, seminars, and educational programs, conduct meetings, and make business connections, according to the mayor’s office.
“San Francisco is the global hub of innovation, technology, and venture capital,” Lurie said in a statement. “And with yet another investment from leading institutions of higher education, we are accelerating our city’s recovery and strengthening our city center as a place where people live, work, play, and learn.”
The news comes months after Vanderbilt University said it would move into the campus of the California College of the Arts in San Francisco’s Design District ahead of the 2027-28 academic year.
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Supervisor Matt Dorsey said the Third Coast Foundry would be a place where students and others could collaborate on new projects.
“These world-class institutions are an incredible addition to our thriving Second Street corridor, and I look forward to strengthening our connections and being a partner with them,” Dorsey said.
Each university will contribute to the educational programming. The space will be managed by the Polsky Center at the University of Chicago.
Samir Mayekar, managing director of the Polsky Center, said the joint initiative was a major moment in the education ecosystem in the Midwest.
“By establishing a visible footprint in the Bay Area, we’re creating new opportunities for our founders to access capital, talent, and strategic partners while also strengthening ties between two of the country’s most dynamic innovation communities,” Mayekar said.
The hub received funding from G2C Venture Partners and the Wisconsin Investment Management Company, according to the mayor’s office.
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