Prototype Prime, the city's long-anticipated startup incubator, marked its official opening on Thursday, Oct. 27, during a special evening celebration held from 5 - 7 p.m. Over 60 invited guests attended and toured the new facilities located in renovated office space directly below City Hall.

The 12,500 square-foot area provides networking and event space, workshops, podcast room and a design lab with three 3D printers. In addition, two law firms and an accounting agency will provide professional services to budding entrepreneurs to assist their early startup efforts.

To help launch the new incubator, the City of Peachtree Corners teamed up with Georgia Tech’s renowned Advanced Technology Development Center to provide mentorship, training and guidance to budding entrepreneurs in their early-stage efforts and also assist them in acquiring the key skills to build their companies. Sanjay Parekh, a serial entrepreneur who has started a number of successful companies, is heading up the incubator as its executive consultant.

“We are extremely pleased with how well the facilities turned out,” said Mayor Mike Mason. “Our hats are off to Sanjay. His leadership in helping establish Prototype Prime is invaluable and under his direction, it will undoubtedly be very successful.”

The main goal of an incubator is to produce successful firms which have the potential to create jobs and strengthen local economies. A 2008 U.S. Economic Development Administration study on the impact of incubators shows that a city investment in an incubator has a significantly greater economic development impact on a community than other projects.

The opening on Thursday, was the culmination of nearly two years of planning, designing and renovation of the space for Prototype Prime. Now the focus will be on supporting entrepreneurs in building software and hardware startups from the ground up. Contact Sanjay Parekh for more information or visit the Prototype Prime website.