A business incubator in western Massachusetts is the first tenant in the new Springfield Innovation Center.
Valley Venture Mentors, which has helped launch almost 300 businesses in the last ten years, now has its own offices.
CEO Kristen Leutz said there is space now for entrepreneurs to work on bringing their ideas from the kitchen table or the university laboratory to the marketplace.
"It is really important for entrepreneurs to feel community," said Leutz. "So having the work space is a chance to come and have colleagues everyday even if it is just you working on your startup."
The Innovation Center in the heart of Springfield’s business district is in a three-story building that was rehabbed at a cost of $7 million.
Financing for the project came from state agencies, private loans and grants, and federal and state historic tax credits.
