Austin-based Capital Factory is building a Center for Defense Innovation in Port San Antonio as part of its expansion into the Port San Antonio region. Capital Factory, which is known for offering co-working hubs across Texas and connecting startups with venture capitalists, is partnering with Port San Antonio on the project.
The Capital Factory Center for Defense Innovation was first launched in 2019 and since then it has become one of the nation’s most successful public-private partnerships. This new venue will also be home to a large number of innovators and is intended for creating new technologies for the US Department of Defense.
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Located at the corner of General Hudnell Drive and 36th Street at the Tech Port Center and Arena, the site of the new Center for Defense Innovation in Port San Antonio, will lie on the Port Campus spanning about 1,900 acres of land. Construction costs for this venue are estimated at $60 million and the proposed date of opening is set for spring of 2022. This new location is positioned at the heart of a vibrant innovation hub, serving as a central point for students, educators, researchers and leading industries to meet and collaborate. The Port Campus already houses the Sixteenth Air Force’s National Headquarters which is the command center of cyber security for the U.S. military, the Air Force Medical Operations Agency, the Air Force Civil Engineering Center, and other U.S. Air Force agencies.
A collaborative lab will also be built as part of the Center for Defense and Innovation project at the Tech Port Center and it will be operated by Capital Factory. The San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology called SAMSAT will be included as part of the development. It will feature integrated classrooms and meeting spaces; a 24-hour electronic gaming area; and a dining hall. A multipurpose hall with a holding capacity of up to 3,000 persons will be built on the southeast side of the building, along with a research and development lab. This new development by the Capital Factory will give rise to probably one of the most densely populated and emerging defense innovation units in San Antonio, and also the most unique technology center across the state.
Jim Perschbach, the Port President and CEO described the Capital Factory Center for Defense Innovation as an integral part of a connected ecosystem, which over time has brought together top talent, emerging technology, educators, thoughtfully built facilities and enterprise organizations for the purpose of launching technologies designed to make the world a safer and more productive place in the coming century.
