2020 End Of Year Report

=SPACE Sharespace & Incubator presents our 2020 EOY Report. This report showcases the hard work our team put into making this a successful year. We care about the well-being of our community members; and about the future of entrepreneurship, generational wealth, and true excellence. We are the future and will continue to fight for our mission to provide equal space, opportunity, and resources.

Download Full Report Here

Read Full Report Here

CHECK OUT OUR 2020 END OF YEAR SIZZLE REEL TOO!

The Market SPACE

RSVP LINK: https://bit.ly/mark3tspac3

Join =SPACE & Makerhoods as we support local makers, artists, and creatives on September 26th! =SPACE is presenting a new virtual venture, The Market SPACE, in collaboration with Makerhoods. This event was created in recognition of the innovation and creativity of our local artisans. A lot of these entrepreneurs have been hit hard by recent events and we want to give back.

Our Updated COVID-19 Operating Standards

=SPACE has always been a sharedspace dedicated to opportunity and resources, and to our community’s prosperity. This is especially the case when it comes to the well-being, health, and safety of the people who work in and use our space.

We have taken the last couple of months to prepare new guidelines. These guidelines were put together with the help of medical experts, government officials, our partners, and of course, the =SPACE Team. As a sharespace dedicated to being a resource, we are committed to doing all we can to keep every person that walks through our doors healthy.

General Building Updates:

The entire building air filtration system will be upgraded, to increase ventilation.

There will be a maximum of 2 people on our elevators, we will provide a stairwell option during normal business hours.

Coworking Area Updates:

24 inch plexiglass partisans will be added to the 24/7 dedicated desks

Conference room: Limit of 6 persons at any given time

Podcast studio: Limit of 2-3 persons at any given time

Multimedia studio: Limit of 6 persons at any given time

Huddle room: limit of 1 person at any given time

Kitchen: All seating has been removed, and enforcing an “as needed” protocol for time spent in the kitchen

  • Spacers will have access to biodegradable plates and utensils

Mandatory use of face masks while in general space with other spacers. While in private office, masks are not required

Visitor Updates:

Maximum of 30 people allowed per floor

All visitors will need to wear a mask in any and all common areas to enter space

No walk-ins are allowed, people will need to schedule their meetings to enter the space

No third party visitors, it is preferred that meetings are held virtually instead of in person

Visitors will be screened upon entry, they will be asked to sign a confirmation of health

  • ES team has digression to turn away visitors if ES team has reason to believe the visitor in question displays COVID-like symptoms
  • ES will be recording each individual that enters ES, who they came in contact with and touch points recorded to help track should someone that has been in ES contract COVID-19

Event Protocol Updates:

No in person events larger than <30 people standing; sitting: 20 people max in event space and 10 people max on secondary floor, to attend virtually through a livestream

  • No same-day, in-person registration for events [unless attend we max has not been reached]

All attendees and staff are required to wear masks at all times (excluding moments when eating or drinking) – all masks must cover the nose and mouth

  • High-risk individuals are encouraged to attend virtually, otherwise they will be seated in back areas [with less contact] and heavily ventilated areas

Routine sanitizing of all surfaces both in the front and back of the house will take place every hour throughout an event

Pre and post event, all touch points will be sanitized 

  • These areas will be cleaned and disinfected regularly [per usual], particularly high-touch surfaces such as faucets, toilets, stall doors, doorknobs, countertops, diaper changing tables, and light switches
  • We already clean and disinfect restrooms daily , but we will be doing it more often, with EPA-approved disinfectants against COVID-19
  • We will be spraying air disinfectant pre and post event to handle droplets in air

An =SPACE Rep will be at the elevator to ensure it is not overcrowded

Attendees leaving will be encouraged to exit via stairs to reduce elevator congestion

No open buffet, catering is permitted as long as they follow correct guidelines:

  • The employees from the catering company have to be checked by their employer
    • Their employer needs to sign a health confirmation document stating that they ensure their employees are not suffering from any symptoms, covered their hands and faces while prepping the food, will continue to do so when delivering, and were temperature checked before arriving at our venue
  • Only offer sealed box/container meals and sealed personal drinks with utensils (preferably biodegradable)
  • Offer no touch delivery

NJEDA Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant [Phase 2]

NJEDA will award a total of $45 million in federal CARES Act funding to small businesses. To support the Governor’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, $15 million will be reserved for businesses in Opportunity Zone-eligible census tracts, $15 million of Phase 2 funding will be set aside to support qualified businesses located in one of the 715 census tracts that were eligible to be selected as a New Jersey Opportunity Zone.

NJEDA has collaborated with a multitude of NJ organizations and businesses to provide info-webinars on eligibility, application processing, and will answer any other questions you may have. The upcoming webinars are below:

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3RD

LGBTQIA x EDA Webinar 

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/

Carlos Medina Statewide Hispanic Chamber x EDA Webinar

5:00 – 6:00 PM EST

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82971141932?pwd=eFVTcEM5RnhWclQvV1c5Q2FuY1VZZz09

Prospect Park x EDA Webinar

6:00 – 7:00 PM EST

Join: https://zoom.us/j/83720103657 

THURSDAY, JUNE 4TH

Port Authority x EDA Webinar

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST

Join: https://meet.google.com/sxi-aoar-xzv

NJ/NY MSDC x EDA Webinar

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST

Registration: TBA

Newark Alliance x EDA Webinar 

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST

Registration:

https://us02web.zoom.us/w/89930442868

FRIDAY, JUNE 5TH

Montclair Center BID x EDA Webinar

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST

Join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83975730814

Meeting ID: 839 7573 0814

Senator Ruiz x EDA Webinar

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST

ZOOM Meeting ID: 968 6997 6077

Password: 4ayWgp

NJ State Chamber, Booker, NJBIA x EDA Webinar

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST

Latino Legislative x EDA Webinar

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST

Registration: TBA

A Message Of Solidarity & Call To Action From Our Founder

To Our Community:

The current uprisings and rebellions (I refuse to call them riots) reflect the long-overdue need to address the murders of our black brothers and sisters at the hands of law enforcement which have resulted in many lives lost over decades to violence and systemic oppression. 

Our community has been traumatized day by day with the loss of so many to the brutality and corruption of those in law enforcement who fail to see us as people. The collective loss has been so uncomprehending as to not only insight an outpouring of pain, but to cause us to choke on it. 

Our people are enraged and overwhelmed by it all. Some protests have shifted into violence, and “A riot is the language of the unheard.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his speech “The Other America.” An observed moment in that speech is his question posed after it: “What is it that America has failed to hear?”

Day after day, body after body, video after horrible video, and ultimately name after name, it has become evident that law enforcement does not consider some of us to even be human. We are beyond tired of the names we have repeated over and over again, the names of our people who have closed their eyes while being brutalized and never reopened them. It has become our living legacy to carry on for them, to honor their memories, and to right the wrongs done to them. We have to speak and rally and take to the streets to cause change. Today and tomorrow we have to overturn this system. 

This is all I can offer to you as you process the pain. I ask that you focus the intention to creating change. Build organizations, create safe spaces, become our politicians and advocates. Write and tell our stories. Unite and gather into a collective might that will take on the White House. We must carry on in the name of so many lost because we are all that can one day prevent the next atrocity from happening. 

Today I walked with my people. I chanted, and I raged inside. That is what we have to do across the nation. It is a mourning of all we have endured and an outpouring of pain after there will come a great collective clarity.

We have to clearly remember how we have risen above time and time again. My fam, I want you to pour this into a movement. Look to Black Lives Matter. Join your local NAACP and Colors For Change.  Let us back our leading voices like Tamika D. Mallory and Colin Kaepernick or donate to Reclaim the Block, Black Visions Collective or the Louisville Bail Fund. I want to walk away from today with the feeling that tomorrow we will turn to each other and help our brothers and sisters. 

You are powerful. You can turn your rage and pain into change. 

I am with you, the entire =SPACE family is with you. Take care and take action. 

Citi Medina, Co-founder of =SPACE

TAKE ACTION WITH US AND ACTIVELY MAKE CHANGE IN NEWARK

HELP US ESTABLISH A CITIZENS POLICE REVIEW BOARD:

Step 1: Call 609-815-2955

Step 2: Press 1 for English/Press 2 for Spanish

Step 3: Press 3

Step 4: Let it ring

Step 5: If someone picks up or if you get a voicemail

“Hello my name is ________ & I demand that the Supreme Court uphold the appeals court decision for NEWARK to establish the police review board. Thank you”

If you wanna practice your Spanish ?

“Hola. Mi nombre es _______ y hoy exijo que la corte Suprema confirme la decisión de la Corte de Apelaciones de que NEWARK pueda establecer la Junta de Revisión Policíal. Gracias”

Developing Your Leadership Equation: Maximize Your Efficiency As A CEO

Do you have an idea of your organization’s vision; however, you are unclear about your next steps? Do you have the tools to take your project to the next level, but you keep hitting a roadblock? Like most people, you have belief systems that guide how you navigate the world. Those beliefs extend from your personal life, influence your workplace, and often govern how you approach your goals. In this workshop, Takeyah Young will guide you through five practical steps to help you map your values and outline how they can help you reach your goals.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Takeyah Young is an industrious thinker, engaging speaker, personal and professional leadership consultant, and STEM advocate who operates at the intersection of innovation, transformational leadership, and entrepreneurship as pathways for legacy building.


Takeyah is a consultant with EsteemLogic, an advisory and IT consulting firm that implements sustainable scalable technology, process reengineering, and management solutions. An engineer by training, educator in practice, and entrepreneur at heart, Takeyah Young provides solutions through personal transformation, professional development, and small business development. A speaker and leadership trainer, she works with universities, colleges, corporations and nonprofit organizations to support women through the stages of their STEM experiences and coaches groups to help them achieve personal and organizational change. Through her community wealth-building endeavor, Prosperity MIX™, Takeyah trains and develops leaders to provide financial education to their communities.


A graduate of Lincoln University (of PA) and University of Maryland, Takeyah was recognized as a changemaker by the White House Summit on the United States of Women. She was also included in Innov8tiv’s Top 100 Women Visionary Leaders to Watch; and selected by Lincoln University as one of their “Top 40 Under 40” Alumni.

VC CHATS: Inside The Minds of Investors – Virtual Pitching 101

Due to recent events, startups & investors have had to change the way they connected with one another. With that change came a large amount of misconceptions and fears presented within the startup ecosystem.

We have collaborated with Grit Daily to provide you with insight from two powerful venture capitalists about:

  • How things have changed for investors in the era of COVID
  • How founders should reconsider their business offerings
  • How they should make their biz plans & forecasts more realistic
  • The art of nailing a “pitch-by-zoom”
  • and so many other hot button topics

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Loralyn Mears, Writer – Grit daily, Moderator
Loralyn Mears is a freelance columnist at Grit Daily covering coaching, tech startups, women-in-tech, events, and investors along with wine-food pairings. She spent over a decade playing with mosquito DNA, got her PhD, decided she would rather market science than be at the bench and has never looked back. Along the way, she’s wined and dined her way around the globe. She’s authored two books, including the 2018 Gold Medal Indie Book award-winning, One Sip At a Time: a Memoir. Check out her Women-in-Tech LIKE A BOSS podcast which features fascinating guests with snappy insights. Today she runs “Toasted Marshmellow” and helps companies with their go-to-market strategy whenever she’s not cooking for her teenage step kids who are *always* hungry.
Gina Tedesco, Managing member – Amala Ventures, Guest speaker
Currently, Ms. Tedesco is managing member of Amala Ventures, a venture firm investing in early stage companies with diverse teams and innovative and disruptive technology in the USA and Brazil. Ms. Tedesco is a member of Golden Seeds and member and board member of Jumpstart NJ Angel Network.
Mario Casabona, Founder and Managing Director – Casabona Ventures, – Guest speaker
Mario is an entrepreneur and active angel investor. In 2006, he founded the micro-VC firm Casabona Ventures, investing in over 25 early stage companies. Investments are currently focused on seed stage companies and the Internet of Things (IoT) .

Communicating to Funders: Data + Stories in Virtual Times

Due to recent events, not-for-profits everywhere have had to make slight to radical shifts in programming. To ensure safety among their staff and communities served, those with immediate resources made the call to transition toward virtual programming.

For some it came with few adjustments, for others it was a forced necessity that they were not prepared for. Through the lens of nonprofit leaders, funders, and a digital learning and evaluation expert,

We will explore:

How to center the populations served and front line staff in all decision-making processes (micro)

Use data to drive meaningful collection of new stories or narratives (within virtual environments). (meso)

Best ways one can manage new expectations with funders to work collaboratively. (macro)

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Amanda Ebokosia, MA – Founder, CEO at The Gem Project, Inc., Moderator
Honored by The White House and named by Forbes as a Millennial on a Mission, Amanda A. Ebokosia is Founder & CEO of The Gem Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that works to improve high school and college student engagement and on-time graduation through service-learning initiatives, which take on a social justice approach. Since inception, The Gem Project has directly impacted the lives of 2000 youth and young adults.
Elizabeth Bishop, PhD – Director of Curriculum and Outcomes Evaluation at Global Kids; Assistant Director of Strategy, CUNY SPS Youth Studies – Moderator
Dr. Elizabeth Bishop is an educator, researcher, and youth advocate. She serves as Assistant Director of Strategy for the CUNY SPS Youth Studies program where she teaches on the faculty and also serves as Director of Curriculum and Outcomes Evaluation at Global Kids. Previously, Bishop taught on the faculty at Ithaca College, served as Deputy Director at the Center for Institutional and Social Change at Columbia Law School and as Assistant Director of the Peace Corps Fellows Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Originally from Newtown, Connecticut, Bishop began her career as a classroom teacher in the Bronx and has served in leadership positions across NYC public schools and youth development organizations.
Amanda Espaillat, Gem Project High School Fellow – Panelist
Amanda Espaillat is a current sophomore high school student, residing in Newark, New Jersey. Espaillat has been a Gem Project fellow for the past year working on several student-led initiatives, which include revising and drafting a policy brief on improving relationships between students and teachers, voter engagement.
Monica Hall, MPA – Program Associate, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – Panelist
Monica Hall serves as Program Associate at Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Her work supports RWJF’s focus on developing networks of leaders from every sector who share a vision of what shapes health, and who join together to effect change. She views her work as “supporting tomorrow’s leaders and helping to extend their influence and impact in building a Culture of Health.”
Hawwa Muhammad, MPA – Founder & CEO, Pink Trumpet – Panelist
Hawwa is a social entrepreneur with a passion for helping others bridge creative ideas with sustainable strategies to achieve positive social impact. She is Founder of Pink Trumpet, a business related to helping nonprofits and businesses effectively design, communicate, and amplify their social impact strategies.
Jennifer Negron, MPA – Program Officer, The Pinkerton Foundation – Panelist
Jenny has a unique perspective on the value of Pinkerton grants. In 1998, three days after graduating from New York’s high school for pregnant and parenting teens and six weeks after the birth of her son Joel, she went to work as an “Explainer” in the Science Career Ladder program at the New York Hall of Science–a longtime Pinkerton grantee. While there, she completed her B.A. at Queens College and went on to earn a Master’s in Public Administration at Baruch College. She eventually rose to lead the 100 high school and college Explainers who guide thousands of visitors through the Hall of Science each year.
Shadae McDaniel, MSW – City Leader, All Stars Project – Newark, NJ – Panelist
Shadae McDaniel is City Leader of the All Stars Project (ASP) of Newark. She oversees all of New Jersey All Stars’ free performance-based, after-school youth development programs, including the All Stars Talent Show Network, the Development School for Youth and the All Star’s award-winning Operation Conversation: Cops & Kids. McDaniel directs the ASP’s non-profit partnerships and community-building activities in New Jersey and is also a member of ASP’s national senior leadership team, which is currently working on an extensive reorganization to advance it programs to thrive on a virtual stage.

Natasha Dyer, MPA, SHRM-CP – Deputy Director, Newark Trust for Education – Panelist
Natasha Dyer is Deputy Director of Newark Trust for Education. Prior to joining the Trust, Natasha served as Office Manager for the Vice President and Assistant Vice President of Arts Education at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. There she developed a deeper understanding and attraction to the educational landscape of her hometown—Newark, NJ. With a commitment to the development of her city, Natasha has devoted significant time to civic engagement and immersion in the arts community of Newark.

#TuneInThursdays with ENK MUZIK

=SPACE & Newark Downtown District have collaborated to provide a phenomenal experience for our community members. #tuneinthursdays was created to not only spotlight our amazingly talented local artists but to also bring a moment of cheer, glee, and great tunes to everyone who participates.

ABOUT THE PERFORMER

ENK Muzik, Erica Nicole Kearney, is an artist, a soulful singer, songwriter, and an impactful teacher. She started singing at the age of 3 years old in her childhood church, Lily of the Valley Baptist Church. After singing for some years with her church choir, she gained the confidence to start singing background and sometimes lead for her brother’s group. Erica is has been working on her solo career as a singer, songwriter, and musician. She has auditioned for The Voice and was blessed to be able to make it to the final pre-audition level.

Erica started her teaching career in 2011 at One Step Ahead Performing Art School as a performing arts teacher. She encouraged and developed the children’s creative musical talents from preschool to Kindergarten. As Erica began to develop as a music teacher, she decided to join the YMCA Newark & Vicinity to be a Music Specialist. There she would impact the lives of many children and youth in the Newark and Jersey City community.

Erica loves impacting and changing the lives of others with her voice, songs, and words. She has a passion for empowering and encouraging our youth and also helping them to find their own voice in their own creative way. She hopes that she will be able to make a difference and be a positive influence on all of the lives she touches through her music.