Inspiring entrepreneurs: Lower Lincoln in Valparaiso provides space for ‘intentional collisions’
By Chas Reilly,
2 days ago
Lower Lincoln offers event space in Valparaiso for entrepreneurs to meet and share ideas. (Photo provided by WeCreate)
Wade Breitzke believes there are three things needed to build a successful company — capital, talent and a location.
“And that’s where Lower Lincoln comes in,” said Breitzke, the founder of Lower Lincoln and WeCreate.
Located under the Buffalo Wild Wings at 212 E. Lincolnway in Valparaiso, the nonprofit entity provides entrepreneurs with support, resources and mentorship.
“We’re happy with the people that we support,” Breitzke said. “We’re happy with the way the space looks and feels and has become integrated in a lot of different ways.”
He said he wants Lower Lincoln to be a space where people can conceptualize an idea, bring it to market and be successful.
“The prongs of that are through the cohorts and the accelerated programs we run, a variety of events,” Breitzke said.
A recent event was geared toward startups, offering information about funding, mentorship and programming. It also featured an aspect similar to “Shark Tank,” where people could pitch their ideas to potential investors.
Lower Lincoln also has a coworking area. In addition to offering a space to work and create, it’s designed to have “intentional collisions,” Breitzke said. “Where you might run into someone with a different skillset than you, and together you make something really great,” he said.
Lower Lincoln is also available as an event venue. It’s been rented for a variety of celebrations and occasions, including rehearsal dinners, weddings and high school reunions.
Breitzke said it’s been a popular spot for corporate offsite events. He said companies from all over the country have rented it for that purpose.
“That’s starting to catch on, too, which I’m finding to be what it was built for,” Breitzke said.
Sidney Gibson, of Back 40 Fitness, has used Lower Lincoln in a variety of ways, including attending the entrepreneurial events there and using the coworking area.
“It’s a really cool space,” she said. “Every time we have an event there, I’m just blown away by how it’s just a great spot for people to get together.”
Sidney Gibson and her husband, Eric, own Back 40 Fitness, which initially started by providing fitness services only. The business has evolved, and now they are developing a gym chalk dispenser.
Sidney Gibson said she and her husband didn’t have friends in the startup world, so they weren’t sure who to approach for support and resources. That changed after attending Lower Lincoln events and using the coworking space.
“For us, it’s been really impactful, just having a community of people that we’ve met there, that we know we’ll see at those events,” Sidney Gibson said. “We’ve made a lot of awesome connections, not just friendship wise and socially, but also for our business, which has been really helpful.”
At Lower Lincoln, the Gibsons received help to hash out their business model. They also learned who they needed to approach for funding and manufacturing for their product.
Sidney Gibson said their startup is gaining traction and moving forward because of the people they met at Lower Lincoln and the events they attended there.
It’s situations like those that provide Breitzke with affirmation that the community he’s developed and continues to build has been encouraging to entrepreneurs and many others.
“That’s what’s been really great,” he said.
Breitzke has long been following the startup culture. He worked with Steve Case, the founder of AOL.com, when the Rise of the Rest Fund was launched in 2014. At that time, about 75% of capital was distributed in only three states, leaving entrepreneurs in the other 47 states fighting over what was left. The Rise of the Rest Fund invests in entrepreneurs in areas that have been overlooked.
“I kind of fell in love with the startup culture and helping entrepreneurs that have really great concepts and really great ideas, bringing them to life or bringing them to market, commercializing them,” Breitzke said.
Through Lower Lincoln, he’s able to help others pursue their dreams.
“From Day One, my dream job was to create dream jobs,” he said.
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