On November 17, Impact Hub Santa Barbara celebrated the opening of its third location at 1221 Chapala Street, the former Orfalea Foundation Downtown Center. The event was also a mixer for the Chamber of the Santa Barbara Region. The facility will officially be open for business on December 1.
About 100 guests mingled and enjoyed drinks and hors d’oeuvres. During a short program, Impact Hub Santa Barbara (IHSB) cofounder Diana Pereira welcomed the guests and related how the vision for Impact Hub was for a center of collaboration in Santa Barbara. She shared her enthusiasm for the launching of Impact Hub’s first incubator course that week, which featured 11 ideas that will change Santa Barbara for the better. She also spoke with excitement about Impact Hub’s future in creating social enterprises and other innovations here in Santa Barbara.
IHSB provides its members with a collaborative work environment and event space and offers educational programs and events. Members are entrepreneurs, activists and other professionals. IHSB’s mission is to create a community that will positively impact people and the environment through innovative solutions. Impact Hub is a membership organization; joining IHSB entitles members to other use other Impact Hubs as well. There are about 60 hubs in the United States; worldwide there are about 100 hubs and about 16,000 members.