New Rochelle, NY— Calling all artists and entrepreneurs, as the City of New Rochelle announced today the opening of two new cohort spaces for artists and entrepreneurs to use to hone their skills, one on the second floor inside the historic New Rochelle Train Station building and one at New Roc City, both with social distancing guidelines and strict cleaning protocols in place to serve businesses that are beginning to move forward.  

In partnership with Accel7- an early-stage accelerator and business incubator in the Greater Hudson Valley Region that partners with startups to help develop and grow their business models to set them up for success, the new cohort spaces include access to coworking spaces, living quarters for aspiring artists-in-residence and entrepreneurs and opportunities for startups to take advantage of office facilities during normal business hours. Startups from as far as Hawaii and Ghana have previously used Accel7’s cohort spaces to take their businesses to the next level.

In addition, Accel7 is now accepting applications for its three month accelerator program where aspiring entrepreneurs will have the option to live and work in one of their New Rochelle spaces, which are outfitted with a full kitchen and bath, three private bedrooms, a common room, conference rooms, and selection of private offices. Interested entrepreneurs can apply through mid-August at www.accel7.org.

For aspiring artists, the non-profit Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts (VAEA), which is managing the Artist-in-Residency program, recently welcomed its first artist who is currently living in the cohort space as an Accel7 tenant on the second floor of the New Rochelle Train Station, part of the city’s reimagination of its existing assets to encourage innovation.  That artist is Miguel Braceli, a Venezuelan-born artist. During his residency through December, Miguel is working on a community-based art installation at New Rochelle City Hall to celebrate the city’s diversity and spirit of unity. 

Mr. Braceli became aware of the Artist-in-Residency program through VAEA, which as the future operator of the Black Box Theatre in the heart of downtown, is continuing to grow its artistic footprint in New Rochelle.   Aspiring artists can apply for Artist-in-Residency program at http://vaearts.org/US/programs/vaea-residency.

“This exciting initiative illustrates New Rochelle’s strong commitment to innovation and creativity, as well as our determination to emerge from the COVID crisis with a dynamic, growing economy. We are delighted to partner with Accel7 and VAEA to bring additional cultural and entrepreneurial energy to our burgeoning city center," said New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson.

“As we continue to rebound and reimagine our city’s existing spaces and assets with a focus on growing our entrepreneurial and artistic community, we hope New Rochelle will become a center of creativity and innovation through these programs,” said New Rochelle Development Commissioner Luiz Aragon. “We invite businesses, entrepreneurs and artists from around the region and beyond to apply for these spaces to stimulate new ideas and create a sense of community through collaboration.”

“Artists, entrepreneurs, and students are the first innovators in growing, vibrant ecosystems. The team at Accel7 is excited to continue to drive ideas and innovation initiatives with emerging creatives and companies that will improve the quality of life for families and businesses in the City of New Rochelle and the greater region,” said Danny Potocki, Managing Director at Accel7. 

“VAEA New Rochelle is committed to supporting initiatives that transform the city into an international art destination, especially through the residency program.  We are honored to have our first artist MIguel Braceli, who will be working on projects that will create awareness in some of today’s important values of unity and inclusion,” said Ali Cordero Casal, Chairman of VAEA New Rochelle Arts. 

The City of New Rochelle, which is in the middle of a remarkable redevelopment to reimagine 12 million square feet in the heart of downtown, will continue to identify opportunities for innovation, with the train station and other locations around the city as a catalyst for growth and expression, as the city continues to support the business community.

For more information on the cohort working spaces, please visit www.ideallynewrochelle.com. 

###