The Point Project’s Convergence Hall, inspired by global innovation hubs, aims to unite academia, industry, and government. With 200 startups, Fortune 50 partnerships, and transformative educational programs, it aspires to position Utah as a global leader in innovation and collaboration.
Last week, The Point hosted an Open House at O.C. Tanner to discuss and explore their most ambitious undertaking: Convergence Hall. Described as a revolutionary space connecting the state’s 16 USHE institutions to foster student success and bridge academia with industry to tackle global challenges. Modeled after globally renowned innovation hubs like Station F in Paris, Convergence Hall is poised to become the largest innovation hub in the western United States and shape Utah’s future as a hub for innovation, collaboration, and growth.
The evening started with an address from current Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox, talking about how he and previous governors in the state have been working on this plan for a long time. “Governor Huntsman had this idea potentially of moving the prison so that that land can be better utilized for something else. Now, that was before Silicon Slopes and the tech industry's growth in Utah.”
Governor Cox continued talking how the project developed: “My biggest fear was that we would dream a little too small, that we would just develop this like every other place we put some shopping in, maybe some entertainment, some houses, and that would be it when we have a generational opportunity to do something unique, do something different, something that's never been done in the state of Utah, that has only been done in a very few places.”
He explained the essence of Convergence Hall: “And out of that was born this idea of convergence Hall—a place where we could bring the best and brightest from across the state, combining our institutions of higher learning and our business community, our entrepreneur community, and doing something special, something that is bigger than just the geography, just the place, or just the building, something where ideas can come together to flourish, something where new businesses can start, new ideas and problems, the biggest problems facing our state, our nation, our world, can actually be solved and we have, we have the minds to do that, but, but you do need a place where all of that can happen. And that's how all of this came together.”
After Cox’s introduction, four members of The Point Project took the stage. First to speak was Michael Ambree, the new executive director of Point of the Mountain State Land Authority. Regarding the project, Ambree described the designated land as” 600 plus acres located strategically between two of the most thriving counties in Utah, Utah County, and Salt Lake County. It is also front side next to I15, so it is a prime location, but our governor and our legislature had the foresight to think big.”
Following Ambree, Angela Smith, Program Director for Convergence Hall, shared details about how Convergence Hall will work. “We are calling Convergence Hall an innovation campus. We believe it's the largest Innovation Campus in the United States and will be an iconic landmark and physical embodiment of the entrepreneurial spirit. Convergence Hall is unique in that it will be a physical building to converge industry, education, and government together in one place to work in tandem to fuel innovation and solve the world's most pressing problems.”
Smith continued, “So the first aim is really to develop the workforce of tomorrow. There are going to be over 200 startups that will be accepted to come and work and build at Convergence Hall from all over the world. These startups will predominantly be focused on building in our core focus sectors of AI, tech, energy, life sciences, cyber security and aerospace and defense areas the governor has identified as the sectors of the future. Convergence Hall will also feature corporate innovation programs, giving Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and other Fortune 50 companies a landing spot in Utah to run their own programming that works in tandem with the startups housed at our building.”
She added the Hall will “curate a global investor network, giving increased opportunities to local venture funds, while simultaneously bringing outside capitals from around the world into our state to fuel innovation.”
Smith explained that Convergence Hall’s second aim is to“create educational experiences for students to shift their mindset from job seekers into job creators.”
She added, “Convergence Hall is labeled as an innovation campus because we truly see this building as a place of learning. First and foremost, each University in the state of Utah will have a dedicated space in the building, and it'll be an opportunity for all of them to build partnerships and unity. Convergence Hall will hold up to 200 dorms so students from all over the state can come and live in the building for a semester or two while earning college credit from their own universities by working on high-impact projects alongside industry. We will help create a highly skilled talent pool ready to impact the workforce by developing technical skills in the key focus sectors of the future. The dorms will also house entrepreneurs, so students will get to collaborate and connect with industry professionals in a way that's never been seen before in Utah. Convergence Hall will be a place to gather the community with carefully curated events, including startup boot camps, pitch competitions, hackathons, lectures, seminars, summits, and innovation conferences, where students from all over the state will come together to get real-world experience, showcase their skills and connect with industry and government leaders.”
Overall, the project aims to fundamentally shape Salt Lake and Utah Counties. By investing in Utah’s higher education sector and connecting students and entrepreneurs, Convergence Point will create a future where Utah becomes a major player in nearly every sector, not just in the United States but globally.
For more information, visit The Point Utah.