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SpanishHow Essex County helps build New Jersey’s innovation economy
Innovation has long been woven into the fabric of Essex County. From Thomas Edison’s laboratories in West Orange to Newark’s manufacturing strength and engineering tradition, the region has helped shape the technologies that transformed modern life.
Today, that tradition is evolving into something new. Across Essex County, universities, startups, global technology companies and public-private partnerships are forging an innovation ecosystem that stretches from research labs to AI infrastructure, from entrepreneurs launching new ventures to established companies investing in the communities where they operate. Together, they are creating the talent, ideas and institutions that will shape New Jersey’s next economy.
One of the clearest examples came in April 2024, when HAX Newark officially opened as New Jersey’s first Strategic Innovation Center, giving hard-tech founders access to engineering support, investors and lab space in the heart of downtown Newark.
Since then, the program has become one of the state’s most productive startup engines. According to SOSV Partner and HAX Chief Science Officer Susan Schofer, approximately 25 companies now occupy the space day-to-day, while roughly 65 startups have come through the program since its earliest days.
More importantly, those businesses are beginning to stay.
Read the full story by Matthew Fazelpoor on NJBIZ.
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