Automation Research Group Moves into New Space at Pennovation Works
A $4M renovation of an existing building at Pennovation Works opens the door for new start-ups and small companies.
Media Contact: Jennifer Rizzi, Director, Communications, Facilities & Real Estate Services, 215.573.6107, rizzi@upenn.edu
December 11, 2017
The University of Pennsylvania’s Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services announced today that Automation Research Group (ARG) has signed a lease for a combined office and lab space of just over 500 sq. ft. in the Pennovation Works Office Building, a recently renovated building on the 23-acre site adjacent to the University’s main campus.
Founded in 2005 by Madhu Annapragada, Ph.D., ARG is a small company designing embedded systems, with a focus on developing products that could be used for remote monitoring in cities of the future. Annapragada describes them as “systems that will let cities use the existing power lines to communicate with sensors, lights and other equipment without the need for installation of any new wired or wireless infrastructure.” More about this in-progress system can be found at powerlinesys.com.
Annapragada says he was “pretty lucky” in finding Pennovation Works to lease space. “Most of what I found catered to either solo entrepreneurs without the need for a lot of space for equipment, or were expensive offices in the downtown area catering to those with more upscale front-office needs. At Pennovation, I’ve found the right mix of office and lab space, access to student talent, and an affordable rent,” he explains.
ARG is located in the Pennovation Works Office Building, a 3-story building consisting of 24,000 rentable square feet. Originally built in 1937 and renovated by Penn in 2016-17, the Office Building includes a new elevator core, restrooms, and code-related improvements. The building is constructed with concrete slab-on grade, steel framing and concrete floors, new membrane roof, unpainted masonry brick exterior and concrete stem walls. Common area interior finishes consist of painted gypsum board walls, acoustical ceiling tiles and ceramic tile and carpet floors. Space in the Office Building is now available for lease.
“Entrepreneurs at Pennovation Works are bringing world-changing ideas to reality,” says Anne Papageorge, Vice President, Facilities & Real Estate Services at Penn. “Pennovation Works provides the resources and facilities for these professionals to take their work to the next level. Automation Research Group is joining a community of innovators which is taking shape at Pennovation Works, and we are excited to welcome them.”
About The Pennovation Works
The Pennovation Works is a 23-acre development adjacent to the University campus on the southern bank of the Schuylkill River providing facilities and amenities to bridge intellectual and entrepreneurial initiatives among University researchers, private sector innovators, and start-ups. Owned by the University, and operated by its Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services, Pennovation Works houses research labs from Penn’s schools of Engineering and Applied Science, Veterinary Medicine, Dental Medicine, and Design, and companies such as Qualcomm Philadelphia Research Lab, Netronix, and Novapeutics.
Visit pennovation.upenn.edu and follow Pennovation Works on Facebook, @Pennovation on Twitter, and @pennovationworks on Instagram.
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