Full Stack St. Paul business initiative re-launches with new members, website — and optimism

The pandemic may not yet be in the rearview, but that hasn’t stopped a coalition of St. Paul-area officials from reigniting a dormant business initiative that once aimed to install 200,000 square feet of new co-working and “innovation-related” commercial space throughout the capital city.

Full Stack St. Paul was launched in 2017 to advance the work of the city’s Innovation Cabinet, which developed a five-page action plan around “people, places and promotion.” The goal at the time was to recruit techies, entrepreneurs and other new talent, prep real estate to better accommodate innovative new businesses, and market the city as a potential startup hub.

“Right about the time that the steering committee turned its sights to ‘what’s next,’ the COVID-19 pandemic started, so the committee took a pause in 2020,” said Shannon Watson, vice president of public affairs for the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, a key partner. “But now they’re back.”

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