PEORIA MAGAZINE April 2022

Peoria Economic Development Council, Aaron Gigous of OSF Innovation, and myself, Director of gBETA Distillery Labs — are in the midst of the region’s most aggressive campaign to develop a startup ecosystem. We hope to have a physical, high visibility location for Distillery Labs by early 2023, one that welcomes start-up entrepreneurs and the general public alike. That open-door policy is designed to show residents it won’t be a challenge to find the right connection anymore. At the same time, more than a building is necessary to accomplish our Distillery Labs mission. We’re taking a boots-on the-ground approach to programming,

our strengths and understandingwhere our best opportunities exist. “The future is incredibly bright based on the incredible developments of the last several years,” saidGigous. “The vast, rich, andunique resources of theGreater Peoria area need to be integrated into a cohesive organism focused on the common goal of growing the startup ecosystem for all people.” Distillery Labs can be the spark for that. With partners such as gener8tor, a nationally ranked startup accelerator based in Madison, Wis. that developed the gBETA Distillery Labs program, Peoria can be connected to resources it has never had access to before. Its

Family Fund. This accelerator is free to entrepreneurs in the Peoria area. Its first pitch night in early January featured five local companies: Wild Routed, Savage Building Systems, Twilis Studios, Simplycount andWe Hear You.

“PEORIA IS SMALL, WHICH CAN BE A WEAKNESS. BUT ITS SIZE IS ALSO A STRENGTH.”

Nate Domenighini

A collaborative work session at Distillery Labs.

Since 2015, more than 650 startups have completed the gBETA program, resulting in more than $350 million in investments in those companies. Some have been acquired. Thousands of jobs have been created. The foundation of a thriving startup community is a strong investor base. We intend to build out that network of potential investors. When investors start to recognize Peoria as a place to find deal flow, we’ll begin to see startups looking at Peoria as a destination to launch their ideas. It’s that kind of chain reaction we are hoping to realize with Distillery Labs. Peoria is thirsty for this type of ecosystem. What an opportunity we have as a region to quench that thirst.

Virtual reality seems pretty real.

model is thriving in 20 similarly sized markets throughout the country, places like Cheyenne, Wyo. andOklahoma City. “Peoria is small, which can be a weakness. But its size is also a strength. I think Peoria is the right-sized city and region for things to happen here, quicker than a lot of other places,” said Ngui. “The level of separation is low here. This is a great strength to celebrate.” Peoria was a natural fit for gener8tor, which was brought here thanks to the contributions of OSF HealthCare, Hanson Professional Services, Illinois National Bank, Attollo, Peoria County, Central Illinois Angels and the DBCZAR

visiting the likes of coffee shops, local workplaces and Nest Coworking in the WarehouseDistrict.We can’t wait for the community to come to us. We have to bring Distillery Labs to the community. “We want Distillery Labs to be known as a radically inclusive hub,” said Ngui. “Distillery Labs is your home, not someone else’s space you use. We’re encouraging all communitymembers to own the lab as if it was their own space and to respect and treat it as such.” Peoria is in the midst of an economic transition. We are establishing a new identity. We best do that by playing to

Nate Domenighini is director of gBETA Distillery Labs.

APRIL 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE 49