The third floor of Horace Mann’s modernist glass and steel tower in downtown Springfield is now home to the University of Illinois Springfield Innovation Center, which includes the Innovate Springfield business incubator.
“Our move to this strategic location will enable us to bring more people into our innovation ecosystem, including students, faculty, corporate partners, community civic organizations and entrepreneurs,” said Rob Kerr, UIS director of innovation and opportunity.
Innovate Springfield had previously operated out of space at 15 Old State Capitol Plaza. Its parent organization, Innovate Illinois, was founded in 2014 by an alliance of civic organizations and became part of UIS in 2018. The university announced in December 2022 that it planned to open the Innovation Center in 2025, although it was originally slated to be located at 401 E. Washington St., a three-story building UIS owns.
UIS has not commented on what, if any, plans it now has for the former Illinois Sheriff’s Association building, but the university signed a 2.5-year lease for 9,800 square feet in the Horace Mann building to allow for the launch of the Innovation Center.
Innovate Springfield currently supports more than 60 members, including students, solo entrepreneurs and businesses incubating companies or leading innovative projects. It became the first hub of the Illinois Innovation Network, an initiative led by the University of Illinois System, to accelerate statewide job creation and economic development through research and collaboration. The incubator partners with UIS faculty and students as well as with IIN hubs throughout the state and Chicago-based Discovery Partners Institute, which focuses on tech industry research, development and training.
“Built on a solid structure and rigorous academic standards, Innovate Springfield is one hub of the Illinois Innovation Network, offering programming to nurture foundational ideas and start-up enterprises,” Kerr said.
He is passionate about the move and stressed the opportunities for community engagement and rich user experience.
“UIS has always known we need to be a place beyond the classroom to meet the community where they are. As the only publicly traded company in Springfield, Horace Mann represents a bridge to industry and business that helps start-ups envision a kind of professional success,” Kerr said.
Innovate Springfield’s enlarged office includes areas for “open desk” drop-in members plus dedicated desks and private offices, along with better and larger conference and classroom spaces. In addition, Kerr said members will be able to utilize the same benefits as Horace Mann’s 300 onsite employees, such as access to the cafeteria, common areas, Wi-Fi, 24-hour secure badge access and parking.
“Horace Mann sees it as a great partnership with two great institutions in this community – from their CEO on down – with a goal of bringing more people into the innovation ecosystem,” Kerr said.
Regional businesses, nonprofits and community organizations can utilize conference rooms and individual memberships that run month-to-month or rent co-working spaces on a daily basis. White noise can be turned on and off in zones so that conversations and meetings are not disruptive.
With an increase in office space, plus a shared auditorium and common areas, Innovate Springfield now can offer off-campus opportunities for classes and working cohorts. The organization recently hosted a Falling Walls fast-paced pitch competition for college and post-graduate early career innovators from innovation hubs across the state. The winner was named the 2025 Illinois Young Innovator of the Year and will attend a science summit in Berlin, Germany, to compete in the Falling Walls Lab global finale.
Students from area high schools will also utilize the new space. Scott Germeraad, UIS associate director of entrepreneurship, leads the Sangamon CEO program, where high school seniors meet before school each day to learn about business development and entrepreneurship.
Innovate Springfield also partners with community organizations such as the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln and Springfield-Sangamon County Growth Alliance as well as the Illinois Office of Medicaid Innovation, an academic think tank that launches research programming through the university to serve state agencies.
The new space will also host some public programs, such as the “how to” user-friendly AI training that Kerr plans to offer for not just members, but individuals and small businesses in the community as well.
Daniel Reifenberger, CEO of Loyal Tribe, a B2B online text message and marketing company, has been a member of Innovate Springfield since 2023. The business was founded in 2017 with a business partner in Colorado, where Reifenberger experienced the University of Colorado startup hub community with its global tech bootcamps and co-working incubation spaces. To him, the new Innovate Springfield location feels like a space where innovation takes place.
“First of all, it’s the sunlight and open space where you can have a conversation without getting in the way of someone else,” he said. “Everybody can kind of pick their own corner and have their own space. Or if you wanted to have a larger networking event, presentation or pitching, it has the capacity for that as well.”
Because most of Reifenberger’s clients are spread throughout the U.S., Australia and Europe, he works with a stable of remote writing and design contractors.
“I would say the biggest thing for me is that running a business is kind of lonely. So it’s always nice to have people who also own businesses and have that camaraderie and be able to talk about things that other folks in your life may not really understand,” he said.
Another of Innovate Springfield’s inaugural partner members is Krasan, Inc., which has headquarters in Lisle and offices in Chicago and contracts with the state of Illinois. Vice president Steve Peralta said that the company leases office space for half a dozen key employees and 40 to 50 rotating employees who work with various aspects of IT support services.
“Aesthetically, it’s a great work location, but now there’s also more space. For us, we can bring our consultants here to collaborate, we can actually host our clients for discussions and for meetings. And it’s also a great place to interview prospective employees and students from UIS,” Peralta said.
“We are actually going to be offering our skill sets, our leadership – educating people on things such as AI and connecting with the community to help them evolve their business needs. So it’s really more than just a financial arrangement; we are invested in Springfield,” he said.
Upcoming Innovate Springfield events
UIS Founders Day, a kickoff collaboration with 2025 Founders Week at the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana, will be held from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. on Oct. 7. Experience Springfield history, network with founders and investors, experience demos from health care organizations and enjoy a keynote and panel discussion highlighting the need for collaboration with government to leverage venture capital in Illinois to realize our potential in underserved communities.
Schedule of Oct. 7 events:
- Guided Tours of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum
8:30-11 a.m., Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum
- Founders showcase
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Horace Mann Building
Central region startups present healthcare ideas, followed by an interactive conversation with the founders.
- Panel discussion: Founder Resources with Distillery Labs,
12:30-1:15 p.m., Horace Mann Building
Doug Cruit, executive director of Peoria Distillery Labs, will lead a discussion on incubators and startup hubs supporting entrepreneurs.
- Lunch and Mentor Madness
1:30-3:30 p.m., Horace Mann Building
Buffet lunch with networking and mentoring opportunities.
- Panel: State Government’s Role in Supporting Founders and Investors
3:30-5 p.m., Horace Mann Building
Conversation with state leadership, founders and investors on improving venture activity.
- Networking and Fireside Chats
6-7:30 p.m., Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum
Evening networking and conversations with accomplished founders and investors.
Founders Day is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. To register or view the full agenda, visit uis.edu/innovation/events/founders-day.
This article appears in SBJ September 2025.