Want Free Rent for Your Business?

The John Flatley Company in Nashua is accepting applications for the 5th Annual Flatley Challenge. The competition is designed to assist startups and emerging businesses in the fields of IT, communications, data storage, connectivity, robotics, clean tech, medical devices, digital health, mobile app design, life sciences and other leading-edge technologies. 

Started in 2012, winners receive free rent for one year for up to 5,000 square feet of office and/or lab space at the Nashua Technology Park and/or Nashua Office Park at Gateway Hills. They also receive up to $10,000 in fit-up, connectivity and related costs.  

The Flatley Challenge is intended to stimulate the development and growth of early-stage companies by providing them both free incubation space plus the opportunity to interact with world class companies already resident at Gateway Hills such as Dell, Skillsoft, Benchmark Electronics, Amphenol TCS, Parallel Wireless, HiSoftware, Plexxi, Infinio, DataGravity and more. 

“I saw a need for startups in New Hampshire to be given a chance to succeed,” says John Flatley, owner of the John Flatley Company. “One way to do this, from my perspective, was to provide promising companies free incubation space and a small monetary incentive. As part of the Nashua community, I wanted to do what I could as a property owner to help promote and grow employment in New Hampshire.” 

Deadline for applications is October 28. There is no application fee and candidates are encouraged to apply online. A short list of the highest scoring applicants will be invited for a personal interview before a review panel in early December with the winning applicant(s) to be notified no later than December 30, 2016.  

Last year, SimQuest Systems was the winner of the first ever “Medical Device” category. Tim Kelliher, director of engineering at SimQuest said, “The space that the Flatley Challenge has given us has really helped to provide a solid footing for the business. Beyond just being an office, one of the things that really surprised me was the help Flatley staff provided and the resources made available to us while we were settling into our new space."