WHO WE ARE
District Hall is the world’s first free-standing public innovation center. We are the living room of Boston’s innovation community: a place where people can work, exchange knowledge, build meaningful relationships, and make their ideas happen.
Our Mission
We are fostering a strong, supportive, and accessible innovation community in Greater Boston. We build, strengthen, and connect individuals and communities of innovators while expanding access to resources, programming, and networks.
Our Values
Venture Café Foundation
We are a program of the Venture Café Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. Our mission is to broaden, connect, and support the innovation community through a public network of spaces and programs to help anyone with an idea succeed. To learn more about our other programs, please visit venturecafefoundation.org.
What We Do
EventS
District Hall offers versatile event spaces designed to inspire creativity, foster collaboration, and make great ideas come to life. From conferences to hackathons to brainstorming sessions and workshops, District Hall is a place to create connections and bring innovation to life. Learn more about hosting an event at District Hall.
FREE, Public WORKSPACE
Innovation spaces exist all over the city, but they are often out of the public eye: behind security guards and up elevators, often requiring membership. Our public lounge is a free, public work and meeting space, equipped with free WiFi, integrated power tables, and writeable walls. Learn more about our public lounge.
ProgramS + Resources
District Hall is a platform for the innovation community to do things that have never been done before. Our programs and resources are designed to bring together diverse perspectives, build deep and meaningful connections, and develop effective and insightful solutions. Learn more about our programs + resources.
OUR TEAM
DANIEL VIDAÑA
Director of District Hall, Acting Director of Roxbury Innovation Center
Dan is the Director of District Hall Boston in addition to Acting Director of the Roxbury Innovation Center. Dan brings a true passion for engaging diverse entrepreneurial communities, with over 25 years of experience merging leadership, creativity and business insight with solid non-profit, start-up, consulting and corporate experience. Dan has held senior executive operations roles for market leaders such as Apple Inc., Universal Electronics, VeriFone and e-commerce marketplace ProvideCommerce. Dan holds a B.A. in Spanish from Santa Clara University, with a concentration in International Business and Latin American Studies.
Sarah desimas
Senior Operations and Development Manager
At District Hall, you can find Sarah delving into Ops projects to keep District Hall fresh, building up our Lounge community, and attending networking events around the city. She is interested in social entrepreneurship and exploring new perspectives through community engagement and travel. In her spare time, she enjoys photographing Boston and investigating the beautiful green spaces downtown. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Graphic Design + International Affairs from Northeastern University.
LONGZHEN HAN
Education Services Program Manager
Longy is responsible for designing, launching, and managing entrepreneurial education programming for District Hall and the Roxbury Innovation Center communities. When not in the office, Longy can be found working on her start-up that builds children’s empathy for cultures around the world through quirky storytelling! An avid traveler, she has trekked around all seven continents, over 50 countries and counting. Longy holds Bachelor Degrees in Commerce and Laws from the University of Melbourne, and a Master’s from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
PHERNEGIZE ‘GIA’ MANIGAT
Entrepreneurial Services Program Manager
Gia is passionate about catering to entrepreneurs in both the Roxbury and District Hall communities. She creates programming in entrepreneurial services through building community, networking, and helping entrepreneurs in their journeys reach their goals. Previously being the STEAM Program manager, she created and facilitated programs for both adults and the youth in Boston with exposure tech. She now continues to create programming in STEAM while building for the entrepreneurial community. As an artist and designer, Gia continues to work with tech, 2D mediums, and sculptural practices. Gia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design and Sculpture from The Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Rachael Reints
Event Sales Manager
As the Event Sales Manager, Rachael leads the booking of meeting and event spaces at District Hall and Roxbury Innovation Center. You can find her setting up rooms, giving site tours, and connecting with members of the innovation community. In addition to her love for attention to details and organization, Rachael enjoys exploring the outdoors, including camping, kayaking, and playing field hockey. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Hospitality Management from Endicott College.
Jenna LaRiviere
Event Coordinator
Jenna is the Event Coordinator at District Hall and the Roxbury Innovation Center. She has strong non-profit project management experience working in museums and libraries and aims to bring joy to people through her work. In her spare time, Jenna enjoys painting, hiking, and traveling. Jenna holds a B.A. in Archaeology from Dickinson College and an M.A. in Museum Studies from the University of East Anglia.
Adriana Kattan
Marketing and Community Outreach Co-op
Adriana is from El Salvador, a small country in Central America. Since she was little she has always loved painting and drawing but later on, she started to have a passion for graphic design and the communications field. Adriana is a Junior at Northeastern University doing a double major in
OUR IMPACT AT A Glance
District Hall’s unique model allows us to reinvest revenue from site fees back into the community through free, public workspace and discounted event space.
900+
events + meetings in 2018
“District Hall is a public, ground-level, accessible space – it’s truly a physical representation of how we best interact with people. We want to foster a creative, inclusive outlet to approach problem solving, and District Hall is the perfect place to do that…The ethos of this space really captures the philosophy of being a public innovation space.”
Cathy Wissink$1 Million
invested into the community in sponsored event space in 2018
“District Hall’s story is one that highlights that power of what we’re able to achieve when we collaborate. It’s about people coming together to make something for the community at large.”
Intelligent.lyRead the full 2018 impact report here.
95000+
visitors in 2018
“As a first time entrepreneur, starting a business can be an intimidating process, but having a welcoming, free co-working space that is open to the public helps to remove a huge barrier. This has enabled me to make helpful connections and learn a ton from other entrepreneurs at various stages of their businesses.”
Natasha Kayulu
OUR SPONSORS
Operating our space and fulfilling our mission would not be possible without our generous sponsors and community partners. Interested in supporting our work? Get in touch here!
FOUNDING TEAM
Founding Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
In-kind Sponsors
