CEDAR RAPIDS — Entrepreneurs and innovators will have an opportunity to share and celebrate their big ideas as well as check out a new co-working facility at the Iowa Startup Fair Tuesday in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Corridor Coworks, the Entrepreneurial Development Center, Seed Here  and Startup Iowa will host the event from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Vault Coworking and Collaboration Space on the fifth floor of the Guaranty Building, 222 Third St. SE. Drinks and light refreshments will be served and the event will be free and open to the public.

Christie Remley, marketing director for the EDC, said startup business owners at all stages will be talking about their products or services at informational tables throughout Vault.  

“ActiveGrade, RecBob, Flat-D Innovations, Josa Enterprises, LBA Foundation, MCG Biocomposites, Stoveshoes and Tutor Universe are among the 17 businesses that have signed up as exhibitors for Tuesday’s event,” Remley said. “This is really an opportunity to take a few hours to celebrate and showcase the cool things that we have going on, possibly spur some additional activity, connect with some potential investors and spark some new ideas.”

Remley said Startup Fairs will be held simultaneously in Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls, Des Moines and Pella. She believes that will give the events momentum to reach more businesses, entrepreneurs and resources.

The fair also will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. to mark the opening of the Vault, a flexible and affordable shared office and community space designed for entrepreneurs and creatives. The facility, created through a partnership between Corridor Coworks and Seed Here, provides desks, outlets, coffee, meeting space and supportive co-workers.

The Vault is designed to create a productive and collaborative work environment for startups, innovators, entrepreneurs and creatives in downtown Cedar Rapids. Similar facilities in other cities across the United States have spawned new businesses as well as helping existing businesses to grow and expand their products or services.

At 5 p.m., entrepreneurs, innovators and creatives will meet in the Vault common space around a keg for Startup Drinks CR #7.  A drinking group with a startup problem, Startup Drinks is an informal gathering to talk about startup ideas in the works, new resources for entrepreneurs and how members of the group can help each other make their big ideas happen.