iStrategy Labs (iSL), a digital agency based in Dupont Circle, is finalizing the lease in preparation for a move to the Wonder Bread Factory in Shaw. The move will give the company, which has grown from 35 employees in October 2013 to 50 at present, lots of room to expand. DJ Saul, chief marketing officer for iSL, anticipates that the move will happen by November 1.
iSL's move to Shaw puts the company almost smack-dab in the center of outgoing D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray's Digital D.C. Tech Opportunity
Corridor, which runs along 7th St NW from the DC convention center to the former Walter Reed Medical Center on Georgia Avenue. Businesses located in this area are eligible to apply for the District's new
Digital D.C. Tech Fund, a $1 million fund that will award grants between $25,000 to $200,000 to "tech startups in early stages and poised for growth."
"The move wasn't motivated by the digital corridor [initiative]," Saul says, "but it makes sense [for us to apply]. We jumped on an amazing space at the right time."
iSL will renovate the first floor of the former
factory on S St NW. With nearly 17,000 square feet to work with, the company should have plenty of space to expand.
Still, Saul says iSL isn't eager to leave its Dupont digs. "We still love our space," he explains. "We’ve only been here a year and a half. But we've hired 10 or 11 new folks in the past ten weeks. We're building our final bank of desks. We're at capacity. We need a space that will allow us to grow."
iSL's most recent hires include six or seven digital strategists, a developer, two designers and an industrial designer. "We're still looking for talented developers, a strong digital project manager and a digital strategist," Saul says.