From its home-base at the University of Nevada, Reno Innevation Center-Powered By Switch, Capstak, Inc. is on the road to success and global expansion. At a Sept. 19, 2016, news conference hosted by the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada and Governor Brian Sandoval at Reno's Whitney Peak hotel, the commercial-real-estate and technology company announced it will maintain its headquarters in Reno as it expands.

In addition to building its Reno employee base - projected to be 100 employees over five years - Capstak launched its pilot-beta product locally and is set to soon expand the product's reach. Capstak provides an online meeting place for commercial real-estate professionals to find what co-founders and industry veterans Michael Schnabel and Heather Goldman call actionable connectivity for deals, opportunities, capital sources, business partners, commercial real-estate service providers and more.

Sandoval called Capstak an example of the new type of pioneer - the technology pioneer - coming to Nevada. Capstak also exemplifies the University's commitment to connect with business and support entrepreneurs. The Innevation Center in downtown Reno has been Capstak's base of operations since 2015 and The Innevation Center team has helped connect the company to student interns and other resources.

"There is a great deal of support and opportunity for startups here," Goldman said of the Reno market. "We also benefit from the great university system. UNR has provided us with world-class space at the Innevation Center and a qualified pool of graduates."

"The DNA seemed right," Mridul Gautam, University vice president of research and innovation, said of his early interactions with the Capstak co-founders. "The goal behind the Innevation Center is to create jobs and cultivate technology. Capstak does both, and they want to remain part of the fabric of this community."