In The News: Black Fire Innovation
As robot technology and machine learning continue to develop, this advancement has increasingly entered Las Vegas valley resorts and eateries, dazzling guests and causing some unease for service industry workers.
From our valley’s record-breaking temperatures to low water levels at Lake Mead, the southwest faces big challenges on a warming planet. Since the very first Earth Day that took place on April 22, 1970, Nevada has warmed and so has the rest of the country.
UNLV is looking to cash in on the positive momentum of development in the southwest Las Vegas Valley to lure high-profile companies to its tech park in the area.
Bill Hornbuckle remembers being a community college student in Connecticut when he saw a commercial advertising UNLV’s hospitality college during a broadcast of a UNLV basketball game. Only two months later, he moved to Las Vegas with friends and $22 in his pocket, soon walking onto UNLV’s campus as a business major and working on the Strip at night.
Bill Hornbuckle remembers being a community college student in Connecticut when he saw a commercial advertising UNLV’s hospitality college during a broadcast of a UNLV basketball game. Only two months later, he moved to Las Vegas with friends and $22 in his pocket, soon walking onto UNLV’s campus as a business major and working on the Strip at night.
Agua Caliente Casinos’ Rancho Mirage resort is set to host the Casino Esport Conference (CEC) next week, running from March 19 to 21. Founded by brothers Ben and Ari Fox, the 2024 CEC Live integrates esports, virtual and augmented reality, table games, and new forms of entertainment.
In order to attract businesses to relocate to Southern Nevada, economic development agencies need to start going “spearfishing,” a economic development leader told lawmakers.
Robert Rippee has been a central figure in the development of the Black Fire Innovation Hub since its inception.
A Las Vegas startup backed by the likes of supermodel Cindy Crawford has one of the best inventions of 2023, according to Time magazine. Headquartered at UNLV’s Black Fire Innovation building, within the Harry Reid Research and Technology Park in the southwest valley, Katalyst went into overdrive after receiving $26 million in series A funding in 2022 from New York-based investment firm Stripes, with participation from Incisive Ventures, Unlock Venture Partners, Robert Nelsen, Crawford and Rande Gerber.
The Land Vegas gaming metaverse platform announced that it was selected to participate in the Innovation Launchpad program , organized by Zero Labs in collaboration with the Office of Economic Development of the University of Nevada ( UNLV ) and with the support of the Office of Economic Development of the Governor Joe Lombardo.
Sports, tourism and entertainment businesses worldwide combined for $13.7 trillion in 2022; new companies seek a piece of the action.
The UNLV Office of Economic Development and Zero Labs, a business accelerator in Nevada specializing in gaming, hospitality, entertainment, and sports, is excited to introduce the Zero Labs x UNLV Innovation Launchpad. This 3-day event, scheduled for early 2024, will offer a unique pre-accelerator experience designed specifically for UNLV’s students, faculty, and centers of excellence.