When Zarina Bahadur started her company, 123 Baby Box, she was still a full-time graduate student at UC Irvine, packing subscription boxes by hand in her parents’ garage between classes.
She won first place in a venture competition at UC Irvine, passed on a corporate job and grew the business into an operation that now ships thousands of customized packages with age-appropriate developmental toys for new parents across the country.
“But what people don’t always see are the late nights, the uncertainty, the setbacks and the moments when you wonder whether you should keep going or not,” Bahadur says.
That startup experience is why the city of Irvine has launched the Irvine Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship. The city has built a reputation as a hub for STEM jobs and growing tech firms – CommercialCafe ranked it No. 7 in the Western U.S. – and officials leased the entire 25,000-square-foot first floor of 510 Technology Drive to keep that momentum from moving elsewhere.
The center at Discovery Park, slated to open in April 2027, will give local founders a physical launching pad. Flexible workspaces, private offices and dedicated prototyping labs will sit alongside on-site advisers from the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center and the American Lending Center. Experts will work directly alongside entrepreneurs to refine strategies, access capital and make valuable connections.
The goal is to bring previously scattered resources under a single roof, ensuring high-growth companies stay rooted in Irvine.
About $7.7 million in outside investment goes toward building and running the center, including $1 million in federal appropriation, contributions from the Stella and John Foundation and the American Lending Center, and tenant improvements by Irvine Company.
“Entrepreneurs need community. We need mentors who have walked this path before us. We need opportunities to connect with investors, advisers and other fellow founders who understand the journey.”
Zarina Bahadur
“The Irvine Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship represents the power of investment, entrepreneurship and community coming together through a public-private philanthropic partnership to create lasting opportunity,” says John Shen, Stella and John Foundation board member.
The office campus features floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto a shaded outdoor courtyard – equipped with walking paths, barbecue grills, an outdoor fireplace, sofas and a large-screen TV – designed to give local founders a natural gathering space.
“Entrepreneurs don’t just need a nice office space,” Bahadur says. “We need community. We need mentors who have walked this path before us. We need opportunities to connect with investors, advisers and other fellow founders who understand the journey.”
