Industry City signs 41,500 s/f deal with Adafruit Industries

Brooklyn, NY Industry City, the 35-acre mixed-use complex comprising sixteen waterfront buildings in Sunset Park, signed a new lease with Adafruit Industries, a 100% woman-owned tech manufacturing company designing learning electronics, tools and equipment. The company signed a 10-year deal for a 41,531 s/f space in Building 19, which will operate as an office hub for New York-based employees and a manufacturing and product storage facility.

Steve Kaplan at Norman Bobrow represented Adafruit in the deal, and Jeff Fein, senior vice president of leasing and Brad Blum, leasing manager, represented Industry City.

Adafruit was founded in 2005 by MIT engineer Limor Fried. Fried aimed to create the best place online for learning electronics and making best-in-class products for makers of all ages and skill levels. Adafruit has grown to over 100 employees in New York City and expanded its offerings to include tools, equipment, and electronics that Fried personally selects, tests, and approves before they go into the Adafruit store.

“As the latest tenant to relocate from Manhattan to IC, Adafruit’s choice to move here is particularly exciting for us,” said Jeff Fein, senior vice president of leasing. “The company’s innovative culture and entrepreneurial spirit aligns perfectly with what we’ve built. It’s encouraging to me that business owners like Limor see the value in our amenity-rich community and how it makes for happy employees.” 

“Adafruit is positioned perfectly to contribute to the dynamic ecosystem at Industry City,” said Fried. “Our mission from day one has been to inspire and enable people of all ages and skill levels to get their hands dirty in electronics. Being in Industry City amplifies this vision, allowing us to connect directly with like-minded creators and to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the hardware and manufacturing space.”

At Industry City, leasing opportunities range from small offices for mid-sized businesses and solo entrepreneurs to large office spaces with various floor plans, tailored storefronts, and turn-key retail spaces, all the way to industrial buildings for production studios and bioscience laboratories. The unique 8,500-person campus currently houses over 550 businesses. The highly amenitized campus also features abundant outdoor space, on-site fitness facilities, a robust food and beverage program, live events, and programming.