NewHavenBIZ

n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | M a y 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 5 A r o u n d t h e R e g i o n PHOTO | NEW HAVEN BIZ Alexandra Ivanova's art in the first-floor taproom at Armada Brewing on River Street in New Haven. Armada Brewing cheers grand opening on River Street Armada Brewing, a two-story beer wonderland seen as a linchpin to the revival of the River Street district, had its grand opening in April. Housed in a former boiler factory building at 190 River St., New Haven, Armada features a first-floor taproom and lounge and second-floor beer hall. e interior taps into retro-industrial chic: e graphic art of Alexandra Ivanova lines the interior walls, repurposed oak was used to make the tap handles, and the bar top was built with red oak. East Haven-based Armada has said it will run a small brewing operation at the River Street location in addition to the retail areas, which have a capacity of 68 people. Trevi Therapeutics banks $55M to develop cough drug New Haven-based Trevi erapeutics announced in April that it had raised $55 million in a private-placement deal to help develop Haduvio, its promising drug for chronic cough. Frazier Life Sciences and Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners are co-lead investors, with Fairmount and New Enterprise Associates also participating. Haduvio is an oral, extended-release formulation of nalbuphine, a drug that has been on the market as an injectable pain treatment for more than 20 years in the United States and Europe. e new funding will help develop the drug as a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. PHOTO | YALE/DAN RENZETTI The Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale, a hub for student startups. Yale-launched recruiting startup lands $2M in round led by top Chinese VC fund Aspecta.ai, a Yale-incubated recruiting startup that aims to disrupt hiring using artificial intelligence, raised $2 million in a recent funding round. e round was led by ZhenFund, a Beijing-based firm that "dominates China's early-stage venture capital scene," according to Crunchbase. Founded by Yale graduate student Zongjian He, Aspecta deploys artificial intelligence to create a "next-generation talent engine," according to a company statement. e platform analyzes data including coding projects, tech posts, patents and papers to gauge proficiency across more than 2,000 skills, improving the efficiency and accuracy of recruiting. e company was incubated at the Tsai Center for Innovative inking at Yale. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED The Sneaker Junkies storefront is decorated for the annual Window Art Stroll & Contest in 2021. Window art event aims to attract visitors to Elm City It's time to walk around downtown New Haven and admire artwork while shopping and dining. e second annual Window Art Stroll & Contest returns starting Saturday, May 7, (with a rain date of May 8) and runs through Monday, May 30. e event is a self-guided walking tour featuring 30 locations in three districts, including Broadway, Chapel and Whitney-Audubon. ere are new attractions this year, including inaugural Spring Outdoor Art Sales on Saturdays, May 14 and May 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Broadway Island in New Haven (at 56 Broadway). Visitors can buy artwork from participating artists. ere will also be live music. Yale New Haven, Hartford health systems win OK for proton therapy center A partnership between Yale New Haven Health and Hartford HealthCare has secured approval to bring a highly advanced form of radiation therapy for cancer to a planned facility in Wallingford. e healthcare systems said in April they would work together to launch the Connecticut Proton erapy Center, expected to be built at 932 Northrop Road in Wallingford. e 25,000-square-foot facility will use proton beams, rather than X-rays, to target cancer in patients. Hartford HealthCare and Yale New Haven are working with Proton International, which develops proton therapy centers, to open the facility. Proton International will serve as project manager and operator for the location, and will assist with technology selection, financing and construction, as well as management. e Connecticut Proton erapy Center is expected to open in 2025, and will include treatment, control and examination rooms and clinical space. PHOTO | WALMART CORPORATE Walmart to close 'underperforming' Guilford store Walmart's "underperforming" store at 900 Boston Post Road in Guilford will close for good on May 30, the company announced. Walmart spokesperson Felicia McCranie said, "Our decision is based on several factors, including historic and current financial performance, and is in line with the threshold that guides our strategy to close underperforming locations." e store's nearly 100 employees will all be eligible for transfer to another Walmart location, the company said. Nearby Walmarts continue to operate in Branford, North Haven, Old Saybrook and Hamden. e Walmart corporation operates 34 Walmarts and Sam's Clubs in Connecticut in addition to its online shopping platform, according to the company. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Lake Compounce's wooden roller coaster welcomes guests. Ahead of opening day, Lake Compounce moves to cashless payment systems Bristol amusement park Lake Compounce, which opened for the season April 30, announced it's moving to cashless payment systems. Starting this year, the park will only accept prepaid, credit or debit cards, as well as secure mobile payment systems like Apple Pay and Google Pay, the park said. Guests can also convert their cash onto prepaid cards at several free kiosks located throughout the park. e prepaid cards can be used for purchases, including tickets, food, drinks and gi shop items. Any leover card balances can be used outside Lake Compounce where Visa is accepted. e theme park's other new attraction this year will be the Storm Surge water slide that will allow guests to race down a tunnel slide as they encounter 30 color-changing lights and four speakers that create new sounds all the way down. BRIEFS PHOTO | COURTESY ANDRES OROZCO Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. Revamped Hotel Marcel sets May opening date e Hotel Marcel in the former Pirelli building on Long Wharf in New Haven has a May 19 opening date aer years of renovations, operator Hilton announced. Marketed as a "net-zero" building with eco-friendly features like solar power and intensive recycling, the Marcel is part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton, a chain of boutique hotels. Fairfield-based architect Bruce Becker owns the building and designed the hotel, which features a rare platinum certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. e 165-room hotel, located at 500 Sargent Dr. and adjacent to Ikea, will also house a new restaurant, named BLDG and pronounced "building." e eatery will feature locally-sourced American cuisine, biodynamic and organic wines and will cook food using induction stoves, not gas.

• Cover