0 Shared Office Space Continues to Grow

Posted on April 9, 2016 by Wil Catlin

The migration from “Me Space” to “We Space” will continue as employers accommodate flex time and independent working. At PwC the North American worker had 176 less personal pace in 2012 versus 2010.

Credit: FastCompany

According to a recent article on FastCompany.com, “Companies like WeWork, which offers small offices within a shared community of workers on a monthly basis and recently raised funding at a $16 billion valuation, have helped building owners adapt as the renting of vast swaths of cubicle farms in three- or five-year increments falls out of style. But as these real estate developers have watched WeWork rise, they’re looking for ways to more directly tap into the trends that have made the company so successful. “When you look at the growth of, for example, the coworking companies, it’s clear that long-term leases with little flexibility are probably not entirely the way of the future,” says Deborah Boyer, EVP and director of asset management for the SWIG Company, which owns almost 9 million square feet of real estate. Some real estate companies have developed their own prebuilt spaces to accommodate growing companies. Others have partnered with WeWork to design entire buildings with a new type of work in mind.”

You can read the full article on Fast Company’s website.

0 Boston’s Big Corporations Tap into Shared Startup Office Space

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Wil Catlin

WeWork South Station shared office space

Credit: BBJ

Why do Liberty Mutual, Silicon Valley Bank (Nasdaq: SIVB) and IBM (NYSE: IBM), Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) and Constant Contact (Nasdaq: CTCT) take temporary office space form providers like Work Bar and WeWork? In short, management wants certain aspects of these business to think like a startup and not like a lumbering giant.

From the Boston Business Journal:

“It allows us to get (access) to new ideas and new talent,” said Sandeep Gupta, a vice president and head of innovation at Liberty Mutual. “You can do that pretty easily just rubbing shoulders in the hallway.”

Liberty Mutual’s entrance into WeWork this fall coincided with the launch of the Solaria team. The incubator has a broad mandate: developing new products and services with “transformational potential,” that may or may not have anything to do with insurance.

At the moment, the company has two offices in WeWork that can fit a combined 32 people. Right now, the rooms are home to about a dozen Liberty Mutual employees and members of two startups, end-of-life planning company Cake and drone maker Xactsense. Liberty Mutual offers the companies free space, as well as human resources and other types of support, while the startups offer advice and connections in two areas of keen interest to the insurer.

0 WeWork Gains Traction in Boston and Beyond

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BBJ

What would it be like to leave your office and work at WeWork?

WeWork is an American company which provides shared workspace, community, and services for entrepreneurs, freelancers, startups and small businesses. WeWork designs and builds physical and virtual communities[6] in which entrepreneurs share space and office services and have the opportunity to work together.[7] The company’s 30,000+ members have access to health insurance, an internal social network, social events and workshops, and an annual summer retreat.[8][9][10]

From the Boston Business Journal’s website:

WeWork is one of many companies in the Boston area that offer co-working space for the city’s burgeoning startup scene, including Worklab, Coalition, and the Cambridge Innovation Center. While its membership prices are on the costly end, ranging from $45 a month to more than $450 a month per desk, the price is not a deterrent for entrepreneurs.

For a relatively modest cost, entrepreneurs say they get a ready-made office space complete with a sense of community, an internal social network and the enriching and collaborative startup culture that prospective employees want when they sign on to work for a startup.

0 Month-to-Month Office Space

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Wil Catlin

The workforce that rides to work on our public transpiration and roadways if very different today than it was 10 years ago. Shared workspace environments like WeWork have changed how business’s get up and running and reduced some of the barriers to going out on your own.

0 Best Meeting Spots Outside of the Office

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BetaBoston

The best discussions never take in a formal setting. Where do you get your best deals done?

A BetaBoston article recently spurred the topic, noting the following scene:

“Most cities would kill for a meeting place as magical as the open brick courtyard behind the Charles Hotel. It’s a simple enough spot: benches and planters, a portal leading to Harvard Square, and two restaurants with patios, Legal Seafoods and Henrietta’s Table. But it’s the place where fast-growing startups like Recorded Future, which helps businesses anticipate cyberattacks, and Formlabs, which makes a 3D printer, first connected with investors. The travel site Kayak was born over a lunch at Legal’s, the two founders agreeing to put in a million bucks each and toasting with gin and tonics. In the spring of 2004, two Harvard undergrads, Eduardo Saverin and Mark Zuckerberg, ate breakfast at an outdoor table at Henrietta’s and talked to a junior venture capitalist about their month-old startup, Thefacebook. His Waltham firm, Battery Ventures, passed.”

0 Workbar Offers a Network of Co-Working Office Space

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BetaBoston

Have a peek at how some of the shared workspace providers manage users and spaces locally and worldwide.

From BetaBoston:

“Workbar has partnered with Fields Corner Business Lab and five other regional co-working spaces to create the Workbar Network, which will link these independently run facilities into a larger community…As part of the network, these [original] six sites are now using Workbar’s proprietary software to help manage their members, Cole says. The software provides tools for managers to check people in, coordinate conference room bookings, and promote events and happenings throughout the network at large. ‘It’s everything they need to run the space,’ says Cole.”

“’The reservation system is much easier to manage and it gives us more data,’ says Maudlin, who says the software helped them realize that they had a lot of people who only came to the space on weekends. ‘If we were going to do an event or do something for our members, we now know when are they there the most. It’s a lot more information that we can use to better service our members.’”

0 Workbar Network Links Co-Working Office Space

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Wil Catlin

co-working office space at WorkBar in Boston

Credit: BetaBoston

Have a peek at how some of the shared workspace providers manage users and spaces locally and worldwide.

A BetaBoston article notes, “over the past several months, Workbar has partnered with Fields Corner Business Lab and five other regional co-working spaces to create the Workbar Network, which will link these independently run facilities into a larger community. Other participating sites are Work Station in Cohasset, The Entrepreneur Innovation Center at Framingham State University, Running Start in Worcester, and Groundwork! in New Bedford…As part of the network, these six sites are now using Workbar’s proprietary software to help manage their members, Cole says. The software provides tools for managers to check people in, coordinate conference room bookings, and promote events and happenings throughout the network at large. “It’s everything they need to run the space,” says Devin Cole, Workbar’s director of business development.

You can read the full BetaBoston article on its website, here.

0 Boston Startup moves from Cambridge to Newbury Street to Expand Workforce

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Bridj is on the move and parked on Newbury Street. 283/285 Newbury Street offered an experience that aligned well with vision of Matt George, Bridj founder and CEO. Off street parking, roof deck and 3 floors of creative space.

Credit: BBJ

Bridj has elected to share this experience through Pivotdesk, have a look and see if it works for your growing team.

From the Boston Business Journal:

The company moved out of a co-working space at the Cambridge Innovation Center into a 5,400-square-foot space at 283 Newbury St. in Boston earlier this year.

“We were outgrowing the CIC and while co-working spaces are great and they have lots of benefits and amenities, it’s really hard to start building your own culture (there),” said Ryan Kelly, Bridj’s marketing manager.

0 Boston On demand Office Space

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Wil Catlin

I was first introduced to Breather from Will Preap who is the head of Breather’s business development for Boston and got the concept. The notion that I could have a private meeting/interview in a space outside of the public eye was captivating. Preap has strong roots to Boston and expects to add 30 location throughout the CBD. So, questions I get from landlords are, is it safe? Yes, Breather controls access to the space via a smart phone app. Prior to getting access, Breather understands the clients social footprint using algorithms that access social media sites to better understand the profile. Once you have selected the Breather spot you get to the door and Breather provides a one-time access code to the app. You enter and you meeting commences. The space is fitted out with smart phone chargers wrapped in a sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere complete with WIFI.

The meeting ends and you depart, yes, Breather knows. Breather then sends their team back into the space to ensure it is ready to go for the next client.

Pictured above is Justin Harlow of BRA’s Downtown team @ 715 Boylston Street.

0 Co-working Office Space Remains an Active Market: WeWork Valued at $6B

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Wil Catlin

WeWork clearly has identified a market for growth within the co-working office environment. With locations from Israel to Seattle, WeWork is on the move with a mission “to create a world where people work to make a life, not just a living.”

co-working office space in Cambridge at WeWork

Credit: Bisnow

A BisNow article states WeWork is “on the verge of closing a $300M to $600M financing round that could value the shared workspace provider at a whopping $6B. The start-up hit 1.5B in market value last month after securing $150M and suggesting that the next round would kick off in 2015.”

Additional information is provided by Bisnow on it’s website, here.