Co-Working Space: Building Cities & Communities That Attract Entrepreneurs

Great cities attract ambitious people. You can sense it when you walk around one. In a hundred subtle ways, the city sends you a message: you could do more; you should try harder.

- Paul Graham

Paul Graham writes brilliant essays on technology, startups, and innovation, which I recommend as must reads for any entrepreneur. In one title "Cities and Ambition", he discusses the different types of personalities and characteristics that a city has. Each city sends a particular message, which in turn, can have a huge effect on the type of people that it attracts and the type of community that it builds.

How much does it matter what message a city sends? Empirically, the answer seems to be: a lot. You might think that if you had enough strength of mind to do great things, you'd be able to transcend your environment. Where you live should make at most a couple percent difference. But if you look at the historical evidence, it seems to matter more than that. Most people who did great things were clumped together in a few places where that sort of thing was done at the time.

I live in Cambridge, MA, where Graham describes the message as "You should be smarter. You really should get around to reading all those books you've been meaning to." I completely agree with him.

New York is all about being rich. And...

Silicon Valley is all about being powerful.

But, what about being entrepreneurial and supportive of start-ups.

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As we move into a generation that will require more entrepreneurs, we need to start thinking about sending a different kind of message: you should come here because we have lots of resources for entrepreneurs.

Silicon Valley naturally has a tight, entrepreneurial community. This combined with the concentration of technology, venture capitalists, and resources attracts a lot of the start-ups from the East Coast. Facebook and many others have moved. Its a sign that we're not providing the right kind of resources here in Boston and Cambridge.

There are resources if you look hard enough. But, not enough.

However, there is a way we can provide a resource that simulatenously fosters a closer community.

Co-working spaces provide a great solution that provides affordable office space, while bringing together people who would otherwise be working in their garage or home office. The model spreads the overhead burden through a nominal subscription offering that enables members to come and go as they need an office to work out of. In a way, the office can act as an incubator for entrepreneurs who don't have the cash to pay a full rent, but can receive the same benefits from a co-working environment.

WorkBar, is a new one in Boston that recently opened and will provide this service for entrepreneurs. Here's how it works:

WorkBar offers two tiers of membership. Join us as either a community or dedicated member. The WorkBar community membership is modeled after a gym membership. Pay a low membership fee and use our office space as much as you’d like during regular work hours (8:30AM-5:00PM). Coffee is on us. Need a space to call your own? Join WorkBar as a dedicated member and get your own workspace with 24/7 access. Both memberships give you a great downtown address, cool brick-n-beam building, and plenty of extras.

I think this will become a growing trend. And, if done right, we can build a new message for the city of Boston to continue attracting entrepreneurs who will build the next generation of companies and job opportunities for the growing number of unemployed. There needs to be more of these type co-working and shared invironments. The city could sponsor these, too.

There should be specific buildings for specific niches, especially one devoted to start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Scott Kirsner, a long time tech journalist who writes about innovation on his blog, Innovation Economy, and for publications like the Boston Globe, New York Times, and Wired, also questions why there aren't more places like this. Especially in Kendall Square, where many emerging technologies and start-ups begin.

One thing Kendall Square lacks is a hang-out geared expressly to entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors...But if you want to hang with other people starting companies, swap ideas, meet some new folks, do a laptop demo, or work for a few hours, there's no place specifically built for that. Where's the clubhouse for entrepreneurs?

Thankfully, there's another one on the way, too, specifically for entrepreneurs - The Venture Cafe. It's a work in progress and being started by Time Rowe, founder of the  Cambridge Innovation Center and a partner at New Atlantic Ventures.

The definition of the project is to "creat a large-format, fun 'hangout' place in Kendall Square, open early til very late, where the innovation and entrepreneurship community can come together." Rowe says that he hopes "to have this jointly owned by a broad cross section of entrepreneurs and others active in the innovation community. Hopefully, this can be 'owned by all' rather than becoming the province of a select few."

In the meantime, check out WorkBar Boston. Here's a more detailed list of their membership offerings:

WorkBar Memberships:

Included with all memberships:
Access to fast & secure WiFi and wired Internet
Unlimited conference calling
Unlimited fax
Free coffee & snacks
Access to conference room/meeting room/lounge
Lounge and private phone areas
Spacious workspaces
Restrooms with showers
Jazz bar downstairs!

Daily: We accommodate “out of towners” or anyone looking for short term use of office space. $30/Day

Work space (available seat)
Access to building during working hours M-F 8:30AM-5:30PM

Coworker: This is our “pub crawl” option, for those looking to hang out for a month and then see where the wind blows them.  $200/Month

Work space (available seat)
Access to building during working hours M-F 8:30AM-5:30PM
50 printing pages/month

Community: We call this our “Happy Hour” special because it’s a great deal!

$100/Month for 6 months ($600 Total)

INTRODUCTORY PRICE: $66.66/Month for 6 months ($400 Total)

Work space (available seat)
Access to building during working hours M-F 8:30AM-5:30PM
50 printing pages/month

Dedicated: This is for the “regulars” and everyone knows we love our regulars.  $400/Month

Dedicated desk
24 hour building access
Storage
Mail services
100 printing pages/month
Unlimited use of conference room/meeting room/lounge, without booking fee

Room Rentals:

Conference Room $50/hour – $250/day
Lounge $50/hour – $250/day
Meeting room $30/hour – $200/day

Misc:

Storage locker $20/month
Mail services $20/month
Extra black & white prints/copy 0.10/page