Famous Startups that began in Coworking Spaces
While it’s undeniable that there are many benefits of coworking spaces for start-ups and entrepreneurs like low initial investment, various amenities, and great networking opportunities – they’re not just for small businesses. Working in a coworking space has a lot of potential in expanding to a global scale, and might just be the edge that your organisation needs. With a dynamic work culture and an environment designed for creativity, it’s not a surprise that coworking spaces have been the birthplace of some of the most iconic companies in the world. Let’s take a look at some of the more famous start-ups that have enjoyed the benefits of a shared office space from their conception.
Spotify
Spotify revolutionised the music industry and is one of the most popular ways to stream, listen to, and download music. Launched in 2006 in Sweden by the already successful Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, it has its humble beginnings at Rocketwork coworking space in San Francisco. With 159 million active listeners and a net worth of $8 billion, it’s one of the largest success stories on the list.
Uber
Uber is currently one of the most sought after online cab companies in the world. The idea was first conceived in 2009 by Travis Galenick and Garett Camp when they couldn’t find a cab at night in Paris. Starting off at the coworking space ‘The Yard’ in New York, it continued at the Rocketwork Coworking Space in San Francisco. It currently operates in 80 countries and 133 cities around the world.
Indiegogo
Indiegogo was one of the first sites to offer crowdfunding opportunities for young entrepreneurs with amazing ideas. Started by Danae Ringelmann, Slava Rubin, and Erik Shell in 2008, in a San Francisco coworking space it is one of the largest crowdfunding portals to date. It has raised more than $8 billion in funds, completed over 6 lakh projects and operates in over 200 countries.
Wanderfly
Born out of an idea by Christy Liu, Wanderfly sought to make travelling and new experiences more accessible to everyone and based on actual budget and interests. Starting out at the ‘Projective Space’ coworking space in New York, it became extremely successful after its launch in 2011 and was quickly bought up within a year by travel giant TripAdvisor.
HootSuite
Managing social media and various accounts is an essential part of promoting your organisation and keeping it relevant. This was made much easier by Ryan Holmes and his team with the launch of HootSuite in 2008. It integrates all your social platforms and lets you organise and post across all of them, seamlessly. Valued at more than $1 billion today, HootSuite began its journey at a coworking space in San Francisco and continues to use coworking spaces around the world while expanding.
Acquired by Facebook within a couple of years of its 2010 launch, Instagram was an instant hit. This thriving social media app was created in just 8 weeks by its founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom, at Dogpatch Labs coworking space, San Francisco. It now has its own dedicated community and celebrities, with over one billion active users.
Charity: Water
Charity: Water is an NGO that aims to deal with the global water crisis, and bring clean, safe, drinking water to everyone. Founded in 2006 by Scott Harrison, it has funded over 44,000 water projects in 28 countries. The groundwork for Charity: Water was set up at WeWork coworking space, New York.
Nuracode
Nuracode is a black-owned Atlanta based software and media company founded by Iziah Reed to empower and encourage other people of colour. Founded in 2007 and starting from the Strongbox West coworking space, this hugely successful company provides code-based solutions to those who need them.
Shared working spaces have become more popular lately and coworking spaces are a dime a dozen for a very good reason. These examples of leading companies, all of whom have their origins in a coworking space show the positive side of startup culture and the potential of what can be achieved with all the right resources and ideas at the right time.
The value of collaborating and networking with other people from different fields, and in various stages of development cannot be overstated. These workspaces of the future are a melting pot of innovative ideas and overwhelming creativity. If you’re interested in working in a coworking space for your start-up or business, check out Two Trees Coworking Space.
We are one of the top coworking spaces in Chennai, and offer state-of-the-art facilities, a thriving community, and lush greenery for you and your team to work in.
