No matter where they are in the world, coworking spaces have an air of excitement and expectation. The open layout and shared facilities make them a friendly option for entrepreneurs, consultants, networkers, and collaborators who are serious about getting things done. Coworking spaces offer flexibility in time and financial commitment, as well as an environment of like-minded go-getters. No wonder many of today’s most innovative and interesting companies where born in such places. For a dose of inspiration, read about startups that found their footing and grew within the comforts of coworking spaces to be some of the world’s most influential businesses.
Indiegogo
The crowdfunding platform Indiegogo has gone full circle. Founders Danae Ringelman, Slava Rubin, and Eric Schell gave birth to their innovative enterprise in a coworking space in San Francisco in 2008. Today, the site helps many new companies housed in shared offices all over the world by providing them an avenue where they can get the support they need to get their business off the ground. To date, the company is known as the largest crowdfunding portal in the world and has helped new entrepreneurs raise a total of more than $1.5 billion.
Sold to Facebook for a whopping $1 billion in less than three years since it began, Instagram is another inspiring startup born in a coworking office. Founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger were initially working on a location-based social media service when they founded the innovative photo app in such a space in San Francisco. The story goes that they were sitting in the facility’s conference area when they decided to focus on vintage-looking photo filters which were performing well. They pivoted to make the app instead, spent some sleepless nights in the shared office, and the rest is history.
charity : water
It’s not just moneymakers that take advantage of the magic of shared offices. Organizations doing good found homes in coworking spaces, too. In just a decade, 7 million people in 24 countries gained access to clean water thanks to charity : water, which has funded over 22,000 clean water projects globally. Scott Harrison founded it in 2006 in such an office in New York. The organization was able to expand at a low cost by seeking out similar office options in other areas. As their network grew, they received more support, including in-kind, equipment, and financial resources. They continue to bring their good work to millions of people in the world through their own fundraising efforts, projects, and by supporting those who want to make similar campaigns.
These are just three ideas that grew in the supportive and highly creative environment of the coworking space. There are more ideas being born every day. Imagine what more entrepreneurs and idea-makers today can do when they easily collaborate, learn, test, and refine their concepts by choosing the low-cost flexibility, openness, and adaptability of coworking spaces.