CoWorking Has Sprouted Some Amazing Success Stories
What is it about coworking spaces that seems to get the creative and cooperative juices flowing? Is it the atmosphere imbued with camaraderie and the sharing of ideas? Or the ability to nurture innovation?
Perhaps it’s the very nature of the perceived impermanence of the space and the artificial deadlines that it generates. Or could it be the influence of others that share the space and are on similar paths with comparable motivations?
It might be the opportunity to be around others who own their destiny and are taking accountability for it; others who have chosen to aim high.
Maybe it all boils down to energy. At its most simple definition, energy is seen as “the ability to do work.” In a coworking space, this translates to creative energy. The ability to do creative work and creative thinking, the capacity to come up with the new idea, and the vitality of the coworking environment to provide the necessary momentum to follow through.
Not convinced? Then let’s look at a few examples of companies that got their start in a coworking space.
Uber. Yes, that Uber. The now global ride-sharing app that was the brainchild of Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp in Paris in 2008 was built and brought to reality with an initial team of eight in a coworking space in New York, and then Rocket Space, a tech-focused coworking space in San Francisco.
Instagram. The two entrepreneurs, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, founders of Instagram, readily attribute their success to another San Francisco coworking space, Dogpatch Labs.
Ofo. In the U.S. we may not be immediately familiar with Ofo, but they’re now the world’s largest “station-free” bike-sharing company, operating in 250 cities in 21 countries. They provide eco-friendly transportation with a message of a shared economy and sustainable living. Where did they start? In a London coworking space in 2014.
Spotify. The most successful music streaming and podcast platform, founded by Daniel Ik and Martin Lorentzon, has turned the music industry on its head. Interestingly, they also sprouted from the fertile coworking soil of RocketSpace in San Francisco.
BharatPe. Another company that may not be on everyone’s lips in the U.S., but in India, this QR code-based payment app enterprise is one of the country’s top concerns. Its founders, Bhavik Koladiya, Shashvat Kakrani, and Ashneer Grover launched their idea of simplifying transactions for small merchants out of a coworking space in Delhi.
Hootsuite. Back in San Francisco, Ryan Holmes, while working in another California-based coworking space, came up with an idea that has had a significant impact on the social media marketing industry. Hootsuite enables its users to integrate multiple social media accounts in one platform, including Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, YouTube and Twitter (now known as “X”).
Not every coworking space can boast of being the birthplace of a global success story, but perhaps that’s just because it hasn’t happened yet.
If we look at what coworking has to offer, from tangibles to intangibles, such as supportive and reliable infrastructure, affordable and flexible spaces, and that certain indefinable but indispensable atmosphere, you’ll find that Sprout CoWorking ticks all the boxes. Take a tour and check us out. Who knows where it could lead?