Guess who’s baaaack!? We are!
Not the royal we. Nor a brand named that.
We, the Coworking Alliance Summit, are back with our 2025 annual event.
Now, more than ever, it’s vital for coworking spaces to collaborate and advocate around what’s best for their businesses, communities and neighborhoods.
We hope you’ll join us, and the other collaborative coworking leaders at the 2025 Summit on March 12th from wherever you’re most comfortable.
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✊ Coworking impact.
🗽 Lottery for 100+ affordable artist studios kicks off #
Brooklyn Paper shares the lottery for the first 6 of some 100+ affordable artist studios in the Gowanus neighborhood Brooklyn is now open. The studios are part of a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) which was signed ahead of the area being rezoned, and will be operated by the coworking space operator The Shop at 420 Carroll St.
Priced between $275-$331 per month or $3300-$3800 annually, the CBA limits the annual increase in rent to no more than 2%. According to the piece these prices come in under (if not far less than) half the price of other private studios in the area. Great to see new operators as excited about supporting the existing community of artists as Anne Olsen and the team are.
👉 Read this.
💥 Network expands free membership plan for non-profits #
After a successful rollout in Charlotte, Switchyards are expanding their offering of free memberships for non-profits.
This is great for local non-profits, but we also know a lot of non-profits call local coworking spaces home. So it will be worth watching to see if/how moves like these impact memberships at nearby locations.
👉 Read this.
📰 Coworking news & views.
✨ From Flex Workspace to Fantasyland #
TWIC Podcast co-host Mike LaRosa shared insights and takeaways from his recent milestone birthday at Walt Disney World.
Who would have guessed that flexible workspace and a Disney Parks trip had so much in common? Mike explores how choice, flexibility and community building are key in both settings. In addition to the importance of personalized experiences, technology that enhances human connection and helping create unity both virtually and in person.
👉 Read this.
🤲🏻 The benefits of coworking days remains the same #
FUSE Workspace recently hosted a coworking day with entrepreneurs, content creators, influencers, and remote workers. The goal being to share goals, tackle tasks, and most importantly, uplift each other.
This is a wonderful reminder that coworking days can do more than just boost visibility for your space – they can provide a sense of community and belonging for those looking for it the most. Are you hosting local coworking days? If not, why not?
👉 Read this.
🤔 What coworking operators need to know in 2025 #
Did you miss the webinar hosted by Optix? They recently hosted industry leaders in a discussion about what coworking operators need to know in 2025 – and then shared this summary.
In marketing, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach; operators should tailor strategies to their audience and market. Referrals and community engagement remain powerful tools. Regarding technology, integrations are key for streamlining operations, and automation can reduce manual work. Virtual mail offers a significant revenue stream, but compliance and risk management are crucial. Finally, member experience and hospitality are paramount, with events making a comeback and skilled community managers playing a vital role.
👉 Read this.
🔦 Brand’s new series showcases members’ successes #
WeWork is introducing a new series called "Made at WeWork" to highlight the achievements of its members. The series offers an inside look at how companies and teams leverage WeWork’s workspace and community to drive innovation, creativity, and collaboration.
👉 Read this.
Share This Week's Summary
💻 Coworking technology.
👩💻 Is full-stack management software the future of coworking? #
Reed Thompson, CEO at Deskworks, shares why they believe full-stack space management software is the future of flex space technology. While also giving a hint at their dev roadmap, the piece does touch on the critical pieces that every flex space business need not only to work, but to work well together.
They are billing, invoicing, payment processing, booking, membership management, access control, reporting, facility & maintenance management, and seamless integrations.
👉 Read this.
🖌️ Management platform completely overhauls everything #
Spacebring, who you may remember recently rebranded from andcards, have now also introduced an upgraded admin platform, member portal and mobile app experience. The overhaul aims to simplify workflows for workspace teams, provide clear and intuitive dashboards and a cleaner and simpler experience for members.
Building software is pretty hard, building software that’s easy to use across very different businesses – that’s the north star every tech co continuously aims for. Very few get there.
👉 Read this.
🛜 Essential strategies for securing coworking Wi-Fi #
Most coworking operators get into the business to foster community and professional productivity. Many don’t realize all the technical knowledge they will need to provide that service. Isofy shared a comprehensive guide to securing Wi-Fi networks in coworking and flexible workspaces, highlighting common vulnerabilities like lack of network segmentation, unencrypted data, and weak passwords.
👉 Read this.
🤖 Watch as an AI agent books a meeting room #
In what might seem like a growing trend (and a continuation from last week), Flexspace founder and CEO Eyal Lasker showed how ChatGPT’s Assistant was able to book a meeting room at The Malin.
What was the difference from the challenges another AI firm experienced that we shared about last week? That this firm added an easy to find and use booking tool to their website, allowing ChatGPT’s Operator feature to successfully complete the task – unassisted.
👉 Read this.
💸 Office sourcing platform raises $6.1M #
Rafi Sands shares that Tandem, a booking platform that is focused on serving occupiers that want their own, private office space on flex terms has raised $6.1 M in funding. They offer plug-and-play dedicated private office space that comes fully equipped and furnished on month-to-month terms.
ICYMI: They spun out from a team at Stanford, gone through Y Combinator, and have customers like Morning Brew and Product Hunt.
👉 Read this.
📈 Coworking data.
🇺🇸 157 new US spaces, and DC bumps Manhattan from 3rd spot #
CoworkingCafe’s last quarterly report (using proprietary data as of December 2024) just dropped. Across the 25 largest US markets they saw:
National mean pricing remained stable for dedicated desks ($300), VO ($120), while hot desks saw a subtle $1 decrease to $149.
A 2% quarter-on-quarter growth nation-wide in number of coworking spaces, up to 7,695 from 7,500. This adds 3.3M sqft, bringing the total flex space to 136.8M sqft. Biggest growth in Salt Lake City (8%) and Austin (5%) by number of spaces. LA still leads the table of most coworking spaces with 292 spaces, followed by DFW (286), Washington D.C. (277) – bumping Manhattan (273) to fourth spot.
Regus remains the biggest individual brand (1,018 locations), with Industrious (147) replacing WeWork (137) in second spot. Spaces (124) and HQ (119) – both also IWG brands -top out the top 5 chart.
Comparing Q4 2024 vs Q4 2023 – 23% growth from 6,251 spaces and a 13% growth (or 16M sqft) in total square footage.
👉 Read this.
🇬🇧 UK & Ireland surpass 3,300 coworking hubs #
Yardi‘s CoworkingCafe has also just released its UK and Ireland Q4 2024 Coworking Report.
In it they report that the UK and Ireland have a combined inventory of 3,326 flexible workspaces, up from 3,089 in Q3 2024. Greater London leads the way with 895 spaces, followed by Manchester (78), Birmingham (55), and Bristol (53). Dublin dominates the Irish market with 120 spaces.
Pricing for coworking subscriptions shows considerable variation. UK median price for a dedicated desk is £210, while open workspaces average £156. Brighton and Hove command the highest prices for dedicated desks and open workspaces, while Greater London is the most expensive for virtual offices and meeting rooms. In Ireland, dedicated desks and open workspaces are generally more expensive than in the UK, with median prices of €277 and €200 respectively.
When it comes to the largest operators in the region, by number of spaces, Regus leads with 78, followed by Fora (63), Workspace Group (57), Spaces (40) and The Boutique Workplace Company (39).
👉 Read this.
🤝 Coworking market moves.
🇮🇳 WeWork India files for IPO on Mumbai Stock Exchange #
WeWork India, controlled by Embassy Group, has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) on the Mumbai stock exchange.
While the official valuation is unconfirmed, it could reach $2.5B. WeWork India operates independently from the U.S.-based WeWork group and has seen significant revenue growth and profitability. The company manages 50 locations with over 90,000 desks across seven cities in India. They saw 26.7% growth in revenue in 2024 to around $190M, and reported an operating profit of around $20M in first half of 2024.
This IPO comes amidst a booming coworking sector in India, with several other operators also expanding and attracting significant investments. Worth noting that the IPO would not inject cash into the company, but will offer liquidity to the ownership group.
👉 Read this.
🇬🇧 Firm adds new industry-specific Notting Hill location #
Dan Silverman shares that Spacemade are opening another landlord-partnered flex space called ‘Studio Y by Spacemade’. The space through a management agreement will be another industry-specific space, following previous niche projects like Hale House in Marylebone.
ICYMI: Jonny Rosenblatt shared more about the firm, and their plans for more landlord-partnered industry-specific spaces on this TWIC podcast episode.
👉 Read this.
☀️ Firm launches 10th location in Southern California #
TailoredSpace share that their new location in San Clemente has now opened, following increased demand for suburban coworking options. The firm also has 5 more locations planned for opening in 2025. Co-founder Drew Sanden attributes some of their success and member stickiness to "on-site member events".
👉 Read this.
🌍 Firm adds two new workspaces in Amsterdam and Berlin #
InfinitSpace has opened two new locations under its "beyond" brand in Amsterdam and Berlin. This marks the first time the company has opened two locations simultaneously in different countries. The Amsterdam workspace, located in a historic canal district building, is a collaboration with Nuveen Real Estate. The Berlin workspace is situated in the modern Quartier Heidestrasse development. This expansion adds to their offering where members can access InfinitSpace’s global network via their branded app.
👉 Read this.
🍬 Lancaster, PA coworking space expands #
The Candy Factory (TCF) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania is opening a new location in March. The expansion will offer additional private offices, flexible coworking spaces, and conference rooms, including a large training room for up to 20 people. Members will also have access to a podcast studio and free parking. Existing TCF members will have access to the new location and its amenities, including a fitness studio.
👉 Read this.
🇳🇱 HNK expands footprint with 107k sqft Rotterdam space #
Dutch coworking operator HNK is opening a new seven-story location in Rotterdam, its tenth in the Netherlands. The 10,000 square meter (~107.5k sqft) building, set to open in Q4 2025, will focus on hospitality, sustainability, well-being, and convenience.
👉 Read this.
🇪🇸 Spanish operator invests €1M in new Barcelona space #
Cloudworks is expanding its presence in Barcelona with a new 1,000 square meter (~10.7k sqft) coworking space in the city’s Born district. The company has invested €1 million in the three-story location, which will offer private offices, coworking areas, and an event zone.
👉 Read this.
🇺🇸 Husband-and-wife owners open new space in Miami Lakes, Florida #
Local operators Enrique & Sharon Lisker have opened a Venture X in Miami Lakes, Florida with a grand opening celebration taking place Wednesday, February 12th. The space spans 15,095 sqft and offers 81 private offices, two meeting rooms, a community lounge, reception services, and more.
👉 Read this.
🎙 Coworking conversations.
Sam Poler digs into coworking alliances, and the Coworking Alliance Summit, with Bernie Mitchell on the Coworking Values Podcast.
Giovanni Palavicini joined Caleb Parker and Sam Gamble, cofounder of ReturnSuite, on the Brave Ideas podcast to dig into what may be holding back more alignment between landlords and flex space operators. (The pod was p.k.a The Caleb Parker Show, and p.p.k.a The #WorkBold Podcast)
Cat Johnson joins Liz Elam to chat about all thought leadership, authentic storytelling, and discovering your value on the GCUC Podcast.
