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▶️ Watch the Recap
This week, Hector is taking a little off-time, and so Mike LaRosa and Amina Moreau from Radious host this week’s recap podcast episode.
✊ Coworking impact.
📚 Fora launches initiative to bridge education-work gap #
Fora‘s exec chairman Olly Olsen has announced a new program launching in April at their King’s Cross location, offering 100 A-level students the opportunity to combine exam revision with workplace exposure.
The free initiative, developed in partnership with Related Argent and KX Recruit, will provide students aged 18 and over with study space, tutor support, and connections to London’s business leaders. The program aims to address growing concerns about young people’s workplace readiness by bridging the gap between classroom education and professional environments.
👉 Read this.
🇬🇧 Impact report shows commitment to sustainability #
Alex Young from Projects shared that they have released their 2024-2025 impact report highlighting significant achievements in sustainability, inclusivity, and community engagement.
The company earned B Corp certification in January and implemented various environmental initiatives, including solar panels, renewable electricity, and zero-to-landfill policies. The report also details their commitment to team development, with employees receiving training in areas like carbon literacy and suicide prevention, while maintaining strong partnerships with local organizations and expanding their sustainability goals for 2025.
👉 Read this.
📰 Coworking news & views.
👩⚖️ Legal considerations for coworking space operators #
Spacebring shared a comprehensive overview highlighting important legal aspects of operating a coworking space in 2025. This piece encourages coworking operators to prioritize member protection through detailed contracts while maintaining compliance with local regulations and safety standards in addition to physical components of spaces that provide security and privacy.
👉 Read this.
🧩 Experience comes first in modern coworking space design #
Anne Olsen, from The Shop Workspace shares her approach to coworking design, which is similar to other operators who are adopting hospitality industry principles to create more engaging workspaces.
She emphasizes that successful spaces prioritize seamless service, intentional design elements, and genuine community building over simple desk rentals. This strategy reflects a broader industry shift toward creating memorable experiences that encourage member retention through hospitality-focused touches like personalized service and thoughtful space planning.
👉 Read this.
💡 Community doesn’t happen by accident #
Bernie Mitchell dives deeper into the concept of social capital, and how when approached from a community-building perspective, steps can be taken to build with intention.
Super glad to see a TWIC reference in there, but even gladder (is that a word!?) to see Elena Giroli’s amazing work at Creative Works Space in Walthamstow getting some of glow up it deserves.
👉 Read this.
💨 Flex vs. traditional office debate appears to dissolve #
Jonny Rosenblatt (Spacemade) shared takeaways from a recent industry discussion he participated in that highlighted how the traditional divide between flexible and conventional office space is dissolving. The key insight emerging from the gathering of building owners and advisors suggests that rather than competing, flexible workspace operators and traditional landlords are increasingly collaborating to meet market demands. The shift emphasizes that hospitality-driven service has become essential across all office sectors, pushing real estate to become more operationally focused regardless of lease structure.
👉 Read this.
♾️ The infinite game of coworking #
Cat Johnson shares her thoughts on coworking as an "infinite game". When you have a good handful of people who are all contributing to your coworking space and community, making connections and spending time together, you become a model where there are no winners and losers and the point is to keep playing.
👉 Read this.
👑 An almost-royal flex space directorship role #
Although this is a job post – it breaks the mould in a pretty big way. This Flex Space Director would work for the Royal British Family – kinda. Alison Rankin, shares that "The Crown Estate has ambitious plans to establish a fully managed and serviced workplace portfolio within the Regent Street and St James’s estates in London" and the role they’re looking to fill would be to implement and lead the platform to run this portfolio.
👉 Read this.
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📈 Coworking data.
🇮🇪 75% of flex transactions were in Dublin 2 #
Kim Hogan shares data out of Workthere Ireland that notes that 75% of flex space transactions in Dublin during 2024 were focussed in the popular Dublin 2 area.
They also note that tech companies made up 36% of the take-up, followed by professional services at 24%, and financial services at 12%. The majority of deals involved SMEs looking for offices with up to 25 desks, reflecting the hybrid working trend and the use of shared amenities on busier days.
👉 Read this.
🤝 Coworking market moves.
🇵🇱 Polish operator sets sights for Class A growth #
Polish coworking operator BeIN Offices is opening its 11th location, taking two floors in Poznan’s tallest building to create a 3.3k sqm workspace with 400 workstations. Founded in 2020, the Krakow-based company has rapidly expanded across major Polish cities, targeting Class A buildings to provide premium amenities. The company plans further growth with upcoming locations in Wrocław and the Tri-City area, supported by real estate firm Walter Herz.
👉 Read this.
🇨🇿 Czech provider expands with 7th Prague location #
WorkLounge, a family-operated flexible workspace provider, is expanding its Prague footprint with a new 1,540 sqm location situated between the city center and airport. The company, which started with one location in Florida in 2010 before entering the Prague market in 2017, now manages over 25,820 sqm of space serving 1,230 active members. This expansion reflects growing demand for flexible workspaces in Prague, where WorkLounge has built its community through extensive networking events and activities.
👉 Read this.
🇺🇸 Ohio-based operator announces first partner space #
Jenna Brooks shares that this summer, a new coworking space is joining the Haven Collective community. WillWork by Haven Collective is opening in Urbana and will be their first partner space.
👉 Read this.
🇩🇪 Established local brand takes over WeWork Hamburg spot #
Christoph Fahle, founder of Betahaus and One Coworking, shared his take on the recent news that Betahaus Hamburg has acquired a former WeWork location, demonstrating how local coworking operators can successfully compete with global networks.
The post highlights five key advantages of local operators: established community trust, deep market knowledge, operational stability, cultural authenticity, and flexible partnership approaches. This transition represents a broader industry evolution where the coworking sector is maturing beyond the hype cycle into a more locally-rooted model, suggesting a potential shift in the flexible workspace landscape.
👉 Read this.
🇦🇺 Sydney club partners with Wotso for new coworking space #
Kogarah Clubhouse in Sydney has signed a 10-year lease with ASX-listed coworking provider WOTSO to convert 600 sqm into a 120-desk workspace.
The partnership, which emerged from a chance meeting at a neighboring club, represents WOTSO’s first location in Sydney’s south and aims to address the area’s undersupply of flexible workspaces. The space, set to open April 1st, is expected to bring additional foot traffic to the club’s facilities while helping WOTSO expand its presence in the region.
👉 Read this.
👨💼 Vouch acquires insurer with coworking-focussed products #
Sam Hodges shares that Vouch have acquired StartSure, welcoming Tim DiPietro and the team over to keep building insurance products for fast-growing businesses.
ICYMI: StartSure provide a number of coworking-focussed business insurance products.
👉 Read this.
🎙 Coworking conversations.
In this episode of the This Week in Coworking podcast, Hector welcomes Rafi Sands from Tandem where they discuss the platform’s unique position in the flex space industry, their recent shift from fractional offices to offering flexible, short-term lease arrangements, andtheir recent $6.1M funding round.
Fresh off his recent promotion to CEO of Building Operations & Experience at CBRE, prev-Industrious CEO Jamie Hodari joins Spencer Levy on The Weekly Take podcast where they discuss how all real estate is in-fact operational.
Tashi Dorjee, Head of Flex at JLL Asia shares some flex food for thought for building owners that are considering what size of flex space to put into their assets and the operational needs to keep in mind when planning what is best for their goals.
Manuel Conti from PONT joined Caleb Parker on the Brave Ideas podcast for a deep-dive into why data is coworking’s secret weapon, how it drives smarter decision-making, enhances trust with partners, and helps deliver personalized experiences for members.
Anne Olsen from The Shop Workspace joins Gio and Jamie on the Flex Uncensored podcast to share how she went from community building, to leading a multi-city coworking brand under The Domain Companies.
Caleb Parker welcomes Ben Wright from The Instant Group onto the Brave Ideas podcast where they discuss just how outdated office building valuations really are.
Ben Wright, at The Instant Group, joins Liz Elam, on the GCUC podcast, where he reveals the driving forces behind Instant Group’s global expansion, how technology is shaping the future of workspaces, and the importance of fostering authentic partnerships in today’s competitive market.
(PS. Got questions for Ben or Instant? Drop them here.)
📆 Coworking events.
🤖 Automation, AI, and the Future of Coworking Technology #
Wondering how technology will transform the coworking industry? Join us for a 45-minute conversation where we explore the latest trends in coworking technology with special guests Francesco De Camilli, Bernie Mehl, and Kia Rahmani!
Francesco De Camilli is the CEO and Co-founder of Uniti AI, an AI-powered inbound SDR used widely by coworking and flex spaces.
Bernie Mehl is the CEO of Kisi, a cloud-based access control and security system that is paving the way for flexible spaces.
Kia Rahmani is the CEO and Founder of Optix, a coworking platform that is paving the way for automation in coworking.
Together we’ll unpack how automation and AI are shaping the industry, and what we can expect for the future of coworking technology!
👉 Read this.
🤔 What does “service” mean today in the flex industry? #
PONT is organising this invite-only event in partnership with the Flexible Space Association to explore client expectations, the role of technology, and how operators are adapting to meet these needs in a dynamic and competitive environment.
- 🗓️ 5th of March, 12:00 to 2:30 pm (light lunch included 😋 )
- 📍 XCHG Spaces, 22 Bishopsgate, London, EC2N 4BQ
Lucy McInally will lead two sessions. The first features Zoe Ellis-Moore (Spaces to Places), Nathan Carpenter (NewFlex), and George Panayiotou (Cubix Offices). The second features John Williams, Michael Dubicki and Manuel Conti.
👉 Read this.
