Tag: coworkers

Aticco is one of those interesting coworking growth stories which tells us that there is place for independent big players aside of WeWork or Spaces. Aticco is a born and raised coworking firm in Barcelona; a 3 years old brand that has managed to open 6 coworking spaces, around 25.000 m2 all together and without VC investment. We have interviewed Franz Pallerés, the Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of Aticco, to find out more about its story of success and his future plans. Franz Pallerés will also be speaking at Coworking Europe 2019 in Warsaw on November 13-15th.

Hi. Can you tell us about the story behind Aticco ? What is your positioning?

Aticco was born precisely in another coworking space. I was the space manager and my two partners were clients there. Having both points of view, we realized that if we focused on customer service and excellence in the management needed, it was an improved model. From there we began to imagine the space we wanted to create. We found an incredible attic in downtown Barcelona and we found it to be the perfect place to start this adventure. The support and confidence of the first coworkers were essential for us to move forward. Three years later we look around and we are very proud of what we have built. Aticco are not just working areas. Together we have generated an innovative ecosystem where we collaborate, learn, and grow.

The support and confidence of the first coworkers were essential for us to move forward.

We’ve read that the Coworking offering in Barcelona grew by 23% just in the last 6 months of 2019. How do you explain the boom? 

Barcelona has established itself as a business and investment hub in Europe. The arrival in the city of large multinationals proves it. It has everything a company (startups and corporates) wants: qualified employees, investors, fertility for growth, quality of life (climate, gastronomy, environment…), and good connections with the rest of the world. As a result, the demand grew in the last year and forecasts indicate that it will continue to do so. And on the other hand, coworking spaces are perfect to house these companies. Faced with the traditional real estate offer, we offer flexibility of growth without permanent conditions and take care of all efforts, design training activities, organize meetings between entrepreneurs and mentors, celebrate events to have fun and connect with other people… And all that helps companies focus 100% on their project, have more opportunities for growth because of the connections that are created and strengthen the bond of their workers and their motivation. That is why there is an increasing demand for flexible spaces in the market.

Are you accommodating startups and freelancers, mainly, or other tenants profiles?

We have always believed that the combination of companies of different sizes and structures benefits fertility and environmental connections. The diversity of business models increases opportunities for collaboration. For example, freelancers or small businesses exchange services with each other, and learn the financing and investment processes of startups; early startups see the development of those that are already in a high growth phase and can sense the following challenges that they will have to face; large structures need to inspire and retain the talent of their team and they get it through contact with other profiles that complement them.

In recent months we have had an increase in large corporations that are committed to entering flexible spaces. And it is not just for the ease of management and the options to continue growing without rigid conditions. But because of the enrichment that gives them at the level of human resources and brand value, being within an innovative ecosystem.

Freelancers or small businesses exchange services with each other, and learn the financing and investment processes of startups; early startups see the development of those that are already in a high growth phase.

You grew from 1.000 m2 a few year ago up to 25.000 m2 and six buildings today. Did you simply benefit of the strengthening of the market demand or has it to do with a home-designed approach you had?

When we started, our initial plan was 1,000 m2 and we dreamed of expanding to 2,000 m2 after a year. But the levels of occupation that we achieved within a few months indicated that there was a high demand and that the community also liked what we offered and the atmosphere of closeness and family there was. Our coworkers have been the best ambassadors of the brand. This added to the fact that the big operators had not yet arrived in the city, made us enjoy a certain advantage. And we bet on the constant growth although that made us assume many risks. It has been a mix of being in the right place, at the right time, offering quality service and constantly evolving according to market needs.

Our coworkers have been the best ambassadors of the brand.

You compete nowadays at the same levels in terms of size and number of members as the big international brands like WeWork or Spaces, who have locations in Barcelona. Your thoughts on that?

In the current context of Barcelona, that statement is a reality. Knowing that in terms of financing we are infinitely smaller, on a daily basis we compete with them in all fields. Both in target, as in the search for new locations, the commercialization of leads, the processes of HR… The resources we have are smaller but the end result, after much effort and dedication, is that we fight to convince the same audience and offer the same level of demand in our spaces. We have to be creative and resourceful to get it. And I think that makes us value more every lead that transforms into a new coworker. We are David vs. Goliath of the flexible spaces of Barcelona!

The resources we have are smaller. We have to be creative and resourceful to get it.

How about the funding. You didn’t raise VC money nor have you a big international company behind you, do you?

3 years ago we raised 110 k of friends and family, and 1 year ago we raised 700 k in a small round led by different family offices in Barcelona, we don’t have VC money nor we are backed/owned by a real state company, we had profits since we opened 3 years ago and it helped us grow organically and maintaining control of our company.

Would you say that independent brands can play on the same ground as the big international coworking names in any city?

I personally think that the big brands are slower and therein lies the opportunity of the smaller operators. For example we have seen it in negotiations with buildings or potential customers. Our decision making is faster and allows us to take better advantage of the situation. Another important point is flexibility. Big brands work almost like franchises, where the same model that has worked in other cities is incorporated. That on the one hand is good, because the whole system is very automated, but on the other hand, changes or adaptation to the environment is worse.

The local operator always has an advantage because of the knowledge of the environment. But you have to know how to use it. And finally I think that the commitment of the workers, loyalty and motivation with the project, are easier to maintain in not so systematized structures.

Our decision making is faster and allows us to take better advantage of the situation. Another important point is flexibility.

What about your plans for the rest of Spain?

We plan to open very soon our flagship in Madrid, it’s scheduled for Q1, 2020.

Do you have any projects regarding the opening of new locations in Europe?

Yes, we had Lisbon in our scope for a while, so soon you will find us there. We are still looking for new places where our community can grow. Smart cities committed to change, welcoming innovation hubs that will challenge the future.

As Impact Hub demonstrates, building an international coworking brand is not reserved to highly-funded companies taking up hundreds of thousands of square meters in the world’s best city location. Impact Hub is the world’s largest independent coworking spaces network, all supporting the development of entrepreneurial communities looking for a “societal impact”. As of today, Impact Hub is an umbrella supervizing more than 100 locations spread over 50+ countries, hosting close to 16.000 members. Each hub offers support in fields such as entrepreneurship, idea incubation and business development on top of the coworking service.

We have interviewed Flora Rosenow, Global Brand & Communications Director at Impact Hub Network, to learn about the secrets of their success, the challenges they faced and the vision and mission all hubs have in common.

Hello. After more than a decade of operation and so many locations now opened on the planet, what are the ingredients of Impact Hub’s success?

Our Impact Hubs are always driven by a local founding team, who not just understands the local context but also deeply cares about it, as most Impact Hub founders come from the area where they want to open an Impact Hub. They found independent businesses that are united by our vision to create a more just and sustainable world in a global network structure.

You need a solid business model and culture, which needs to be rigid enough to unite everyone but flexible enough to be adapted to the respective local context. The market in Bamako, Mali looks really different to the one in Stockholm, Sweden, so you need to be able to cater for that and this is what our local founders ensure.

Our Impact Hubs are always driven by a local founding team, who not just understands the local context but also deeply cares about it.

Impact Hub is about societal impact. Why are coworking spaces the way to deliver or to help with achieving the mission?

We want to inspire, connect and enable people around the globe to create a more just and sustainable world. We believe that this can be achieved through the collective effort of many compassionate individuals and through working together. To facilitate this belief, we need to create places, where we can intentionally build this community.

So it’s about giving a home to the entrepreneurs who want to become part of a like-minded and intentional community. Solely having coworkers in a space won’t create societal impact – it’s about intentionally building this community, connecting people and engaging them. To drive systemic change, though, we need to include all parties around the table, that’s why we engage with our cities and governments and we also talk to the big organisations and support them in their goal to become more socially and environmentally conscious.

Solely having coworkers in a space won’t create societal impact – it’s about intentionally building this community, connecting people and engaging with them.

How does the franchise model work? 

As a network, we are locally rooted, whilst globally connected in a democratic model. Every Impact Hub operates independently and then pays 2.5% of their revenues to the network association, which is collectively owned. This means that every Impact Hub has one representative who has one vote. They execute their voting right for every strategic decision that we as a network take. The Association is overseen by a Board that gets elected by majority voting as well. The 2.5% then pays a global team that executes the decisions on their behalf, provides strategy and cares for the network as a whole, as Impact Hub teams already have their hands full with their local operations.

Every Impact Hub operates independently and then pays 2.5% of their revenues to the network association, which is collectively owned.

What is the added value of operating under the name, Impact Hub, globally, for the spaces managers? 

Brand awareness and recognition is really important. Impact Hubs also do a lot of business together and knowledge exchange on key impact topics within the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a big advantage as well. Moreover, our communities are virtually globally connected to facilitate that exchange. After all you can only drive systemic change and create impact at scale if you are doing so in an integrated manner.

Our communities are virtually globally connected to facilitate that exchange. After all you can only drive systemic change and create impact at scale if you are doing so in an integrated manner.

What are the main challenges regarding the global coordination? How do you make sure all locations are aligned with the way to operate and values? 

Quality control and mission alignment, but over the years we have sophisticated our onboarding process to ensure this well. When a team wants to create an Impact Hub in their city, they come to us when they are at least three members in the team and together they then embark on an onboarding journey, which is a tailored process, that we update on a regular basis, based on our experiences. Every team gets paired with an onboarding coach and has a number of steps they need to do, which are natural in the founding process anyways, like creating a business plan and a financial model as well as developing an impact logic based on the global one that we co-created as a network. The beauty is that every onboarding coach has founded an Impact Hub themselves, so they know about the pain points as well as the key drivers of success. This supports the teams in the best way, whilst ensuring that new teams are mission-aligned and come with the right motivation.

Every onboarding coach has founded an Impact Hub themselves, so they know about the pain points as well as the key drivers of success.

Is there or what kind of support program/projects are you dispatching or providing through the network of Impact Hub spaces?

We run over 200 incubation and acceleration programs annually, many of them together with partners and always on impact-related topics in line with the SDGs. A good example of an accelerator program focused on the SDGs would be Accelerate 2030, with more than 15 Impact Hubs participating or our global partnership with the WWF, which has already led to a number of impact-driven programs with a focus on the environment, like the Plastic Free Ocean Accelerator of Impact Hub Amsterdam and WWF. On a day-to-day basis, we e.g. have a partnership with the Boston Consulting Group who provide our startups with free business clinics. Furthermore, our startups get a lot of exposure through the 11,000+ events that are annually happening in our spaces, where they can participate, pitch, or get connected.

How impactful are Impact Hub locations for the respective ecosystem they operate within and in which fields, would you say?

Impact Hubs are supporting the development of their local ecosystems. Depending on the socio-economic context they are in, this means more educational work to show an alternative to the existing economic system by promoting entrepreneurship, social business models, and the importance of intentional communities with purpose. In more advanced ecosystems, we become players that focus on promoting intentional community building and collaboration – all with a focus on the SDGs. In each ecosystem, we work a lot with different partners, from private to public sector and academia, because you can only really achieve progress towards the SDGs and drive positive change if you work together with all sectors and also involve those unlikely allies that might generally not sit around the same table. Facilitating and driving this exchange and joint initiatives is key to us as well as supporting our entrepreneurs on their journey from idea to scale. You can find a lot of examples of stories in our Impact Report and our latest impact figures in our Community Impact Report. For instance, our Swiss Impact Hubs have teamed up with the MAVA Foundation and are jointly working on the Circular Economy Transition of Switzerland.

In general, we work a lot with different partners, from private to public sector and academia, because you can only really achieve progress towards the SDGs and drive positive change if you work together with all sectors and also involve those unlikely allies that might generally not sit around the same table.

In the beginning of Impact Hub, coworking was still a marginal activity. Today, coworking is becoming a true industry. How does Impact Hub finds it place?

It is true, back in 2005 when the first Impact Hub opened, coworking was still a very unknown concept that was very innovative and we were one of the early players in the field. These days, coworking is a big industry and we continue to offer coworking services, but with a focus on intentional community building. We build communities for impact at scale, using the SDGs as a lens through which we view the impact we create in the world. For that, we have surveyed our community and their impact as well as the entrepreneurial needs for a long time and have learned that there are certain key success factors that make entrepreneurs thrive. Embedding these key factors and principles into our approach ensures that the Impact Hub experience is valuable, meaningful, as well as impactful. We believe that entrepreneurial networks of communities can be a strong driver for positive change and that is what we want to continue to drive in this world.