As first reported in Bisnow, a pair of former WeWork executives plan to start a new coworking company they’re describing as "coworking in a box," according to Mark Kennedy of PMG Capital, the third partner in the yet-to-be-named venture.
As first reported in Bisnow, the nascent company, which will be based in D.C. and be led, in part, by a former head of WeWork’s real estate team, will be focused on getting more coworking spaces in office buildings in cities and suburbs across the country. Kennedy said the identities of the executive team will be revealed, along with more details, in the coming weeks.
According to Kennedy, the "coworking in a box concept" is a platform that allows landlords with excess commercial real estate to take advantage of coworking to monetize unused space while being even more flexible than current arrangements.
The company will provide a service that enables landlords to both quickly set up small coworking spaces and then quickly flip them back into typical leases when and if a new opportunity comes along. It’s akin to franchising the coworking concept, says Kennedy. Landlords can contract the service to set up, operate, and run a coworking space in their building, or they could allow a third-party to operate the facility.
"Essentially, it creates an open architecture platform that can be used to generate revenue or a swing space tool to test out the building," Kennedy told Curbed. "This will also help what we call ‘functionally obsolete suburban office space.’Coworking will give them a new live."
Kennedy, who says details slipped to Bisnow before the company was ready to make an official announcement, also notes that the company hopes to create a network of spaces, cross-branded with retail and apartment developers, to expand coworking’s footprint and reach, focusing on more traditional companies and larger businesses looking to downsize.