

Loosecubes is shutting down - zaiste
http://blog.loosecubes.com/post/35620635475/dear-loosecubers-friends-and-fans-we-are

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nlh
Disappointing! I just signed up a few weeks ago and have happily used
Loosecubes several times to find some great coworking spaces. They introduced
me to the good folks at PARISOMA in SF and Buro in Miami.

So sorry to hear about this. Of course, I didn't pay them anything for those
intros (and I would have, btw) but I imagine that in general has something to
do with their decision to close up shop.

I'd be interested to learn a few things: 1. What was the story behind their
(hoped?) business model, and why did they decide to close the doors? 2. I
wonder if someone will pick up the mantle where they left off -- perhaps not
at the same scale -- but there is absolutely a need for this sort of coworking
directory.

Perhaps a side-project-in-waiting for someone...?

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ovi256
Have a look at <http://www.coworfing.com>, saw some cool public places with
wifi around me.

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coworfing
I'm cofounder of Coworfing, thanks for mentioning us. We're still under
development but working hard to provide you the best service. The best comment
I found on the topic is over here: [http://happymonster.co/2012/11/13/what-
loosecubes-shutdown-m...](http://happymonster.co/2012/11/13/what-loosecubes-
shutdown-means-for-coworking-and-the-future-of-sharing-space/) and especially
this paragraph "Because for LooseCubes, it was never about the physical
features of the facilities. All that stuff is irrelevant now. The name of the
game in the workspace sharing world is the people you have a chance to meet.
Nobody ever said they loved coworking because they got to sit in a fancy
chair. LooseCubes got that better than most, and was putting that first and
foremost in the direction they took." We respected and watched closely
Loosecubes because they put a real focus on being social, while most of the
other players are only directories. Loosecubes understood that the purpose of
the tool is to help people share their workplaces. It's more about coworkers
than listings of coworking spaces.

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ahc
What a shame... I really loved their service. Also, quite surprising given
they raised a pretty big Series A just a few months ago.
<http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/05/loosecubes-series-a/>

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johnabowen
I agree that it’s surprising. I hope we get a postmortem; I’d like to know why
they are closing the doors. Lack of traction (seems like they had some
though)? Trouble monetizing?

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skreech
Yeah, a "why" is definitely lacking. They must have had either a monetization
plan or an aggressive growth plan when they raised that money, and 5 months is
a short time to prove either.

Could be internal struggles or personal reasons.

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rwhitman
So sad to hear this. Everyone should take a spin through their product and
marketing screens before they close up shop, the design is a real work of art.

I had some time to sit down with Campbell a few times when she was just
launching the company - so much positive energy and a real dedication to
community building

Sadly I think it may have just been a little ahead of its time...

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bmac27
Agreed. I don't think the market for non-coffee shop workspaces is still that
sizable, particularly in non-city environments. It's definitely growing though
and I think in five to ten years, this market will be able to sustain a more
viable business model once the shift in work patterns from full-time cubicle
farm dweller to freelancer takes place in greater numbers.

I personally used Loosecubes to find a great space in midtown NYC and built
some solid friendships with a few of the folks there as a result. They'll
definitely be missed and I wish them well.

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web64
If they got $7.8M in June then they must have more money in the bank, so does
this mean they are going to pivot?

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jeffreylo
FWIW, I heard the funding didn't come through.

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ALee
I'm quite surprised this happened. I recently used their services in NYC for
the first time. There was a lot they could have done to increase growth for
their service and to optimize for revenue. I would have paid money for the
service (and I rarely pay for any services), but alas, I don't think they're
able to do that.

It is possible that their price tests just didn't yield a very high margin for
them, which is essential in these AirBnB type of companies.

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subpixel
Sorry to hear this, but in my experience, coworking spaces are able to manage
their own marketing (web) and payment (square) systems, rendering the LC
discovery/reservation/transaction model a tenuous one.

On top of that, I think there's just less demand for short-term, drop-in work
space than LC seems to be predicated upon.

I'm sure LC learned a ton of valuable lessons and I hope they'll share.

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pavel_lishin
I always imagined that LC was looking to cater to businesses that happen to
have a few spare desks or offices, but don't want to open a side business
having to manage a coworking space; much like AirBNB allows me to rent out my
couch without having to put up a neon SuperMotel9 sign in my window.

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shoeless
I think this is true. However, the LC model was sharing - for free. So, I'm in
the LC network, I can use any other space in the LC network. It's predicated
on those folks being on the move quite a bit. Not sure how they could have
monetized that.

~~~
pavel_lishin
I thought their primary model was charging businesses to handle the money
handling aspect of renting desks out. Being able to cowork somewhere for free
just because I'm also offering space seems like something that wouldn't be
used very often. (Or am I misunderstanding?)

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coworfing
As a more open alternative (we're open source and trying to build a common
listing of places), I'm wondering what will Loosecubes team do with their db &
their code. Moreover, I'm sure they know and understood many things that would
help everyone if shared.

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ryankals
Really sad to hear them closing up shop! I used Loosecubes a few times to find
space at TheAlley in midtown. Perhaps they had trouble monetizing? They
certainly had loyal regulars such as myself posting reviews... shocking to
hear they went under.

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manjupapa
Currently looks like the largest platform for shared workspaces is ShareDesk
<http://www.sharedesk.net/>

It says they have over 950 priorities and they have a very impressive UI.

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haberdasher
Is there any kind of service that broadcasts just that you're working on a
project and that there's space to sit nearby, whether it's your apartment or a
cafe?

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morewillie
Sad to hear this. The Loosecubes team was always amazingly friendly and
helpful. They built a beautiful service, it's a shame to see it shuttered.

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karakurt
why? :'-(

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bravoyankee
Interesting how a startup can be a success (like loosecubes) yet still fail.

All the best to those involved.

