

Ask YC: Thinking of Launching Coworking in Silicon Valley, with a twist  - Mazy

Myself (ustream) + Roommate (Publictivity) are thinking of starting a coworking space using extra space in our house (it's a three story townhouse) in Palo Alto. We're thinking of turning the living area + garage into a coworking space for hackers, entrepreneurs,etc. in the next month. Thoughts?<p>a) it's our place, so different than most coworking. b) we've never done this before. what are the downfalls? c) what would make it interesting to you?
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menloparkbum
I've been to both Citizen space and Hat Factory in SF. Hat Factory is too
inconvenient for me, and Citizen Space is too expensive ($350/m). You can get
a real, private office in a cool space in San Francisco for $400 if you know
the right people (artists). Paying money to go to someone's house with a bunch
of other people I don't know doesn't appeal to me. It could potentially appeal
to me if I lived in Palo Alto and it was really cheap, like $30/m or less. It
seems like you'd have to have some additional benefit, because I don't see the
advantage over simply going to work at a friend's house, which is free. Maybe
it would appeal to people with no friends? If you're trying to make some extra
money you might be better off just renting out the garage. If you are trying
to meet more nerds, hosting a "super happy dev house" type event once a month
might have the same effect. You could make money with that idea too, by
charging $5 at the door for beer.

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andreshb
Ive seen the space, I like it. Very nice, it's relatively big (~ 15 ppl max)
its within walking distance (across the street) of one of the best places for
breakfast in the area, and on the route of 2 frequent bus lines.

About security (of the owner): It's not like you would not know who everyone
there is (think LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter), plus you could set in place some
basic common sense safeguards (lock doors to your rooms, add those nifty
security cables to laptops)

Security of tenants: Same as above, lock door(s) to office entrance, perhaps
some CCTV at the door (cheap remote hosted)

Overall, I think it's a good idea, and I think you should do it.

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alain94040
Hi,

Why would you do that? Actually I did something similar in my garage, but with
a very high selection threshold, and very short term stays. If you are
recommended by someone I trust and needed a place to stay for a specific
purpose, then I would host you.

In that particular instance, I believed in quality vs. quantity.

Now, for the good news: it's a great way to meet amazing people and you'll be
glad you have done it, 5 years from now. In the short term, you won't be so
glad. It just takes a very long time for these things (karma) to come back to
you, but it's great.

Alain - fairsoftware.net

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brianlash
I didn't gather from their explanation that it's charity. I could be wrong,
but my impression's that they're "selling the sawdust," or making the most on
every piece of their businesses (in this case by creatively subsidizing their
housing expenses).

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brianlash
a) Should I prefer working in your house to a traditional coworking space?

b) It's been said by noodle, but 1) security, and 2) liability. There's also
the risk that more people = more distractions, but that's a risk in any
coworking environment.

c) Is it priced competitively with other coworking options? Is is in walking
distance to good food, bars? How big is your place (which is to ask, is there
plenty of space for every person/group you invite?)? Will you include an
application to assure the quality of those in the space? Will you give a break
to YC-funded companies? What's the length of stay... is it plenty of time to
start a company?

Lots of questions, but it's an interesting idea.

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bootload
_"... b) we've never done this before. what are the downfalls? ..."_

Everyone steals your stuff. There is probably a "trust" issue you would want
to address. Maybe some reference checks, a bond? What I'd try is finding an
existing startup that you can get some "symbiosis" with. It might also be a
way to find extra founders? What ever you do write it up and post the results.
I'm sure there are some interesting outcomes.

Of course maybe you are an optimist. What are do you have to offer? Broadband,
wifi, couches, smart hackers? Startup rentals by hackers is a new idea, wonder
if it takes off?

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noodle
the obvious answer to the downfall question is security and liability. unless
you know and trust everyone as a friend, you're going to be taking on a
serious risk both personally and financially.

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auston
c. If it was free!

