The Journey of Implementation
They all say it was the idea that made the journey beautiful. However, realistically, all ideas have not withstood the journey of time. Beyond the brilliance of such ideas lies the journey of implementation.
Many corporate entities now firmly established in the annals of successful business history have had the experience of grappling with funding, navigating with limited resources, and other day-to-day challenges. Most of these companies have vouched for the support they received from the fulfilling environment coworking spaces provided during their formative years.
Instagram: From Four Desks to a Billion-Dollar App
Kevin Systrom and Mike Kreiger are almost household names on every phone today. A few years ago, Instagram was yet to be launched. Kevin and Mike rented four desks at a coworking space called Dogpatch in San Francisco for just $500 a month.
In that shared environment, they brainstormed ideas for a company called Burbn. Later, they scrapped the old application, retained only the photo feature, and called it Instagram. In 2012, Facebook purchased the app for a whopping $1 billion, and the rest is history.
Uber: Conceived in Rocket Space
In 2009, Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick, tired of long commutes and hefty taxi charges in San Francisco, hit upon the idea of an application that could solve commuting problems. This brainwave was conceived in a coworking area called Rocket Space.
The founders have since amassed a fortune of $5.8 billion. Camp and Kalanick owe their success to the coworking space that created a viable working environment all through their struggling years, allowing them to turn a dream into a global reality.
Timehop: Nurtured by Tech Giants
Jonathan Wegener and Benny Wong"s idea for the Timehop app began in a coworking space in 2011. Even the tech giant Facebook chose to house Timehop"s team in a coworking space because it recognized that ideas could only bloom in such collaborative environments.
Timehop works by retrieving old photos and content from your phone or email and connecting them to your social media accounts, a feature that has since become a staple of the social media experience.
Final Thought
Many other startups, such as Spotify, Hootsuite, and Water, thrived in the fostering environment of co-spaces. Each one attributes their success to the support these environments provided. Undoubtedly, the agile and collaborative nature of coworking spaces holds a special place for ventures, proving to be the ultimate catalysts in their journey toward becoming global industry leaders.
