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Don't know enough about Techstars to comment, but the location (1871) is a problem. It's incredibly noisy and crowded. I personally can't get anything done th
by maxdemarzi 12y ago
Don't know enough about Techstars to comment, but the location (1871) is a problem. It's incredibly noisy and crowded. I personally can't get anything done there, so it's quick meetings and I'm out, working at home in peace. One upside however is that there is a good food court at the merchandise mart and I love those habanero burritos.
Lots of co-working spaces are popping up all over Chicago, if you're in the market for space... pick a quiet one.
- joelrunyon 12y agoThe central area is - but the TechStars companies do get semi-private work spaces (which is much better than the loud open-space most people see.
- tptacek 12y agoIf you've got 2 people in your team, I don't think the math on spaces like 1871 works out; it's cheaper just to get an office. If you're just one person, you probably don't need any space at all. We're shopping for offices right now for the new company, and Chicago offices are cheap.
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- x0x0 12y agonew company?
- driverdan 12y agoI can't speak to Chicago because I don't know the market but in general you'll get a lot more out of working in a space with other startups and freelancers than you will working alone in a cave, er, your own office. Networking alone is worth it. Once you grow to a large enough size that getting your own office offsets the lost opportunity cost of networking sure, get one.
- tptacek 12y agoI can speak to a career in startups when I say, respectfully, that I think this is horseshit. Compare outcomes. The most successful companies do not predominantly emerge from coworking spaces.
- balls187 12y agoIt seems like using "most successful" companies as a rubrik for decision making doesn't make a lot of sense, given how unlikely it is that any company will make it to the "most successful" categorization. There are some tangible benefits from working out of a coworking space (I'm not sure you are advocating an opinion one way or the other regarding them): - easier access to networking events. Certainly you can make the trek from your office over to where the event is, but there is an extra level of convenience. - Access to other people. I was the only technical founder on our team, and just being able to talk shop with other engineers had real value. For the business guys, they were able to talk with other business guys and swap ideas and information. - Manufactured Serendipity. This one is a bit of a stretch, but if you are around other startups, there is a small chance that something lucky can happen. Is it going to move the needle? Dunno, certainly more likely to happen than if you were alone in a garage. None of these things should take away from what I think is the important aspect of an office: allowing people to work productively. If that part isn't there, then no amount of perks and benefits will matter.
- tptacek 12y agoThere are tangible costs to working in a coworking space: * It's significantly more expensive. * It's distracting. * It creates an endless font of excuses to "network" and "talk shop" instead of powering through the schleps. * It colocates serious companies alongside fundamentally unserious ones, leaving the serious ones to filter requests, drama, networking, &c. For me, cost is dispositive. Put burning cash up against abstract benefits like "serendipity" and "talking shop" and I don't have a hard time making that decision. Last company, we wanted to talk shop too. We started a meetup. It worked fantastic. Do that! Erin and I are signing a lease on the office for NewCo today. The space is depressing. We're in Oak Park to begin with, a 35 minute walk from my house, and you'd have to look to find an office with a window staring out onto a brick wall. We have two of those. It's perfect. There's a time for spending some cash to make your work space pleasant. But not in the early days. Unfortunately, that's what coworking spaces optimize for.
- janson0 12y agoThe space that TechStars uses in 1871 is separated from the main area, in an enclosed office area. Doors can be shut and distraction is pretty effectively minimized. It works pretty well, from my experience. Also, yeah... The food court is good! But that Duncan Donuts and Arby's certainly is my downfall... ha
- driverdan 12y agoGet yourself some headphones and learn how to focus. It takes a little getting used to but isn't hard and this is coming from someone with ADHD.