Introducing a new collaboration space in the Twin Cities
Update: I've posted pictures of the new space!
I’m delighted to announce the launch of a new destination for collaboration and innovation. It’s a place where freelancers, startups, and individuals from larger organizations will be able to forge an open, collaborative and entrepreneurial approach to working and meeting.
Coming as soon as January, this space will bring together some concepts you’re probably already familiar with:- A coworking space
- A small-business incubator
- A flexible meeting space, where organizations come to generate and prototype new ideas for product and services.
- A gathering space for local unconferences, tweetups and meetups
- An espresso bar (natch.)
Who’s behind this venture?
- Don Ball, a partner with Polymer Studios and cofounder of UnSummit
- Kyle Coolbroth, an organizational innovation consultant
Why this? Why here? Why now?
We feel there are a few trends that make this idea ripe for the picking:
- The spirit of openness and sharing (see: open source, Web 2.0, social media, etc.) has infected many of us who are independents, entrepreneurs and small business owners. We believe that big organizations will increasingly look to tap into the "open" model of doing business.
- Coworking is taking off in the Twin Cities (with at least 3 locations in the works) as freelancers discover the limitations of working from a home office or the local coffee shop.
- The local startup scene is gaining steam, but needs the kind of nurturing that a small business incubator would provide.
- Bigger businesses (and non-profits, for that matter) are looking to tap into the energy and innovation of the startup community in order to solve big problems and invent new products and services.
How does the meeting space figure into all this?
The meeting space will be more than just an empty room (after all, you can rent meeting space anywhere). Our space will be unique in three ways:
- Infrastructure: We are making extensive use of theatrical set design and props, so that we can quickly and inexpensively reconfigure the space to serve the unique needs of each group. We'll also employ various digital technologies, so that meetings and participant experiences can be easily documented, remixed and shared.
- Meeting methodology: We will be using several different methodologies that emphasize peer-to-peer sharing and disruptive thinking, so that we can help visiting groups quickly clarify opportunities and generate an abundance of valuable ideas. Currently, we’re talking to a handful of experienced facilitators, who will be our meeting superstars.
- Rapid prototyping: We feel it’s important to go beyond idea generation and actually feel a product in hand, click on a Web or mobile interface, or play with a customer experience. To that end, we’re already recruiting sketch artists, graphic designers, CAx designers, actors and other creative individuals who can help bring ideas to life. Ideally, we'd love to have these types of professionals resident at the space. That way, any meetings hosted at the space result in actual business for our coworking members.
Where will this space be located?
We've got a line on a rather large converted warehouse space (upwards of 10,000 sq. ft.) in downtown St. Paul, right on the cusp of Lowertown and right along the proposed light rail line, which means we'd be close to the Farmer's Market, several good restaurants and lots of cheap parking.
We could be ready to open the doors for co-working as early as January. It might take a little more time to recruit small businesses for the incubator space and line up organizations that want to conduct meetings.Big questions remaining...
Naturally, we’ve got a few things to figure out, including the available coworking and incubator spots, plans, costs, etc. We hope to start posting this info in the next week or so.
So, what do you make of this idea? We're trying to practice what we preach and open up this venture to public input. So, your thoughts are truly welcome, as we really want this space to reflect the wants and needs of the community.Please help us choose a name for this new space!
Last, but not least, what would you call this space? We've got some candidates below, but would love your input on which name best describes the concept.
- CoLab
- The Collaborative
- Idea Lounge
- Open Labs
- Out of Office (OoO)
- Seedbed
- Spark Labs
- Other - Don't like any of the names above? Please suggest a better one. If we choose it, we'll make you a charter member and you'll be entitled to a year of coworking or free coffee for life!
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