We created a marketplace for coworking business because I'm tired of seeing coworking spaces close down.

192 views
Skip to first unread message

Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking

unread,
Aug 3, 2019, 3:42:56 PM8/3/19
to Coworking

John and I, a current and former coworking space owner, are tired of seeing friends close their coworking spaces. It just happened again last month with a friend in Washington. It’s been happening for years now as more coworking spaces turn 3,5, or even 10 years old. Most of the spaces that are closing aren’t losing a lot of money, or making a lot of money. The spaces are closing because they fall in the break-even area and the coworking business is not the sole focus of the owner.

It’s a side hobby. The spaces were started because the owner wanted to create a cool place for a community to form, and make some money. However, leases come up every few years and they have to make a decision. Is running the space worth my time? Can I keep putting in effort into building this community?


More often than not, if the owner decides they can’t put in the time / effort / emotional energy they just close the coworking space . The community that has been built over the years, the friendships that have been created, and ideas hatched between coffees are dispersed and go in search of a new home.


It doesn’t have to be this way.


We, the coworking industry, need a matchmaking service. We need a place that will help match owners that love coworking but are ready to move on to new opportunities with people that are excited to keep the business and community moving forward.

That’s why we spent the last few months creating DenSwap. It’s a marketplace for space owners to list their coworking business and be matched up with existing space owners, property owners, or others that are excited about the coworking movement. DenSwap will help spaces determine the value of their coworking business, understand the community, and what the owner’s priorities are in their exit. We’ll then take all of that info and help matchmake them with a buyer that has the same goals.


Right now, DenSwap is pre-launch phase as we line up spaces and investors. People can sign up right now to list their space or register as a buyer. Once we have enough spaces signed up, we’ll launch the marketplace. We expect that to happen in September. We already have a few buyers in the system.


Please check out DenSwap and reach out if you have any questions. My partners and I are passionate about the coworking industry and want our communities to succeed. We think having a matchmaking service from people that understand the coworking industry is an important part of the maturing industry.

If you want to see how much your coworking space might be worth, go to www.denswap.com/calculator.html

Joshua Webb

unread,
Aug 4, 2019, 5:38:07 AM8/4/19
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Signup page was a 404 when I looked just now.

Joshua Webb
Founder, Coach, International Speaker
Jos...@Growthli.com 

844-455-GROW (4769)
https://growthli.com

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coworking+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/coworking/a7570fe4-cbc3-485b-8b42-578b7fd85efe%40googlegroups.com.

Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking

unread,
Aug 4, 2019, 11:31:43 AM8/4/19
to Coworking
Thanks for letting me know. I'll go and find the page and correct it.

OLAOYE Seun

unread,
Aug 4, 2019, 11:38:03 AM8/4/19
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
This is great ! 
I hope this wil benefits soem of us start-ups.  
I  willng to partner,  collaborate with goal orinented investor. 
There is great oppprutnity here in my country.  

Happy with what you have come up with. 





Bassey Duke

unread,
Aug 4, 2019, 11:38:03 AM8/4/19
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
I think this is an excellent idea.

--

Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking

unread,
Aug 4, 2019, 11:54:17 AM8/4/19
to Coworking
Joshua,

I think we corrected the issue. People can only create accounts right now, but the marketplace isn't open. We are just getting spaces and buyers to create profiles and space listings. We want to talk to each person directly with an account manager to better understand their goals and help determine a more detailed valuation. We expect the marketplace to launch in September and then everyone will be able to see the listings and start communicating through the platform.


Bassey Duke

unread,
Aug 9, 2019, 12:38:55 PM8/9/19
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Hi, is this targeted for only the US market or will be a global product offering?

On Sun, Aug 4, 2019, 4:54 PM Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking <bau...@gmail.com> wrote:
Joshua,

I think we corrected the issue. People can only create accounts right now, but the marketplace isn't open. We are just getting spaces and buyers to create profiles and space listings. We want to talk to each person directly with an account manager to better understand their goals and help determine a more detailed valuation. We expect the marketplace to launch in September and then everyone will be able to see the listings and start communicating through the platform.


--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coworking+...@googlegroups.com.

Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking

unread,
Aug 9, 2019, 12:46:47 PM8/9/19
to Coworking
This is mostly a US focused project. We want to get the buying and selling figured out in the US. However, we are accepting international places. We just won't be putting in the effort to attract those buyers right now beyond just SEO.

Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking

unread,
Aug 22, 2019, 1:23:26 PM8/22/19
to Coworking
If you sold a coworking space, I would love to know your motives and how much work you put into it. I created a quick 9 question survey. It's quick and will be incredibly helpful on understanding what your process was and why you decided to sell.

Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages