Posted on by Sheldon Nesdale

Tauranga 2013: A Business Incubator, A Business Accelerator, And 3 Co-Working Spaces

Have I shared with you my plan for 2013?

I want to establish a business incubator/accelerator/co-working space here in Tauranga.

Tauranga’s first co-working space starts this week in the Priority One building, hooray! I’ll be doing my best to help them succeed.

But that is only the beginning. Imagine there was one business incubator, one accelerator and 3 co-working spaces here in Tauranga. That’s my vision.

But one step at a time. The first step for me on this journey is research.

Research into what has worked well and what hasn’t.

I don’t want to re-invent the wheel. I want to learn from the mistakes of the past. I want to learn from the best.

First up is Grind in New York.

8 quick facts about Grind co-working space in New York:

  1. Open plan floor + hot desks + lockers + bookable meeting rooms
  2. Free, high quality coffee
  3. “Frictionless” membership and entry into the building
  4. A “wall of awesome” that celebrates and showcases successes that Grind members have had
  5. Existing members invite new members
  6. Furniture chosen for its sustainability and low-environmental impact
  7. Coming soon: “the agora. In the future we’ll be rolling out tools that encourage Grindists to tap into the skills of other Grindists.”
  8. Cost: US$500/month membership (of US$35/day)

Lessons for me:

  • A very cool name. A combination of “the daily grind” in an ironic sense + a reference to coffee that black liquid that wakes us up and we meet over
  • It’s simple/spartan and uncluttered: A big open plan floor with desks, office chairs and couches. But…
  • It doesn’t feel like a temporary place with a short lease. It feels permanent. I thought I could start with a cheap 12 month lease somewhere but now I’m thinking that might be a mistake

More co-working spaces for me to check out

Want to Help?

  • I’ve started a list of people who share my vision and want to help. Want to join this list? Say so in the comments below

8 Replies to “Tauranga 2013: A Business Incubator, A Business Accelerator, And 3 Co-Working Spaces”

  2. Hi Sheldon,
    So good that you’re leading the charge to make TGA the Silicon Bay of NZ, I definitely share that vision! Here are some links to some of the spaces Ive done some research on… enjoy!
    http://workatthespot.com/
    http://theironyard.com/
    http://www.beanworkplaycafe.com/
    http://weld.co/
    http://strongboxwest.com/
    http://sunshineny.com/
    http://ignitionalley.com/
    http://www.3rdward.com/
    http://roamatlanta.com/about/
    http://151locust.com/
    http://dannex.org/
    http://workbar.com/

    Give me a shout when you want to discuss!

    Cheers.

    Jo

  4. That is great news for Tauranga.

    Anyone interested in researching coworking spaces shouldn’t overlook Berlin, which is perhaps the startup capital of Europe. I have worked in many of the ones on this list and can vouch for them:
    http://venturevillage.eu/berlins-10-best-coworking-spaces

    They are generally cheaper than NZ and places like Betahaus and Agora emphasize social connectivity which is essential for a young (or even old) business.

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