Who are you sitting next to right now? Whoever it is, it’s probably not as cool as who you’d be rubbing elbows with if you got a desk at The Warehouse, a new coworking space from Lightbank, announced today. Located at 600 West, the building also houses venture-backed companies such as Groupon, Belly and Benchprep. The endeavor is an effort to support the growth of Chicago’s tech community, whose number of jobs Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants to double in the next decade.
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Today, there is space for 100 employees of new startups and small businesses. For $300 a month, members will get everything from desk space, 24-hour building access, and office hours to a full kitchen, on-site food options and discounted gym memberships. According to Lightbank Managing Director Brad Keywell, The Warehouse is built on the strength of the numerous companies he and Groupon CEO and Lightbank cofounder Eric Lefkofsky helped grow at that location.
“We’ve got a space...that is perfectly suited for a co-working space, and so it’s really our participation in a really active startup environment here in Chicago that led to offering space here at 600 West,” Keywell said. “It always helps further opportunities for startups to join others and get some of the good shared energy.”
This city’s digital entrepreneurs are already familiar with — and often very grateful for — Chicago’s first major coworking space, 1871. Seeing what that organization has achieved, Keywell wants to offer entrepreneurs more of the opportunities that 1871 has given its members. For him, it’s a matter of building community.
“Community and connectivity are critically important to innovation and to startup success,” he said. “People being connected with each other — in engineering, business development, project management and others — having community and connectivity is one of the dynamics that increases the odds of success.”
Keywell envisions success on a community level. He believes supporting fledgling companies will help them grow, and eventually their growth will enhance the city’s digital ecosystem. His is a belief that a rising tide lifts all boats.
For those interested in docking at The Warehouse, applications are now open at thewarehousechi.com.
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