NewHavenBIZ

18 n e w h a v e n B I Z | N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 8 n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m C O W O R K I N G SO HAPPY TOGETHER Once restricted to major tech hubs, 'coworking' has rapidly evolved into a new normal in New Haven By Natalie Missakian I nspireCorps had reached a crossroads. e fledgling leader- ship-coaching firm wasn't ready to commit to the expense of a long-term lease, but working remotely was taking its toll on the team, which had expanded from three to seven members in just 24 months. "Even though we were on video calls eight times a day, it's not the same as being there live," explains Gabrielle Joyce, the company's di- rector of client experience. Worse, team members would oen scram- ble to find private, professional spaces when they could conduct face-to-face confabs with clients. So this spring, the startup rented a five-person desk at Drive, the coworking space inside District New Haven, a 107,000-square-foot Silicon Valley-style innovation campus that opened earlier this year in a rehabbed bus garage at 470 James Street. Now, not only does the team have a dedicated place to park their lap- tops, but just about everything else they need to run a business: access to conference rooms, a kitchen, coffee, internet, cleaning services, parking — not to mention extras like an on- site gym, kayak launch, restaurant and beer garden. Joyce says the most important amenity of all, however, is the sense of community. "We're meeting people and getting the word out about InspireCorps," says Joyce, adding the startup has al- ready picked up new clients through contacts made at Drive. "It just doesn't happen when you're doing it on your own from home." District New Haven is one of a growing roster of non-traditional work environments sprouting in the Elm City and beyond, from coworking sites and "maker spaces" to specialty incubators focusing on everything from health technology to food and the arts. Once limited to major tech hubs like Boston and San Francisco, collaborative work spaces are now proliferating in mid-sized cities and even suburban and rural towns, explains Ryan Chatterton, a global coworking consultant, founder of the website Coworking Insights and author of an eponymous handbook. eir rise is part of a global movement that took off in the U.S. aer the Great Recession, fueled in part by faster internet, Millennials entering the workforce and a shi away from 9-to-5 jobs in favor of entrepreneurism and freelancing. Right Place, Right Time New Haven, with its heritage as a hotbed of invention, rich startup culture, youthful population and a growing reputation as a magnet for creative types, was ripe to jump on the burgeoning trend, says Steve Fontana, the city's deputy director of economic development. "I think it's very much a part of our culture of innovation," says Fontana. "In New Haven, we attract a lot of people who are not only creative, but who take initiative. If they don't see something they need or want, they go out and try to make it happen." Local entrepreneurs Slate Ballard and Ken Janke pioneered the co- working concept in the Elm City in 2010, launching the Grove with just Chris D'Addamo of Branford works with soldering equipment at MakeHaven on lower Chapel Street. Continued on next page

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