Incubator Style Coworking Space

WebWorkerDaily toured CoLab, an Orlando, FL coworking space and posted insight into how coworking is working in a larger city. The space is primarily being used as an incubator style / shared office configuration instead of a solo-worker destination.

The coworking common area at CoLab is definitely underutilized. It was virtually deserted on the Monday afternoon that I visited, although I was told a few members use it on a regular basis. This is likely because CoLab’s suites are so affordable that they are packed to the rafters with small businesses.

Another reason for the lack of utilization may be due to the variety of options available to solo workers in Orlando.  In some locations where there is an existing culture of web-based entrepreneurs a larger number of startups an incubator style startup may work. In fact, this is a major benefit to any bio-technology firm considering involvement in the Pine Island Elk Run Biotech Park or even the Minnesota BioBusiness Center. However, for internet professionals, the demand for this type of space doesn’t appear to be there and downtown would be better served by a more traditional open coworking facility.

Specialty Co-working

The New York Times has an article today about a specialty co-working location Green Spaces (NY) which is focusing in on the needs of environmental startups as well as running a green business. With Rochester so heavily focused on medicine, could this area support a more focused co-working facility that was geared toward bio-technology? It’s clear that the larger environmental movement nation-wide is taking hold in a big way in the co-working space and should be included in any local efforts to create a co-working facility, bio-tech focused or not.

The future bio-technology park in Pine Island seems to indicate that traditional co-working may be to “small” to handle the needs of the medical industry. However, it’s also clear that gathering of any industry vertical together into one location is beneficial. Rochester’s smaller information based businesses would certainly benefit from the presence of a co-working facility.