With an ever-growing influx of small one- and two-person businesses, freelance and contract workers, and satellite office workers, there is an ever-growing demand for small offices and co-working spaces. Bamboo Detroit, which opened in July, has been building its roster of small businesses and freelancers looking for a space to set up shop in a community environment that isn't a coffeehouse.
Bamboo Detroit, at 1442 Brush Street, is a co-working space for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams, providing office space and conference rooms for people to work efficiently. "Entrepreneurial team and tech (startups) are growing in Detroit and people need places to work," says Bamboo Detroit co-founder Dave Anderson, who is also the co-founder of the health app Health-Crunch. "Coffee shops aren't always conducive (to work); also for some people (permanent office space) just isn't working out or is too expensive." At Bamboo Detroit entrepreneurs and freelancers are able to work among like-minded people and share resources to create a community – and get outside of coffee houses.
Co-founded by Anderson, Mike Ferlito of Ferlito Construction, and Brian Davis, co-founder of mobile app Friendect, Bamboo is already becoming a creative entrepreneurial hub, hosting the Detroit branch of the monthly
50 Founders event series inspired by
Chris Dixon's Founders Stories series in TechCrunch. Previous events have featured Brian Wong, creator of Kiip, and Kevin Krease and Garret Koehler, founders of Action Sports Detroit, the team behind the X Games Detroit Bid and the new annual event Assemble Detroit.
The building, owned by Ferlito's family for the last 14 years, had been empty for the last 10. Once the three founders had the idea, it only took them about two months to get up and running. The building has previously housed a German print shop and later and architecture firm.
Bamboo Detroit already has 17 companies signed up, which includes a good mix of software and web development companies, bloggers, app developers and social entrepreneurs including Health Detroit, Michipreneur, Hell Yeah Detroit, and Detroit's latest media darling
Super Business Girl (
featured on NBC).
Monthly memberships start at $99 and include office desks, conference rooms, space for community events, Wi-Fi, mail services, and 24/7 access to the building. Anderson says it is "set up like a gym membership" and people come and go as they please. "What I'm hearing a lot from members now is that it feels like a strong community and family," Anderson says. "People love being there." Learn more and apply
here.
Source: Bamboo Detroit co-founder Dave Anderson
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg
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