As flexible workspaces become a more popular options for the rising gig economy, companies are popping up to support them — Breather recently expanded to Toronto after raising a $20 million series B, and companies like Crew are providing workspaces for the freelancers they service.
New York-based WeWork, which is currently worth $16 billion, recently opened its first Canadian location in Montreal. Bruce Croxon sat with Dave McLaughlin, the general manager for WeWork Canada, to talk about the company’s appeal.
“The old way of thinking about space is that you go into your own space, you commit for some period of time, at WeWork you come in on a month-to-month basis, and you become part of a community both locally and globally of like-minded people,” said McLaughlin. “It allows you to source vendors faster, find partnerships, and hire faster, and create tangible business value from that community.”
Croxon asked about future plans for the company, which currently has about 70 locations around the world. The company is looking to expand to Shanghai and Seoul as it focuses on growing geographically. “At the start of 2015, we were about 16,000 members worldwide, and at the end of 2015 we were at about 42,000 worldwide. That’s the scale of growth,” McLaughlin said.
Watch the whole interview below:
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