Breather has announced the launch of Breather offices, an expansion of its flexible space offering specifically designed for companies looking for occupancy periods of a month or more.
The Breather Offices platform comes as more businesses are looking for space in growing Canadian tech cities. In July, CBRE said Toronto is North America’s fastest-growing tech talent market for the second year in a row, while more global like Microsoft and Samsung companies look to set up hubs in the country.
The company is launching brand new spaces by the end of 2018 in New York, San Francisco, Toronto, and Los Angeles.
Breather said that its base of 16,000 corporate clients have requested longer stays in short-term Breather spaces. “In a company’s high growth phase, needs for staffing, design, location, and amenities can be completely unpredictable. Being stuck with a space that doesn’t meet evolving needs can be damaging to a company’s growth,” said Packy McCormick, Breather’s VP of experience. “We are giving companies the ability to build their business in a private and premium space along with the flexibility to scale up or down at any moment.”
This expansion announcement comes on the heels of a high-growth period for the company. Following a $60 million funding round in June, Breather has brought on a number of key executives and advisors, including Mark Frackt as interim chief financial officer, Christine Djerrahian as head of architecture and design, and Dror Poleg as strategy & real estate advisor.
“With the constant growth in our company and continuous need for more meeting room space, Breather has been our saving grace,” said Donne Faasen, office Manager at Spotify. “The spaces are in great locations, and are always tidy and modernly decorated. Whether it be for an hour or a full day, we are grateful for Breather’s flexibility and ease of use.”
At the same time, global coworking companies have been expanding rapidly in Canada. WeWork plans to open 20 locations in Toronto by 2020 as well as several locations in Vancouver, while Amsterdam-based Spaces has been opening several locations in Canada.
Breather noted that while competitors require year-long commitments for private workspaces, the company allows clients to book private meeting rooms, offsite spaces and offices on an hourly, daily and now monthly basis with no long-term commitment. Office spaces in all 10 Breather markets have been redesigned for longer rentals; the company is also launching brand new spaces that will be move-in ready by the end of 2018 in New York, San Francisco, Toronto, and Los Angeles.
“We have served more than 500,000 people, working in companies such as Spotify, Away, and Tesla,” said McCormick. “Many of our clients book a space for a day and end up asking us whether they can stay there for a month, a year, and even longer.” These clients represent some of the most forward-thinking companies in the world. Larger, more traditional companies have already adopted the way that such companies structure their teams, develop their products and incentivize their employees. Adopting the way they consume space is the natural next step.”