Coworking spaces, such as WeWork, are better known for bros and beer than for diversity, intellectual inquiry, and social good. That’s a real problem, in the eyes of John Borthwick, founder and CEO of betaworks, an early-stage investment firm known for incubating companies like Giphyand Chartbeat. So Borthwick is opening a network of collaboration spaces, dubbed Studios, with the intention of intermingling tech-oriented academics, creatives, and entrepreneurs.
“There’s a screaming need for this,” he says. “This is about bringing together people across disciplines. Technology is changing every aspect of society, but a lot of technology is still being built in what I would describe as a one-dimensional way.” With Studios, set to open its first location this spring in New York’s Meatpacking District, he hopes to encourage member “builders” to humanize and contextualize their work.
In practice, Studios will function less like a coworking office and more like a social club-cum-salon. Most notably, there will be no desks in the first Studio, and only a handful of private meeting rooms. Activity will instead be oriented around a flexible lounge outfitted with meeting booths and other casual seating. On-site concierges (and software) will introduce members with shared interests.