Presentation at Les Darwiniens (Bordeaux, France) for the Erasmus+ Program "The Origin of Spaces", together with LX Factory.

1. Coworklisboa
!
This is not
about work
anymore.
Les darwiniens | Fernando Mendes | fm@coworklisboa.pt

2. How a designer decides to found
Coworklisboa together with his wife?
!
1. Works as a designer since 1990
2. Has a strong connection with social projects
3. Freelancer e teacher since 2002
4. In 2009, realizes working alone sucks
5. A coworking space is his lifetime goal:
!
Work avoiding work at any cost.

3. Coworklisboa was born safe and
beautiful?
!
Coworklisboa was proposed to a national GNO in the line
of The Big Issue (UK) in 2009. They said no, because:
!
1. “No one will work side by side”
2. “They will steal work from each other”
3. “It’s gonna be noisy and confuse”
4. “It will last one month”
5. “You are such an idiot, Fernando”
!
Being an entrepreneur based on anger works!

4. How did it all started?
!
Fernando Mendes looks in the entire city but founds no
place for Coworklisboa. Then, a friend suggested a talk
with LX Factory. They said yes immediately.
This was mid November 2009. Two and a half months
later Coworklisboa was born.
At that time, we had a single FB group with just one main
poll:
!
A Coworking space in Lisboa. Where?
!
This allowed us to start with a committed bunch of people
right since the very beginning.

5. First days?
!
More than 20 coworkers in the first week. Everyone
learning from each other how to run, behave and grow a
community.
!
Ana planned to stay there the first month to teach me
(laughs) how to proceed with those sexy things such as
invoicing, insurance, etc. She’s still here.
!
She is now CMO of Coworklisboa. Chief of Money
Things.

6. Marketing? Business Model? Rules?
!
Most of the time, we try to avoid everything that is the
norm and get back to basics (people):
!
1. No minimum stay
!
2. No inicial deposits
!
3. Every email is answered by me or Ana
!
4. No one leaves if he/she can’t pay

7. Want some numbers?
!
a) More than 400 coworkers since February, 2010
!
b) We are the national reference for shared workspaces
!
c) Active member of Lisboa’s entrepreneurship
ecosystem
!
d) Coworkers double their number of clients or income in
one year with us. [we just facilitate]
!
e) Our invoiced sales raised 50% each year since 2010

8. What else?
!
a) A cafetaria (even we don’t know nothing about this
business)
!
b) BetaTalks, Startup Weekend, StartupPirates, Tech
Meetups, Photobook Club Lisboa, all kinds of events
!
c) Partnership UBUNTU Academy (Social Incubator)
!
d) #LATA65. Street Art Workshop for the Elderly
!
e) -25+60=0 - Free stay for those under 25 or above 60.

9. Cowork is more REACTION than
CONSEQUENCE.
!
1. Fast growing contingent of freelancers
2. The company is dying
3. Balance between digital mediation and human
proximity
4. Millennials want to work, play, have fun and a
meaningful life
5. Organic grow, one person at a time.
!
Work avoiding work at any cost.

10. Numbers on
Coworking
!
(from the 3rd Global Coworking Survey – Deskmag)

11. More than 2000 coworking spaces in the world. 878
spaces in Europe, 270% growth in 2012.

12. Why work in a shared space?
Good atmosphere (66%)
Community and Interaction (57%)
Collaborative work (12%)

13. Which network events do you prefer?
Simple shared meals with fellow coworkers, friends, clients, etc (75%)

14. More and more women using coworking spaces (42%).
This number is growing each year.

15. Coworking spaces promote mobility around the world. At
Coworklisboa, more than 20% of the residents are non-portuguese.
Here’s António (Portugal), Greg (irish) and
Ian (scot).

16. Most of our coworkers are freelancers (+ 50%). They
do all kind of things. Some even do two things at the
same time. Here’s a graphic designer and a textile maker,
both in one body and mind.

17. Coworkers working for other companies are just 20%
of our residents. But again many of them become
founders of new startups inside Coworklisboa.

18. 80% of coworking spaces don’t belong to any kind of
association, they grow in a organic way, based on their
communities and founders.

19. The average inicial setup costs range from €45.000
(2011) to €70.000 (2012)

20. Nomadism as a new working trend is more than a trend.
Many workers search for new experiences, new cultures,
new markets. It’s the end of work as we know it [and we
feel fine about it].

21. One third of the world coworking spaces don’t pretend
to expand, another third just want to add some more
desks and finally the last third wants to open new spots.
Just a few desire to get “bigger”.

22. Coworking spaces comply with a true and effective
solidarity between generations and active ageing.
[#LATA65]

23. Many coworking spaces are founded by... designers!
[Some of them even bring the whole family in]

24. The bike is our natural moving tool. We are eco, bike and
leg-friendly.

25. ...and animal-friendly! 6 dogworkers, 2 catworkers and
1 hamsterworker working at Coworklisboa since 2010
(and counting).