The coworking industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world today. You may be sitting in an NYC coworking space right now, or have heard of such places where you can work amidst other companies in a productive and supportive environment. This post will be a deep dive into what makes some coworking spaces more than a just place to sit with your laptop and get things done. Now, there are a ton of workspaces to choose from, but if I had to pick a favorite I would have to say is Alley. Alley is trying to bridge the gap between "workspace" and "community" using its open floor plan, weekly happy hours and social events.
Shared workspaces have gone through major transformations over the last decade. When Alley opened in 2011, there were about four coworking spaces in NYC. I do not mean corporate shared office spaces like Regus- I mean collaborative places where you can meet awesome people and share ideas. General Assembly, New Work City (closed now), Grind and WeWork (which had one space at the time) were basically the only coworking spaces in NYC in 2011. Fast forward to 2017 and you cannot walk down a city block without bumping into one. Latest statistics show us that there are over 13,800 coworking spaces globally, and hundreds in NYC alone.
Many of NYC’s real estate giants are getting into building “hip” space. When you are a real estate owner and you tell me that you are renting space, and subletting offices within it, it is like having a Mr.Coffee coffee maker and saying that you are opening a Starbucks with it.
I have noticed that quite a few early-stage startups are attracted to the community-oriented feeling of Alley. Also recently, Alley announced a new and unprecedented partnership with Verizon. This Verizon partnership (and Verizon is the world’s leading telecommunications company) has allowed for Alley to open up three new locations in New York, Cambridge and Washington, D.C. The Verizon partnership with Alley is mutually beneficial because both companies are being credited with bridging the gap between startups and corporations, as they have both created a community workspace designed for ecosystems catering to next-level entrepreneurs.
Reasons Why I Love Coworking at Alley
Community: Alley has a saying: “Community Over Everything”. This basically means that it puts the needs of our community before any of our needs as a singular company. Financial and strategic goals all take a back seat to community. Alley seems to view "community" as not putting just anyone in a room. It views "community" as making sure you have the “right” people in a room. What it means by “right” people is the type of people that want to help each other; the type of people that can learn and teach at the same time. Alley sees a startup who comes through its doors and it's not about who its investors are or how much money it makes, it is about the startup and if that startup can benefit from the community and benefit others within the community. Like everything in life, who you surround yourself in business or personal life matters.
Platform: As a business, if you are not creating value for your customers then stop what you are doing. Customers create value at Alley by offering massively discounted services for each and every one of its members. Most of Alley’s members are emerging startup founder teams and they need help, so Alley created a platform to help them grow. These services have been vetted, and all of the services Alley offers are from its members. You basically live next door to your accountants or insurance providers. Alley also has direct links into investor relationships. It partners with firms such as Techstars and ERA to give companies exposure. This is a deal flow for investment firms and this is a great opportunity for any startups who may be looking to get funded.
Programming: Chelsea Alley is a bonafide playground for entrepreneurs. It has turned walls and rooms into an opportunity to connect some of the most interesting people in the world. It accomplishes this through thoughtful programming. This means more than just events; it means cross-cultural engagements. This could be a number of things including an amazing speaker, a workshop, a hackathon with a corporate partner or a thoughtful progressive series like the HER event. Alley’s programming is meant to raise awareness, create thoughtful leadership and inspire people to live a bigger and more fulfilling life. Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of programming over the past few years, Alley has thrown over 1,000 events with over 150,000 RSVPs.
Diversity: So, diversity is a common buzzword that is thrown around the tech sector too often. To some, this is checking the boxes. For them, it seems to be ingrained as an intricate part of the business. If you put the same type of people in a room from the same backgrounds working on the same stuff, then the space can become a very boring place. In order to evolve, people MUST learn from others. They must step outside their comfort zones and learn from each other. One of the most exciting benefits of living and working in NYC is that it is a melting pot of almost every culture. Alley seems to embrace this concept wholeheartedly. This is not just about race or gender; it's about what industry customers are working in. Alley’s space is super special because it has a variety, from nonprofits helping abused woman in the Congo to microfinance to a happy hour subscription service. Variety is the ultimate spice of life at Alley.
Staff: The vibe and level of customer service is apparent when you enter into one of Alley’s spaces. The Alley’s management team is comprised of creative, thoughtful and caring people. The individuals on its team are a representation of the brand’s presence. Coworking spaces are essentially service-oriented businesses and Alley does a good job helping to shape the atmosphere and community.
Brand: A brand is MORE than a logo. A brand motivates and inspires you. Case and point, Nike. When people buy a pair of Nike running shoes, they see themselves running a marathon in the desert. Even though those running shoes will more than likely sit in your closet for two years, the brand has motivated you to buy the shoes. Nike is not a shoe company, it is a health and wellness company. At the Alley, the employees look at brand the same way. Their goal seems to be to showcase their brand as a place where special connections happen; a brand that motivates you to give your all and to step outside your comfort zone to meet and embrace different people from different cultures and backgrounds. Brand has to come from your company values. Alley’s brand, and it’s founder Jason Saltzman’s influencer marketing reach, is the reason why over two million people have visited its website from all over the world. It is not because Alley is a place to work; it is because it’s so much more than that.
Conclusion
There are a ton of coworking spaces to work from in NYC, but Alley seems to bridge the gap from offering a simple "workspace" to a "collaborative community" through its open floor plan, technology integrations, weekly happy hours, and social events. Events are an essential part of the Alley experience. From regularly scheduled office hours with venture capitalists or other industry professionals to the tequila tasting happy hours with the whole community, members know how to work, and know how to have fun. You can join Alley on a monthly membership at $450 a month. Or you can use and access the space using a Croissant Coworking membership service for $249 a month. I have worked from Alley over 30 times and even though New Yorkers have a lot of coworking locations to chose from if you have not tried Alley, I highly recommend checking it out.
