The London Office 101.
Today, we move office for the third time in as many years.
Anyone who’s had the misfortune of spending too much time with me over the last three years will know that I could write a dissertation on hunting for office space in London for growing companies.
Thankfully, I have better things to do with my life (honestly), but the perennial frustrations I’ve encountered have encouraged me to help others who are soon to navigate this sea of shit. I expected many challenges when we set out to start companies — finding decent and affordable space to house a growing team was not one of them!
As Shoreditch and “tech city” gives way to the big corporates who all want a piece of whatever it was that made round here cool in the first place - I have met, spoken or dealt with pretty much everyone who’s even loosely involved in the market, and the below is a depressingly tiny list of those I can recommend.
There is another list of those I vehemently advise not to waste your time with. It’s far far far longer, and while I’ve reluctantly refrained from naming and shaming here you’re welcome to touch base with me should you want to know who to steer clear of…
Start with Hubble
An awesome site that solves a real problem and does so brilliantly. Start here as your first port of call, particularly if there’s less than ten of you and you’re keen for co-working*. Furthermore, it’s run by a brilliant young team who really care… so you’re supporting the startup ecosystem at the same time. Bonus.
These are the ONLY brokers I can recommend. We’ve dealt with them ALL and, admittedly, the bar is set pretty low — simply an ability to return phone calls places you pretty high up on the list — but these guys are quick, sharp and really know what they’re doing. Also good on the beers… a winning combination.
Anyone who can handle our crew for the best part of a year needs commending… And these guys are quality. They’re honest, deliver what they say and work themselves to the bone to make sure you’re happy — we were lucky to find them early on and had an awesome time at 229 before we outgrew it.
These are the new guys we’re shacking up with… they’re innovative in their approach, passionate about supporting startups and have a great vision we’re super excited to be a part of. Come join us?
I love what these guys are doing. Rohan and his team are passionate about reinventing space for creative businesses and they’re doing a sterling job of it. Worth popping down for lunch at Jago to check the place out if nothing else…
I only ever met these guys once and it wasn’t right for us — but the vibe is cool and the founder Jonathan is a decent bloke and onto something. I feel like they’re one of the good ones.
It’s a staple of the East London scene… there was a time when few digital startups hadn’t at some point in time been based there. Really flexible space and crazy good value. You get what you pay for a bit, but the location is great and perfect for anyone on a budget.
*QUICK DISCLAIMER : we have, by and large, only been looking for private offices as we’re approaching 30 people. I’m less well versed on co-working, but there are a number of spaces that are definitely worth checking out — Runway East is an awesome hub for startups and I’ve heard great things about The Trampery and Google Campus by Tech Hub too.
GOOD LUCK!
