"commercial rent-a-desk" means that Affinity Lab, which has reportedly been given use of the building, will rent desk space to entrepreneurs who no longer want to work at Starbucks but aren't ready to rent real office space for start-up businesses. http://www.affinitylab.com/ It appears to be a for-profit business with no connection to H Street. They have opened similar rent-a-desk operations in Adams Morgan and U Street.
Although HStreetDC's tweet puts a bit of a negative spin on, the Affinity Lab folks do work with local entrepreneurs to provide the pooled resources needed to get a business moving. I have met some of the folks from the AM office and they were pretty cool.
So think about 5 or 6 start ups looking for somewhere to hold meetings over lunch or after work cocktails/dinners. These restaurants and bars that we all love so much need more than just weekend dinner crowds to stay in business.
They (Affinity Labs) are also heavily involved, if not directly responsible for the annual day of learning around AM and U st. A day of activities and workshops that shine a HUGE light on other local businesses and service providers.
I have a friend who has used the Affinity lab space in Adams Morgan. I'm sure he'll be happy to know about this development since he lives walking distance to H street. This is a good use for the space for now. A building full of entrepreneurs and start ups - what could wrong with that?
"It appears to be a for-profit business with no connection to H Street." ---------------------- other than the fact that its ON h street, and will benefit residents?
@kiki @donna Affinty Lab has been given a deal that undercuts existing shared office space options provided on H Street by those who risked their personal capital because they believed in H Street. This harms local business development. The options that were offered to the city were discouraged. They would have been willing to pay whatever Affinity Lab is paying, but their focus was promotion of the community, largely through the arts, community development, and entertainment. Rather than an occasional conference open to those with a limited focus, their programs would have rotated through a broad spectrum of options that enhanced local involvement in the emerging life of the corridor. The programs were designed to introduce thousands of new fans to H Street each month, most within walking distance. The city would have gained much more through the efforts of the creative community than by giving this away to a business killer.
Pretty sure that the space was given over to affinity labs for DC week, and not beyond. DC week is a big event June 11-20 involving hundreds of organizations meant to benefit DC. The space would be used for events that week, and afterwards for community purposes... I'm involved in the use of this space during that week and haven't heard anything else. Seems like the OP took a random shot in the dark and is misinformed.
I am CEO and Co-Founder of Affinity Lab. Please forgive the length of this post, but I want to address as many points in this thread as I can....
Affinity Lab is a shared office space and collaborative entrepreneurial community. Since 2001 we have had more than 110 DC entrepreneurial (for-profit, non-profit and arts related) start-ups and small businesses pass through our doors. Through two recessions 85% of them still exist and are growing, beating the national start-up success rate by a factor of 4x-10x+, depending on the age of the organization. Not bad considering DC is ranked 51 out 51 (that's right, dead last) on the Entrepreneurial and Small Business Survivability Index. We sponsor the annual triple-bottom-line (people, planet, profit) DC Prize business plan competition with the William James Foundation in which Affinity Lab and its members offer prizes that include free office space, tools and professional services to compelling and very deserving new organizations whose models directly benefit the lives of DC residents.
We are a membership based organization (rent-a-desk doesn't create a context for an evolutionary, innovative entrepreneurial culture) that provides very affordable, flexible, tiered levels of work space, meeting space, office technology and most importantly – a highly localized focus for community entrepreneurs to come together, collaborate and create. We are a for profit hybrid which means we do not qualify for assistance from the government and we cannot receive grants from foundations. This is a high price to pay in lost opportunity to ensure our ability to respond to the needs of our members as quickly and as nimbly as possible.
There are several neighborhoods, including H Street, who have expressed interest in having us expand into, become part of and support their communities of entrepreneurs, arts organizations and non-profits. Because of our history, our members’ amazing success rates and our participation with Peter Corbett and Digital Capital Week (http://www.digitalcapitalweek.org), we were asked by a number of parties (including a small but growing number of entrepreneurial advocates in city government) if we could support a ‘pop-up’ incubator for the various arts, community development and small business support projects being planned for H Street (specifically) during DCW. To us, though, this also seemed like a great way to get to meet you and introduce ourselves (to those who we haven’t yet met) through what we do for entrepreneurs and our communities.
We have members and alumni who live or are moving to H Street, and most of our members have spent a lot of great times here. We may know what entrepreneurs need to thrive, but we don’t pretend to know H Street or what’s needed most for H Street the way you do. There are a lot of great, existing efforts that we would like to see if and how we can support in the same we (Affinity Lab and our members) make a difference for Adams Morgan and U Street. So, let’s get together and figure out what’s going to make the biggest, most positive and most inclusive impact for all of us.
A few ways we can connect: 1. Check out http://www.digitalcapitalweek.org and see what kind of projects are being planned, or better yet, create or participate in one. 2. Come to the next Affinity Lab happy hour May 13 (and every second Thursday) from 6-9 PM at our Adams Morgan location - 2451 18th Street NW, Second Floor (above The Diner). Please let me, Berit Oskey, Philippe Chetrit, Josh Phelps or Olivia Abtahi know you are from H Street so we can be sure to meet you. 3. We will be doing several meet-up events during DCW. Please stop by and say hello. 4. If you want to contact me directly, please don’t hesitate to email me at charles at affinitylab.com
Again, apologies for the long post but as I mentioned, I wanted to acknowledge and address as many of the posts as I could.
We are looking forward to being on H Street during Digital Capital Week!
12 comments:
I don't understand this post? What is a commercial rent a desk?
"commercial rent-a-desk" means that Affinity Lab, which has reportedly been given use of the building, will rent desk space to entrepreneurs who no longer want to work at Starbucks but aren't ready to rent real office space for start-up businesses.
http://www.affinitylab.com/
It appears to be a for-profit business with no connection to H Street. They have opened similar rent-a-desk operations in Adams Morgan and U Street.
are they planning on using the existing building?.... I can't imagine they would.
Although HStreetDC's tweet puts a bit of a negative spin on, the Affinity Lab folks do work with local entrepreneurs to provide the pooled resources needed to get a business moving. I have met some of the folks from the AM office and they were pretty cool.
So think about 5 or 6 start ups looking for somewhere to hold meetings over lunch or after work cocktails/dinners. These restaurants and bars that we all love so much need more than just weekend dinner crowds to stay in business.
They (Affinity Labs) are also heavily involved, if not directly responsible for the annual day of learning around AM and U st. A day of activities and workshops that shine a HUGE light on other local businesses and service providers.
Trust me, this development does not suck.
Donna says-
I have a friend who has used the Affinity lab space in Adams Morgan. I'm sure he'll be happy to know about this development since he lives walking distance to H street. This is a good use for the space for now. A building full of entrepreneurs and start ups - what could wrong with that?
"It appears to be a for-profit business with no connection to H Street."
----------------------
other than the fact that its ON h street, and will benefit residents?
Hey this is s the first that I have heard of this program this sounds kewl.
There is also a rent a desk function above Star & Shamrock. Guess that those desks are higher rent / less objectionable.
If they clean up the building, corner and are good neighbors until the site is redeveloped. I am happy.
@kiki @donna
Affinty Lab has been given a deal that undercuts existing shared office space options provided on H Street by those who risked their personal capital because they believed in H Street. This harms local business development.
The options that were offered to the city were discouraged. They would have been willing to pay whatever Affinity Lab is paying, but their focus was promotion of the community, largely through the arts, community development, and entertainment.
Rather than an occasional conference open to those with a limited focus, their programs would have rotated through a broad spectrum of options that enhanced local involvement in the emerging life of the corridor. The programs were designed to introduce thousands of new fans to H Street each month, most within walking distance.
The city would have gained much more through the efforts of the creative community than by giving this away to a business killer.
where are the other shared workspaces?
Pretty sure that the space was given over to affinity labs for DC week, and not beyond. DC week is a big event June 11-20 involving hundreds of organizations meant to benefit DC. The space would be used for events that week, and afterwards for community purposes... I'm involved in the use of this space during that week and haven't heard anything else. Seems like the OP took a random shot in the dark and is misinformed.
Hello Everyone,
I am CEO and Co-Founder of Affinity Lab. Please forgive the length of this post, but I want to address as many points in this thread as I can....
Affinity Lab is a shared office space and collaborative entrepreneurial community. Since 2001 we have had more than 110 DC entrepreneurial (for-profit, non-profit and arts related) start-ups and small businesses pass through our doors. Through two recessions 85% of them still exist and are growing, beating the national start-up success rate by a factor of 4x-10x+, depending on the age of the organization. Not bad considering DC is ranked 51 out 51 (that's right, dead last) on the Entrepreneurial and Small Business Survivability Index. We sponsor the annual triple-bottom-line (people, planet, profit) DC Prize business plan competition with the William James Foundation in which Affinity Lab and its members offer prizes that include free office space, tools and professional services to compelling and very deserving new organizations whose models directly benefit the lives of DC residents.
We are a membership based organization (rent-a-desk doesn't create a context for an evolutionary, innovative entrepreneurial culture) that provides very affordable, flexible, tiered levels of work space, meeting space, office technology and most importantly – a highly localized focus for community entrepreneurs to come together, collaborate and create. We are a for profit hybrid which means we do not qualify for assistance from the government and we cannot receive grants from foundations. This is a high price to pay in lost opportunity to ensure our ability to respond to the needs of our members as quickly and as nimbly as possible.
There are several neighborhoods, including H Street, who have expressed interest in having us expand into, become part of and support their communities of entrepreneurs, arts organizations and non-profits. Because of our history, our members’ amazing success rates and our participation with Peter Corbett and Digital Capital Week (http://www.digitalcapitalweek.org), we were asked by a number of parties (including a small but growing number of entrepreneurial advocates in city government) if we could support a ‘pop-up’ incubator for the various arts, community development and small business support projects being planned for H Street (specifically) during DCW. To us, though, this also seemed like a great way to get to meet you and introduce ourselves (to those who we haven’t yet met) through what we do for entrepreneurs and our communities.
We have members and alumni who live or are moving to H Street, and most of our members have spent a lot of great times here. We may know what entrepreneurs need to thrive, but we don’t pretend to know H Street or what’s needed most for H Street the way you do. There are a lot of great, existing efforts that we would like to see if and how we can support in the same we (Affinity Lab and our members) make a difference for Adams Morgan and U Street. So, let’s get together and figure out what’s going to make the biggest, most positive and most inclusive impact for all of us.
A few ways we can connect:
1. Check out http://www.digitalcapitalweek.org and see what kind of projects are being planned, or better yet, create or participate in one.
2. Come to the next Affinity Lab happy hour May 13 (and every second Thursday) from 6-9 PM at our Adams Morgan location - 2451 18th Street NW, Second Floor (above The Diner). Please let me, Berit Oskey, Philippe Chetrit, Josh Phelps or Olivia Abtahi know you are from H Street so we can be sure to meet you.
3. We will be doing several meet-up events during DCW. Please stop by and say hello.
4. If you want to contact me directly, please don’t hesitate to email me at charles at affinitylab.com
Again, apologies for the long post but as I mentioned, I wanted to acknowledge and address as many of the posts as I could.
We are looking forward to being on H Street during Digital Capital Week!
Best,
C
Post a Comment