Singapore co-working space, Spacemob is set to open their second location by the end of March 2017 at their new digs in Singapore Science Park.
The launch of the new 14,000 square foot space came to life under Spacemob’s partnership with Ascendas-Singbridge, who specialise in sustainable urban and business space solutions.
The new office will be housed in Ascent, a seven-storey business development, complete with food and beverage offerings. However, the location’s primary draw is its proximity to surrounding research institutions and technology communities that could add benefit Spacemob’s community of businesses.
It is also within close proximity to Blk 71 – a technology startup hub developed by NUS Enterprise, SingTel Innov8 and the Media Development Authority of Singapore – so that businesses can “find themselves at the confluence of innovation,” said Turochas ‘T’ Fuad (founder and CEO, Spacemob).
The Spacemob family and founder, Turochas “T” Fuad (front right)
More value for the same space
From a business perspective, Spacemob’s model works quite similarly to a new-age hotel operator. It has ultimately disrupted the property industry by demonstrating the ability to not just maximise the yield and use of a physical space but increase its value.
“Like hotels, we approach it from an operator angle where we partner with property owners to generate additional yield and optimise space usage on their assets,” said Fuad.
Rather than a landlord simply renting out a designated floor or unit to a single tenant, partnering with Spacemob would allow them to house potentially over a hundred companies in the same space. “We help bring more life… and increase revenues via hourly, daily, weekly and monthly revenue models.”
The partnership model simply means that as Spacemob’s mob inevitably grows (with plans to expand to Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand this year), landlords get to enjoy greater yield per square foot.
The property owners get the benefits of higher yield and optimised use of their space, while its tenants enjoy all the perks of having a designated office for their business without the often too-rigid commitments of a traditional lease.
“At the end of the day, we are offering a solution to the changing needs of the working citizens and allowing property owners to maintain relevance.”
Previews of the Spacemob Ascent office
Spacemob perks go beyond physical location
Spacemob Ascent at Singapore Science Park will boast many of the same features and mod cons that make its original Claymore space such a success. Though it is not simply about the design perks like ergonomic chairs, adjustable desks, payroll software, media and meeting rooms (which it inevitably has).
“Like our Claymore location, [everything] is designed to optimise work performance and collaboration. The space is coupled with services that our members truly value like payroll processing, group health insurance, etc.”
More than that, Spacemob’s key ambition to foster a strong community amongst its members by helping to foster networks and partnerships to help their businesses to grow.
“Spacemob’s core DNA is technology and as we expand to 30 locations in the next few years, we have developed Member’s Circle, an online discovery and directory service that allow our members to collaborate… like Tinder for MNCs, SMEs and freelancers,” Fuad elaborated.
Member’s Circle will have the potential to find and connect Spacemob members with particularly desirable skills and fields of expertise, hopefully laying the foundations for interesting new collaborations and ventures.
“Besides leveraging technology, there will be a series of community events that will bring members together.”
