CONFLUENCE The next big thing starts here
“There are four things that need to be in place in order to build a startup scene. The first is a venue that is cheap and central, where meetups can take place. The second is a monthly event where all startups gather. The third is an established hashtag everyone in the community can use to share photos and event info. And finally, a coworking space that is open 24/7 so that when an outsider lands in the city, they have a place to go and meet tons of people in the scene.” David Lumb in article about how Tyler Crowley built Startup Communities in LA, London and Stockholm
WHY COWORKING SPACE
IF YOU WANT TO MEET ENTREPRENEURS, ARTISTS, TECH, DESIGN AND MAKERS IN KL: WHERE DO YOU GO? CONFLUENCE IS THE POINT WHERE THE BRIGHTEST MINDS START TO “FLOW TOGETHER”, TURNING HIGH POTENTIAL STARTUPS INTO HIGH IMPACT BUSINESSES.
IT’S NOT ABOUT ANOTHER SPACE: • Physical spaces have changed the outlook of Startup Ecosystems by bringing simplicity and clarity to it as a reference point. • It’s not (only) about the space: it’s the interaction between people, enabling connections and creating a thriving culture. • There is not a space filling in that role in KL yet. This is the right moment and we know how to make it happen. Image: Frau Gerolds Garten, Zurich. Link
Community
Space
WHAT MAKES A GOOD COWORKING SPACE The relation between the 2 above is fundamental, in the definition: Community = Connections + Culture Venue = Location + Design Still, you can have a Community without a Space, but it’s potential will not be fully achieved. A Space without a Community is just bricks.
Community
Space
Engineering connections + Building a thriving culture
PART I: COMMUNITY
“Silicon valley works because there is such a high density of people working on start-‐ups and they are inclined to help each other. Other tech hubs have this as well but this is a case of Metcalfe’s law -‐ the utility of a network is proportional to the square of the number of nodes on the network. Silicon Valley has far more nodes in the network than anywhere else” Sam Altman in “Why Silicon Valley Works”
ENGINEERING CONNECTIONS
Picture: The Engine Room @ Centrio. entrio Link
ENGINEERING CONNECTIONS Great people attract great people: building relevant connections entrepreneurs and investors in the region will make sure our audience stays relevant . • Partner with the key Accelerators, Investors and Startup Hubs in Southeast Asia • Selected Monthly Meetups (Startup Grind + other Community Partners), Private Events (Serendipity Dinners), Workshops and Office Hours. • Hosting international visitors and connecting them to relevant people in the KL Ecosystem – being a Satellite to other hubs.
PARTNERS
COMMUNITIES
EVENTS
THE DOTS IN THE NETWORK •
Startups
Seed to Growth Stage
•
Freelancers
•
Community Partners
Tech, Design and Marketing Talents
Hubs, Grassroot Communities and Events.
•
Feeders and Startup Partners
Accelerators, Investment Funds (Government and Private)
•
Collaborators and Miscellaneous
LOCAL AND REGIONAL
Aggregate other entrepreneurs as providers and collaborators: food entrepreneurs, artists and creative community (photography, music, design), makers movement and others.
“We had 5 teams that were amazing. And there were 10 that were pretty good. The 5 that were amazing would have been amazing anyways. The 10 that were pretty good got better because they were around the 5 that were amazing.” Dave McClure about a Stanford Class in a Startup Grind interview
BUILDING A THRIVING CULTURE
Picture: Industrial Bulbs by Houzz. Link
BUILDING A THRIVING CULTURE Our context define our values and mindsets, which define our decisions and actions, which end up defining our culture. • Having the right mindset matters to a business success is as important as much as knowledge and hard work. • Our culture will level up behaviors and bring up an entrepreneurial attitude that is also collaborative, innovative and solutions-‐oriented. • Our culture will be multiplied by our members beyond our walls
VALUE-‐BASED
INVITE-‐ONLY
SHARE SUCCESSES
INSPIRATION: YC CULTURE Called “The Social Radar” by her Co-‐ Founder Paul Graham, Jessica Livingston focuses on the personality and social relations in each team as a criteria of selection. The strongest element of Y Combinator is its network made by great founders, alumni, investors and eminent entrepreneurs that help each other and give back in private events, specially the famous weekly dinners. Y Combinator is famous for its track record graduating startups like Airbnb, Reddit and Dropbox. Picture: Jessica Livingston, Y Combinator (Elle Magazine)
Community
Central Location + The Design
PART II: SPACE
Space
To become the “go-‐to-‐place” for locals and internationals: it must be central, accessible and easy to find for locals and internationals
CENTRAL LOCATION
Picture: Le Pain Quotidien Washington DC.
CENTRAL LOCATION We are still studying options that combine being central, accessible and simple to be found. In this stage we are still open to play with the options (in order of priority): 1. Bangsar 2. Bangsar South
CENTRAL
OPTION 1
OPTION 2
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
OPTION 3
PARKING
INSPIRATION: THE HUB SPACES SINGAPORE The Hub Singapore hosts a variety of monthly workshops and a co-‐working space for startup and social entrepreneurs. It has two main spaces, including an open work area and a private work area. Today, Hub Singapore hosts 200 members. KING’S CROSS Located at King’s Cross train station in London, is has become the focal point of London’s social enterprise sector. The Hub is a workspace and meeting place for budding social entrepreneurs as well as social enterprise investors.
Pictures: The Hub Singapore (above) and King’s Cross
The ambience impacts how we feel: inspired, focused, awake. It’s the reason why we choose some coffee shops (like Starbucks) over others. A space for working and serendipity must bring together elements that inspire both focus and creativity, working hard and making connections.
THE DESIGN
Picture: Industrial Bulb by Houzz. Link
WHAT THE CONFLUENCE LOOKS LIKE • The Warehouse (60-‐120 pax) -‐ Hot desks and Permanent Desks. Flexible in case of Big Events. Ideal for freelancers and creative teams. • The Kitchen (30 pax). Big table, perfect for the coffee break talks, small dinners and meetups. • The Den / Team Islands (5-‐7 pax each). 5-‐6 private rooms and desk islands for teams who need focus and full time privacy to work on their business. • Meeting + Brainstorming Rooms (15 pax each). 2-‐3 rooms for meetings, office hours, brainstorming. • Phone booths (2-‐3 pax). 3-‐5 private spaces for calls. • The Garden (40-‐60 pax). Open space for events integrating an urban farm with coffee shops. Plus + Fast Internet = Oxygen + Premium Coffee + Open 24/7 (Entrepreneurs have Keys)
Picture by Coworking Factory
Picture by Bat Hause Coworking Space, Brooklyn
THE CONCEPTS WE LOVE -‐ Integration of wide open spaces (where teams and people meet, flow and diverge) with small private rooms (where teams can focus, work and converge, converting ideas into business) -‐ Concept: Confluence. Interaction of old and new, nature and urban, diverging and converging. Example: old KL ports and decks, warehouses
Urban Coffee Farm, Melbourne
-‐ Nature + Urban: natural lights, floor to ceiling windows, “country-‐party” -‐ Elements: -‐ Wood & Steel. Ex: Containers, wooden pallets and boxes renewed into Office Spaces, Table, Chairs. -‐ Warm colors: yellow and red. Ex. Colorful light bulbs, chairs and pillows. Color in the details. -‐ Nature elements: keep natural colors (rusty or tarnished) and add green elements in between.
Frau Gertolds Garten, Zurich
Our Value Proposition is to clients who need a great place to work that also offers a thriving culture and connections. According to Neil Patel, the “Entrepreneur who wins is not the one with the best product, but with the best connections” (but we will help building good products too).
THE BUSINESS
Picture: Antique Cash Counter . Link
NAPKIN BUSINESS MODEL Key Resources
Value Proposition
Customer Segments:
Venue (3800 – 6000 sq ft ) Team (2 + interns) Admin and Office Supplies
Central Location Outstanding Design Entrepreneurial Culture World-‐class Connections
Startup Founders and Teams Freelancers International Visitors Regional Investors
Cost Structure (estimated*)
Revenue Streams (TBD)
Venue (+ Licenses and Renovation) Admin and Maintenance Team
Membership Fees Event Fees Sponsors (Events) Partnerships
Balance in first Year: TBD Break even: TBD *year basis
Key Alliances: -‐ Venue Partner -‐ Financial Partners -‐ Scholarship Partners
TBD TBD TBD
TBD TBD TBD
OUR DIFFERENCE: VALUE There are a few CoWorking spaces in KL, but no fills all the criteria within Space + Community to become the “go-‐to-‐place” for startups – which some of these don’t aim to fill, being more niche focused (and potential feeders). In a binary analysis of each place, we find there is a gap in the market. Coworking SPACE COMMUNITY Space Location Venue Connections Culture Space 1
No
Yes
No
No
Space 2
Yes
No
No (Niche)
No
Space 3
No
Yes
Yes
No
Quick summary if what each mean: Location: Central, Accessible by Car or Public transport, Parking, Safety Venue: Size (Potential), Plant (Space Distribution), Design quality Connections: Who goes there, Events and Communities, Partners, Media Culture: Values, Brand Experience, Network, Membership Recognition *Still other 3-‐5 spaces in town to analyze. We prefer not to list names yet, but a more detailed report is available – still these don’t fit already with “location”
“There are only two periods of time when I’ve seen extreme excitement and interest in Startups: and that’s 1999 and that’s 2014. Last time I sat and shared things with 200 people was in 1999” Patrick Grove at Startup Grind KL. Link.
THE TIME IS NOW
Picture: Antique Cash Counter . Link
WHY NOW: RECENT NEW
Nov 5th • Axiata, Mavcap setting up RM100mil venture fund -‐ The Star Online Oct 29th: • Catcha Launches new Catcha Venture division [US $50-‐100mil] – DNA • GrabTaxi raises US$65mil to Increase competition with Uber in Southeast Asia – TechCrunch 2014 Milestones April: MaGIC 2015 Milestones April: ASEAN Conference
TIMELINE Nov-‐Dec
Dec-‐Mar
Mar-‐Jun
Community Building Venue and Renovation Find Venue, Financial and Ecosystem Partner
Finish Renovation Fill the Space
80% Full Events Cadence
-‐ Invitations -‐ PR
-‐ Startup Grind -‐ SDPT Dinners
-‐ Meetups -‐ Dinners
-‐ Community events -‐ Office Hours
-‐ Office Hours
WHAT ANY MONTH LOOKS LIKE
The space is 24/7. It never stops. You will always find busy teams working hard, some people mingling in the kitchen or some eminent entrepreneur sharing success stories in the warehouse. Else, we have the events. Location
Week 1
Warehouse
Startup Weekend
Kitchen
Creative Mornings Office Hours
Meeting Room
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Startup Grind
Movie, Games or Karaoke
Founders Dinner
Confluence Thanksgiving
Serendipity Dinner
Office Hours
Office Hours
OfficeHours
Cadence Events: the main learning from Startup Grind and other successful communities is that Cadence is fundamental for community building: gives simplicity, clarity and certainty that no matter what, we will be there. Quarterly Basis or Random: hosting bigger educational events (Startup Weekend) in a quarterly basis is goods, since our members are aligned with it. Another thing is hosting fun nights, karaoke, table games, just to bring people together in a constant (but spontaneous) basis.
Our team is made by the people running it plus the people behind the partnerships that will enable this space to exist. We aim to make sure that all parts involved are aligned to our values and vision – to build the space from where the next big startup will emerge.
THE PEOPLE
Picture: The Hub Bay Area
Lais de Oliveira – Community Builder
Building startup communities since 2012, starting from NXTP Labs and Startup Grind Buenos Aires, to building an online community of 4000+ startups with the 1st Startup Camp Latam in 3 months. Now leading Startup Grind in the East (Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe) and focused on startup communities in Southeast Asia through Startup Grind, The List, MaGIC and Serendipity Dinners hosted by top-‐notch regional investors, attended by early stage to high impact entrepreneurs, corporate and government feeders.
Why this is the team to make it
THE TEAM
Kal Joffres – Business and Team (People)
A serial entrepreneur and social innovator with a focus on leveraging design thinking and technology to solve tough social challenges. Co-‐founder of Tandemic, Malaysia’s leading social innovation firm. He is also the architect behind Makeweekend, the largest human-‐centred design programme in the Southeast Asia. He has created a variety of tools for enabling social innovators, including the Design Thinking Toolkit and the Social Business Model Canvas, which is used in 22 countries.
TBD –
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MAIN SUPPORTERS
Grace Sai – The Hub Singapore
Khailee Ng – 500 Startups
Vinnie Lauria – Golden Gate Ventures
Amarit Charoenphan – Hubba Thailand
Informal team of people mentoring this process
FRIENDS/MENTORS TEAM
Note: TBD. Mentor don’t hold any official title for now, just supporting/coaching the idea. Mentors might as well become advisors when we launch.
TBD
Startups Partner
TBD
Startups Partner
TBD
Community Partner Why this is the team to make it
OUR PARTNERS
TBD
Startups Partner
TBD
Community Partner
Note: Startup Partners offer access to their startups Community Partners host their communities and events in a constant basis
MaGIC (TBD)
Ecosystem Partner Why this is the team to make it
POWERED BY
TBD
Venue Partner
Note: Ecosystem partner is a massive Startup Partner + Community Partner. Venue partner supports the venue – can be divided into more than one.
Back to the WHY we want to do it: Confluence. The point from where the next big thing will emerge: developing entrepreneurs from their context (thriving culture + engineering connections + central location + design).
THE VISION
Picture: Enerspace Chicago. Link