Floor Plan & Launch Party
Thursday, June 12th 2008 | Ismael Ghalimi
The Monolab|Incubator project is moving full speed ahead. The floor plan is drafted, all required furniture and equipment are budgeted, and a launch party is scheduled. My Salesforce.com instance shows 61 sub-projects related to it, from setting up an Internet connection, to developing a Return on Investment model.
The large meeting room (boardroom) will be created through the addition of a floor-to-ceiling glass wall. The small meeting room (chatroom) will be put together by using movable noise-reduction panels, in order to make it reconfigurable, and to improve ventilation. The kitchen is equipped with a dishwasher, allowing us to offer catering services for breakfast, lunch and dinner to be taken on one of the two outdoor patios. If you’re looking for a little bit of this European lifestyle, right in the middle of Palo Alto, this will be as close to it as it gets…
If everything goes as planned, we should take possession of the space on July 1st, and everything should be ready for a public unveiling on July 14th (Bastille Day). A launch party will be organized there, with the best food and drinks we can get with our reasonable yet conservative budget. The party will take place from 5PM to 10PM, and is open to anyone interested to take a look at the place, meet the founders, and mingle with entrepreneurs, investors, lawyers, public relations folks, friends, and family. If you’d like an invitation, please drop me an email.
Entry filed under: Office 2.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interesting symbolism…
You don’t want your place to get stormed like the Bastille did… do you?
Zoli,
No need to storm it, you’re invited.
-Ismael
Zoli,
Absolutely storm the Bastille of how things were done before and create the bright future of inspired people working together in a smart environment churning out new businesses and having fun while doing it.
Put me down as someone coming that day. Can’t wait to check out the facilities.
Vive le Monolab!
Mark.
$1200 a month for a chair and a plug? That seems a little high for your average startup entrepreneur. Even the residents of 148 Castro St. who are paying $350 a month feel like they’re being ripped off, I just can not see anyone paying 4 times the price except for well funded entrepreneurs who probably have enough money to rent their own space.
Dean,
We’re offering a bit more than a chair and a plug. If you’re just looking for a co-working facility, something like the Hat Factory in San Francisco is the way to go. At $100/month, you’ll get a chair and a plug, and meet some really great people. Six Intalio employees work from there. But if you’re looking for a full-service platform, in downtown Palo Alto, you’ll find that we’re about 40% less expensive than any other alternative for 1 to 3 people. We’ll work on a complete ROI model to back our claims up. In the meantime, I really invite you to join our launch party and see it for yourself. This one is free!
Best regards
-Ismael
Hi Ismael,
I’m still unclear who the target customer for this is. I do happen to have subscription for Sandbox Suites in SF, which offer similar services for a much much lower price. From time to time I also work at Citizen Space, which is more convenient for me than the Hat Factory. It seems as there are a few items on the spreadsheet that seem unnecessary given most startup workers would probably want to use their own computer over the iMac 24, it’s troublesome to sync between 2 computers anyway. The other items are nice-to-haves but most workers would most likely have their own replacements unless this is their first office ever.
-Dean
Dean,
You’re bringing many valid points up. I think we’re talking about two very different concepts here. On one hand, low-cost co-working facilities, with limited services. On the other hand, first-class open office with full services and very close ties to the VC industry (more on this today).
Think of it as a business platform more than just a desk and an Internet connection. Also, keep in mind that the Palo Alto real estate market is pretty unique, and our costs are a direct reflection of what prime real estate costs here. You could make the argument that no start-up should start there for this very reason, but the location has many advantages, and many entrepreneurs live here.
Again, please come meet us at the launch party! You’re going to like it.
Best regards
-Ismael
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed
Leave a Comment