Wework HQ on West 18th Street in Manhattan, NY.
7.3 billion for tech companies. At their peak in 2015, up-and-coming tech companies accrued roughly 7.3 billion USD in venture capital. The boundless creativity in the global metropolis, the risk appetite, the social tolerance and the focus on sustainability attracted entrepreneurs from all over the world. Dave Fano leaves no doubt that he considers New York the perfect birthplace for WeWork. According to him, the Big Apple plays a large part in the success story of the now eight-year-old company: “But we have grown into a truly global enterprise, a melting pot for cultures from all around the world.” Fano points out the notably high rate of company foundations in the property segment here in New York, a business area he calls “real estate tech. There is tremendous momentum in this segment right now.”
WeLife, a new horizon. WeWork is planning to apply its successful concept in other areas as well: with the brand “WeLife,” the company aims to make the idea of the good old flat-share cool again. “Rise by We” is a bid to offer a new quality of experience in the luxury gym segment. “WeGrow,” the company’s first in-house daycare facility for three- and four-year-olds, will open later this year. Every new business venture is firmly rooted in the basic idea formulated by founder Neumann: “We’re better together.” It seems fitting, then, that the daycare center is one of the tech billionaire’s special concerns: Neumann has four children with filmmaker Rebekah Neumann, a cousin of film star Gwyneth Paltrow. All that said, there is one business segment that WeWork will not venture into in the foreseeable future: digital matchmaking.
“We’re being asked about it all the time,” Fano laughs, as he says goodbye to us in one of the community cafés close to the exit. “Don’t worry, there won’t be a WeDate anytime soon….”