The Riveter, a Seattle-based startup that launched a coworking space in Austin and eight other cities, is closing down all of its coworking spaces, it announced in blog post.
"During the course of this devastating pandemic, the safety and health of our employees and members have been our top priority," founder and CEO Amy Nelson wrote. "As these safety concerns and unforeseen circumstances continue, we’ve been forced to make the tremendously difficult decision to close our coworking operations."
But The Riveter won't vanish entirely. It's shifting gears to focus on an online community that will feature online networking, mentoring and more.
The women-oriented coworking and events organization launched in 2017, and it raised a $15 million Series A round. It expanded to Austin, in a 12,000-square-foot space west of downtown, as part of its rapid national expansion in January 2019. It also had offices in Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Portland -- in addition to its three locations in Seattle.
The Riveter reduced its staffing levels after the coronavirus pandemic led to the closure of most physical offices and meetings spaces. One of its most recent Austin events was in January when it held a pre-march rally for the Austin Womxn’s March. It was also home to the November launch party of Black Women Talk Tech, and, in November last year, it teamed up with Women@Austin for a multi-day fundraising bootcamp for women founders.
"Our mission has always been to create change for working women," Nelson wrote. "We launched our digital community in February, and then the world changed. The need for support increased, and our mission became more urgent. The Riveter’s online community has been sharing their stories, resources and experiences, learning new skills and attending virtual events."
