A coworking spot in Holly Springs has been acquired by an Atlanta company with larger plans for the Triangle.
Thrive Coworking has acquired Coworking Station at 300 S. Main Street in Holly Springs. The news comes months after 33 Degrees, a joint venture between Hotel Equities of Georgia and Virtua Partners of Arizona, made an undisclosed investment in Thrive.
The Triangle, where Thrive is also planning to open a location in Chapel Hill in 2023, is a key part of the growth strategy, said Thrive CEO Ramon Gonzalez.
Thrive, which is also planning locations in Asheville and Winston-Salem, “likes North Carolina,” he said. It fits into the business model, which involves targeting places where people want to work remotely.
While some startups have left coworking complexes in favor of fully remote work, by and large the work-from-anywhere trend has benefited Thrive, Gonzalez said.
“That’s a driver for us, remote work, because from our perspective that means people are going to have flexibility where they’re able to work,” he said. “We create spaces in fun, walkable, vibrant destinations.”
Thrive looks for “little pockets of walkability” within business districts.
“They’re places where people want to be, so when they’re given the opportunity, the choice to work remotely or work wherever they want, they’re naturally going to work in places they want to be,” he said.
And Thrive is picking its markets with that in mind.
Gonzalez is aware of the competition. In the Triangle there are several coworking options, from longtime local stalwarts such as Raleigh Founded and American Underground to firms with a more national focus, such as WeWork (NYSE: WE). Gonzalez said Thrive differentiates itself by focusing on experiences.
“We want to make the everyday extraordinary,” he said.
In addition to picking “exciting locations,” Thrive routinely partners with retailers, restaurants and even breweries as “amenity partners.” It tries to design with “quirky” in mind. And it builds community, he said.
“It’s not lip service,” Gonzalez said. “We really do care about community. We really do care about people.”
Part of that means sponsoring events, from whitewater rafting to paintball, he said.
“The more we can bring people together in those kinds of environments, the easier it’s going to be for them to get plugged into a community,” he said. “There’s a lot of loneliness out there.”
Thrive’s Chapel Hill location, planned to open next year at 505 W. Franklin Street, is already taking reservations. Gonzalez said discussions about amenity partnerships are underway.
According to the website, basic membership options range from a mailbox for $75 a month to more than $775 a month for private offices.
Thrive has also partnered with 33 Degrees on a nonprofit that allows local businesses to give back to the community.
Coworking Station also has space in downtown Apex.