A new co-working space catering specifically to women entrepreneurs, the first of its kind in the area, officially opened Tuesday and is the most-recent addition to the Twin Cities expanding co-working scene.
Located on the outskirts of downtown Minneapolis, ModernWell features standard co-working amenities like desks, a kitchenette and trendy decor, with a few differences. The most notable being, of course, its membership base. Founder Julie Burton told Minne Inno that she wanted to create a space where women feel safe and celebrated.
"Right now there's a demand for women to have space they can call their own," Burton said. "We wanted to create a place where women could meet and have their needs and wants met."
It's important to Burton that ModernWell is more than a collection of desks. In addition to co-working space, ModernWell's memberships include access to regualr social gatherings and "enrichment sessions," discussions with experts in areas ranging from startup law to pediatrics and menopause.
The basement level of ModernWell's two-story space features a yoga studio, where members have the option of participating in fitness classes. Some of the classes will be taught by Burton, a certified instructor of yoga, pilates and several other sports.
ModernWell's memberships start at $185 per month. Burton declined to say how many women had signed on for the co-working space prior to launch, but said that she's aiming for around 250 members.
As co-working continues to grow in tech hubs across the country, more spaces catering specifically to women have popped up in recent years. Another women-only co-working space, The Coven, is expected to open in Minneapolis' North Loop this March.
"Women need a place where they can take care of both their work and themselves."
Women-only co-working spaces saw traction soon after launching on the East Coast. New York-based The Wing launched in 2016 billing itself as a social club and co-working space for women in New York City's Flatiron District. Demand was so high that the waitlist for the $2,350 annual Wing membership was 8,000 people long.
Burton, a writer by trade, said that she was inspired to start the space after what she described as a "breakdown and a breakthrough." She loved writing, and was always working a book, but found that the emotional and physical demands of managing a family made it difficult to finish projects. She co-founded the Hopkins-based Twin Cities Writing Studio as a space for women writers to gather and support each other.
"It opened my eyes to the magic of women supporting women," Burton said. "There's a lot of work to do when it comes to empowerment, and women need a physical, brick-and-mortar space to do it in."
Burton said that the goal behind her women-only co-working space was not to exclude, but to empower.
"This space was not created out of anger," she said. "Women need a place where they can take care of both their work and themselves."
