It seems like every month D.C. is getting another co-working space to foster the growth of startups. 1776 started it off earlier this year. This week WeWork announced the opening of two co-working spaces – one in Chinatown and the other near the U Street Corridor. Also, Uber Offices, who already has space in Tysons Corner and Arlington, is planning to bring a location to the Dupont Circle area in October.
And it all means one thing: the D.C. startup hub is on a path to getting the attention it deserves.
The founders behind these spaces aren’t forming them or moving them here for no reason. They obviously see a potential market that is at a prime opportunity for growth. Take WeWork for instance. It already has offices in huge hubs like Boston, San Francisco and New York City. It could’ve made its newest office in Chicago, which is also a buzzworthy hub. However, WeWork chose D.C. because of recent breakthroughs in innovation coming from this diverse and intellectual ecosystem of young professionals.
Ben Kessler explained WeWork’s reasoning for planning to open two offices in D.C. to InTheCapital earlier this week.
“D.C. made a lot of sense – you know, the diversity of young professionals and the growing startup scene down in D.C. made a lot of sense as a great fit for us. It was kind of a no-brainer.”
1776 co-founder Donna Harris, who saw something similar in Washington, took the opportunity to make an impact in the District and since ran with it.
"Washington is one of the most powerful cities on earth, and it has the potential to become an incredible nerve center for startups seeking to tackle big national challenges like education and healthcare,” she said in January. “1776 will be a single rallying point to tie startups into the region’s significant wealth, expertise, and extraordinary advocacy community, and will create a global brand for what makes the DC community unique.”
With less than a year under its belt, 1776 has become the driving force in the D.C. startup hub leading charges like the Challenge Cup and the Startup Federation.
And there's tons others: Canvas, Affinity Lab, Acceleprise, etc. Sure, the truth is in the money, and until we see increased funding from VCs and other investors into this area it's inaccurate to say that D.C. has officially made it yet. But the fact that accelerators, incubators and co-working spaces in general are in huge numbers recognizing the talent and innovation happening around the Capital by opening more and more locations around the city, it’s a sign that our startup ecosystem is headed in the right direction. Keep 'em coming, D.C.
