Co-Working for Everyone: A Look at SA’s Co-Working Spaces

April 26, 2019 - San Antonio

Article By: Dr. Joseph Lopez - Contributing Writer, SA Sentinel

In this ever-changing economy where Americans are having to adapt to fluctuating employment, many workers have moved on to the world of consulting, freelancing, small businesses and startups.  Entrepreneurs, they are often called, this 21st-Century movement has evolved in many ways, but all have learned from the practices of 20th-Century Entrepreneurs. In San Antonio, TX this phenomenon is made visible by the plethora of co-working spaces that have opened over the past 15 years.  

The Early Days

Co-working is the term for people coming together at a space and working independently on their projects/businesses in parallel in an effort to build community and foster possible collaboration.  

I personally experienced this back in 2008 when my friends opened Conjunctured, the first co-working space in Austin, TX. I was a Ph.D. student at the time and was embedded knee-deep in the startup world. Watching the scene grow was truly amazing.

San Antonio, TX would soon follow suit with its first co-working space, C4 Workspace, founded by Todd O'Neill.  The space was located for 3 years downtown off of St Mary’s Street in Southtown San Antonio where the Filling Station Cafe currently resides.  This initial space would serve as a model for future co-working spaces that would form over the years. Todd O’Neill would go on to take his talent to Middle Tennessee State University where he would become an Assistant Professor.  He recently won the 2019 BEA Outstanding Experiential Learning award for his work with students and the community.  It is amazing to see someone who championed San Antonio in the early days of co-working go on to such acclaim.

The next co-working space that would transform San Antonio’s tech landscape is Geekdom.  Founded by Graham Weston and Nick Longo, Geekdom’s vision was to create a general hub for tech creativity and a space for tech startups to meet and co-work.  Throughout the years, they have grown rapidly. Moving from the Weston center to the Rand building, their numbers have increased from hundreds of members to over 1,800 currently. Geekdom hosts numerous tech events, conferences, 3 day start ups, cybersecurity events and much more.  

2019 Co-Working Spaces in San Antonio

I would be remiss if I did not state that Geekdom definitely has been a catalyst for the greater San Antonio creative scene and provided a model and inspiration for co-working working to expand beyond the niche startup scene.  What followed between 2010 and today is a plethora of co-working spaces that have popped up all over San Antonio and focused on communities beyond the start-up scene. This article will highlight these co-working spaces and their impact on the entrepreneurial scenes.  In addition, some local spaces that are publicly sponsored will be highlighted for their entrepreneurial support and openness to collaboration.

COST & AMENITIES COMPARISON

GENERAL CHART KEY: O (Optional), S (Standard), N/A (Either not listed or not available)

CORE COMMUNITY KEY: A (Tech), B (Creative - Marketing & Advertising), C (Creative Media - Narrative Film, Photography), D (Artist), E (Small Business), F (Real Estate)

ALAMO CITY STUDIOS

ANNEX COWORKING

CUBES AT THE QUONSET

• Business: Cubes at the Quonset

• Location: 1218 E Euclid Ave, San Antonio, TX 78212

• Pricing: $250/Month Introductory (office)

• Description: The Cube at the Quonset is located downtown near the Pearl and offers offices for small businesses and freelancers.  They are known for their laid back ambiance and policy that allows pets in the office space.

IMPACT GUILD

• Business: Impact Guild

• Location:  708 West Summit, San Antonio, TX 78212

• Pricing:  $75/Month Introductory (community member)

• Description:  Located in a neighborhood right north of downtown, the Impact Guild is known for its commitment to growing community beyond co-working, offering workshops and “common good” events.  

GEEKDOM

• Business: Geekdom

• Location: 110 E Houston St 7th Floor, San Antonio, TX 78205

• Pricing: $50/Month Introductory (community member)

• Description: Geekdom is a large co-working space located downtown in the Rand Building.  It is known for having a tech startup centric environment, along with hosting large events.  

KEY COWORKING

• Business: Key Coworking

• Location: 1520 W Contour Drive, San Antonio TX, 78212

• Pricing: $75/Month Introductory (community member)

• Description: A business-to-business co-working space that emphasizes collaboration, sustainability, and networking. According to their website, they are “dedicated to cultivating an environment where experienced entrepreneurs can nurture their businesses, build effective teams, and increase their business capacity.”

LAUNCH SA

• Business: Launch SA

• Location: 600 Soledad St., San Antonio, TX 78205

• Pricing: Free

• Description: Located in the San Antonio Central Public Library, Launch SA provides free support and advice to entrepreneurs and small business owners to help them scale their enterprises.

LIFTOFF

• Business-  LiftOff

• Location-  2014 S Hackberry, San Antonio, TX 78210

• Pricing-  $25/Month Introductory (community member)

• Description-  Located on the Southeast side of San Antonio, LiftOff is a coworking initiative backed by the LiftFund, a non-profit that advocates for small business development.

SPACE ON THE FLY

Business: Space on the Fly (website)

Location: 85 NE Interstate 410 Loop #301, San Antonio, TX 78216

Pricing: $40/Month Introductory (community member)

Description: Space on the Fly is a unique co-working space that focuses on the real estate industry.  Their website says they offer co-working for Brokers, Real Estate Agents, Appraisers, Inspectors and more.  

VENTUREPOINT

If you know of a co-working space not included in this article, please contact us below so we can add them to the listing. Also if there are any errors or corrections in regards to available amenities, please message us below so we can update the article.