Meet Karo from Thinkspace

With over 1,600sqm of loft-style office space and 100 desks across two levels, Thinkspace is a character open-plan coworking space where you can think for yourself, not by yourself. The atmosphere is relaxed while still being organised - and even better, it's dog friendly which is a winner in our opinion!

The space features concrete floors, clean white areas, high ceilings with a range of fully enclosed boardrooms and informal breakout areas for casual catch-ups. 

Check out the space below.

What inspired you to set up Thinkspace?

I was operating a digital agency at our space, and we had a change in circumstance. I took this opportunity to invite others to work alongside us. This worked out really well and I get to meet some great businesses, so I expanded the floor plan. Now we have 100 desks across two levels.

My inspiration for the space has been focused on creating a space that I would love to work at.   

What is the coolest thing about your space?

My favourite thing about Thinkspace is the furry friends that people bring in to work with them. Our space is a dog friendly office - we allow a small number of businesses to bring their dogs in with them and it makes for a more laid back and comfortable workspace.  

Why do you think working from a coworking space helps people thrive?

The Thinkspace community of residents has grown into a diverse set of businesses. It is a commonplace to see businesses collaborating on a project or seeking out advice from other residents when working on unfamiliar content. 

For a lot of residents, they are businesses that are still in their early stages. Shared spaces can reduce the risks they are exposed to with more flexible working arrangements. Some of the people working here just want to get out of their home office and also be able to keep regular office hours.  

Please tell us a bit about other ventures you are also involved with.

Litehq.com, a business product that consolidate business workflow into one platform, and allow business operator to use data to make the best decisions.

Who has been the most interesting resident in your space? 

There is not one "most interesting resident", however there are a couple of business that have played a large role in setting the culture at Thinkspace. 

- PrenoHQ is a Hotel Management System. They came here when they were in the early start-up phase with about three people. Over the last couple of years, they have grown along with us and now they are almost a team of 8 (10 if you count the two dogs they bring with them).

- Evident creates smart building systems, designed for simplicity and flexibility. They are one of our earliest residents and have been here almost since the beginning. They have been instrumental in getting the culture right and have set the bar high when it comes to our espresso machine. 

If you could invite 3 people to a BBQ, who would they be?

Jared Tasker, owner at Need A Part. He is also my business strategist that help me develop and validate my start-up ideas. 

Amir Bashir, CTO at Simplicity Kiwisaver. He is a minimalist that has helped me create the true MVP product, as he has reasons to shut down every single one of my product features.  

JD Graaf, he is the best frontend guy you can find in NZ, and he also might be the only person that gets all my dad jokes. 

Can you describe the community and types of businesses within Thinkspace?

We have a hard working business community at Thinkspace. We aim to have an environment that makes it possible for businesses to work in isolation on their own projects but gives them opportunities to meet and collaborate with the other business in our space. 

We have designers, startups, marketing teams, online stores, apps, developers, salespeople and more. We have a wide range of businesses working here, the common thread we share is that we are all passionate about what we do and work hard to be successful. 

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Keen to find out more about coworking at Thinkspace? Take a look at their listing here.

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