The Midwest is not just a collection of flyover states. In fact, VentureBeat has 2018 pegged as the best time for Heartland entrepreneurs to thrive—with overall economic growth, stable living costs, and improving access to capital, it’s a good time to start working on your dreams. Coming up through the small-business economy ranks alongside major cities like Chicago and Detroit is Indianapolis. A bustling startup scene, one of the most affordable U.S. office markets, and home to the largest Salesforce hub outside of San Francisco, Circle City even made the Amazon HQ2 short list! There is no shortage of inspiring, creative, and collaborative communities that are paving the way for Indiana’s future economic success. Read on to learn more about seven of the many Indianapolis coworking spaces that are revolutionizing entrepreneurship.
Studio B
Much like The Riveter in Seattle, Circle City’s Studio B is a female-forward platform designed to nurture the power of ideas. The Indy-based innovation space caters to creative and social entrepreneurs, organizing and facilitating exhibitions, workshops, pop-up shops, meetups, and a plethora of other activities. Providing both collaborative coworking and private workspaces, as well as Wi-Fi and tech resources, locally crafted beverages and snacks, events, and specially-tailored programming, the Studio B Creative Exchange makes it easy to create, work, and share.
Find Studio B in not one, but two well-selected locations—at 613 North East St., across the street from Union 50, in the Chatham Arch and Mass Avenue corridor, and at 6055 North College Ave. above City Dog Bakery, in Northeast Indianapolis.
Launch Indy
Located near the very heart of Indianapolis, Launch Indy encompasses roughly 10,000 square feet of the massive Union 525 tech hub on South Meridian Street. Designed to fit various work styles, this coworking initiative provides entrepreneurs, startups, and high-growth enterprises with the space, tools, and networking opportunities they require to prosper. At Launch Indy you can “test the waters” with a drop-in or scheduled day-pass, so you can decide whether the 150$/month or the year-long “Individual Entrepreneur” membership would serve you best. Member perks include networking and collaboration events, lounge areas, meeting spaces, conference rooms, free parking, and 24/7 access to the building’s state-of-the-art workout facility—not to mention everything that comes with Launch Indy’s prime downtown location!
Image courtesy of Launch Indy
Cowork at Neidhammer
The understated Indianapolis icon at 2102 E Washington Street has been around for most the city’s history. Completed in the very early 1900s, this three-story property has notoriously withstood the test of time, surviving both a tornado and a roof collapse! It has been home to the sometimes controversial Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), 1920s cigar shops, 30s and 50s furniture stores, 1970s TV sales and service points, countless taverns, and even a salvage shop. This historic property has seen it all come and go, including a brush with the prospect of being torn down.
Current owner Neidhammer Coffee Co. refurbished and restored the building beyond its former glory—the Willard Park commercial property is now home to several community oriented businesses and, since last year, to a brand new coworking studio and an event space on the upper levels.
The Neidhammer shared work area on the second floor is accessible via a dedicated key-less entry mobile app and comes complete with free Wi-Fi, printing, scanning, and coffee, as well as conference room facilities, private work areas, and mail service. Memberships include day passes, part-time packages designed for students, as well as full-time and private office access packages. And if you want to grab a coffee and a snack while you work, every table in the ground-floor coffee shop has a plug-in!
The Hatch
Located in Broad Ripple, North Indianapolis, this hub opened in 2016 as an energetic, inspiring coworking environment for diverse individuals and businesses. The Hatch offers a variety of environments: open coworking space where both traditional and standing desks are available, a work-friendly café, phone booths for private calls, 2- and 4-person private offices, and fully equipped meeting rooms with concierge assistance. Moreover, the space allows for gatherings of up to 100 people, be they networking events or training sessions. Audio-video equipment is available on site, as well as event support from planning to execution. Last but not least, The Hatch claims to offer the fastest Wi-Fi in town! Find it at 6161 Hillside Ave and put it to the test.
Image courtesy of The Hatch and Andrew Parker Images
zWORKS
Founded in 2015, zWORKS is a non-profit organization put together by community leaders and volunteers. Primarily located in the historic firehouse building at 85 East Cedars St. in Zionsville, the 3,200-square-foot space is designed to meet the needs of any work type, including solo work, small teams, private booths, reserved desks, incubation office space for startups, and outdoor work areas. The community kitchen offers coffee, water, snacks, and locally crafted beer from Fountain Square Brewery. Additional resources available to zWORKS members include programming and social events, consultation provided by partners like the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce and some of PNC Bank’s small business advisors, and enrollment in the Indiana Coworking Passport Program.
And because you can’t have enough of a good thing, we have it on very good authority that a second zWORKS location recently opened just a block away in Zionsville Village. Dubbed “zWORKS on Pine,” the new space aims to fill increasing member demand, offering five new conference rooms, which are free to members, as well as three more startup incubation offices. Clear your April 12th afternoon schedule and head on over to the 3p.m.-to-5p.m. grand opening!
image courtesy of zWORKS
The Bureau
Betting on the power of people, and working tirelessly to make a far-reaching impact on the small business community, The Bureau offers more than just a modern workspace. Nurturing the mutual experience among members, the fully furnished coworking facilities and private offices are accessible through a variety of memberships, ranging from day passes to unlimited “Overachiever” level access.
Perks and amenities include a green roof terrace for working outside, multiple working environments secured by wireless fob entry, quiet areas and phone rooms, conference spaces that accommodate up to 12 people, high-speed internet, storage for personal items, kitchenette and lounge areas, locally sourced snacks and fresh coffee, a fitness room, and more. Members can enjoy all this and more in not one but two Fletcher Place offices in Downtown Indianapolis.
- The Hinge Bureau at 719 Virginia Ave. includes open spaces, private offices and several conference rooms complete with presentation equipment.
- The Pin Bureau at 325 South College Ave. operates in a repurposed former bowling alley. Amenities include 17 fully furnished private offices, free parking, incoming mail services, and a 12-person conference room.
- The Alley training center is the latest addition to The Pin—designed to host classroom-style meetings, presentations, and workshops, the training center is equipped with power stations for individual seats, a powerful P.A. system, a projector with a large screen, a breakout area for catered meals and refreshments, and more.
The Speak Easy
Opened in 2012 as an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization, The Speak Easy set out on a mission to cultivate “the healthiest entrepreneurial ecosystem, anywhere.” The community it has since nurtured includes creatives, programmers, founders, freelancers, seasoned professionals, first-time starters, the tech-savvy and the business-minded, all brought together by the drive to challenge the status quo through innovation.
Conveniently, the self-titled “membership-based club” offers the possibility to schedule a test visit before deciding on membership. The original flagship location on 5255 Winthrop Ave. doubles as a learning and networking event venue at night. Built with high flexibility in mind, perks include movable furniture, several breakout rooms, a 25-person capacity conference room, and a bar area equipped with fresh local beer on tap at all times. Locations also include a space above the Hard Rock Café in the Morrison Opera Place building at 47 South Meridian St. Positioned within one block of Monument Circle, the Speak Easy Downtown includes private office space, coworking space, a boardroom, a classroom, phone booths, a full kitchen and event venue, as well as plenty of nooks for working undisturbed.
