My video is about Ponyride, a co-working space located in Southwest Detroit's Corktown. What peaked my interest about this 4 minute clip was the way in which the producers presented Ponyride. One of the components of my work here as an intern for Build Institute is to identify and map out the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Detroit. The types of companies Keiley and I have identified thus far have mostly been incubators and accelerators--organizations that are focused on nurturing aspiring entrepreneurs through classes, workshops, and networking. However, what I've come to realize through this video is that in order to create a more holistic picture of the Detroit entrepreneurial ecosystem, we must also include co-working spaces as another branch of entrepreneurship.
Specifically, this video talks about the notion that by providing start-ups with a physical office space to work out of, it gives entrepreneurs a sense of permanency and freedom that they otherwise would not have had while working out of someone's apartment. For example, the first company that the video documents is called Floyd, a company that makes adaptable, sustainable, and easy-to-assemble furniture. The co-founders Alex O'Dell and Kyle Hoff said that after apartment hopping from Ann Arbor to the Bay area to Chicago, they wanted to settle down and establish lasting roots. While Ponyride initially providing them with a tiny 6 foot by 12 foot space behind its filing cabinets, Floyd was able to outgrow the space and continue to expand and adapt to its surroundings within Ponyride. In this sense, with Ponyride having the ability to guide Floyd step-by-step in terms of office space expansion, Ponyride does in fact play an enormous role in early stage start-ups.
What especially caught my eye was the types of businesses that Ponyride hosts. With Detroit having the label of being a predominantly automotive-oriented city, the companies that work out of Ponyride are anything but car-related. The industries of the companies that were highlighted in this video ranged anywhere from health and wellness to food and beverage to retail and fashion. This wide variety of companies goes to show the diversification of the entrepreneurial endeavors that Detroit has taken on post-recession.
Therefore, I definitely appreciate and agree with the way in which the producers presented Ponyride. Additionally, it is important to realize that Ponyride is one of many co-working spaces here in Detroit. With some research, I've come up with other organizations that are centered around providing co-working spaces such as Bamboo Detroit. Thus, this video has provided me with a more complete understanding of what Detroit's entrepreneurial scene looks like.
Article Link: http://www.detroitnews.com/videos/news/local/detroit-city/2016/05/25/84946750/
Specifically, this video talks about the notion that by providing start-ups with a physical office space to work out of, it gives entrepreneurs a sense of permanency and freedom that they otherwise would not have had while working out of someone's apartment. For example, the first company that the video documents is called Floyd, a company that makes adaptable, sustainable, and easy-to-assemble furniture. The co-founders Alex O'Dell and Kyle Hoff said that after apartment hopping from Ann Arbor to the Bay area to Chicago, they wanted to settle down and establish lasting roots. While Ponyride initially providing them with a tiny 6 foot by 12 foot space behind its filing cabinets, Floyd was able to outgrow the space and continue to expand and adapt to its surroundings within Ponyride. In this sense, with Ponyride having the ability to guide Floyd step-by-step in terms of office space expansion, Ponyride does in fact play an enormous role in early stage start-ups.
What especially caught my eye was the types of businesses that Ponyride hosts. With Detroit having the label of being a predominantly automotive-oriented city, the companies that work out of Ponyride are anything but car-related. The industries of the companies that were highlighted in this video ranged anywhere from health and wellness to food and beverage to retail and fashion. This wide variety of companies goes to show the diversification of the entrepreneurial endeavors that Detroit has taken on post-recession.
Therefore, I definitely appreciate and agree with the way in which the producers presented Ponyride. Additionally, it is important to realize that Ponyride is one of many co-working spaces here in Detroit. With some research, I've come up with other organizations that are centered around providing co-working spaces such as Bamboo Detroit. Thus, this video has provided me with a more complete understanding of what Detroit's entrepreneurial scene looks like.
Article Link: http://www.detroitnews.com/videos/news/local/detroit-city/2016/05/25/84946750/
A company working out of Ponyride.
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