ONE of the founders of portable photobooth company Blushbooth has co-founded a business that aims to disrupt the market for co-working spaces.
Jordan Kay, who set up Blushbooth with Mark Le Bouedec in 2012, has now joined forces with Michael Ford, who is also developing an on-demand barber business, to launch co-working firm New Bloc.
The idea behind the business is to have restaurants and bars that do not use all of their space during the day rent it out to freelancers as working space, with Edinburgh venue The Refinery being the first to sign up.
“It’s quite different and disrupts the whole co-working environment,” Mr Kay said.
“A lot of co-working space is in older offices; this is working in a nice environment but you don’t have the distractions you have in a coffee shop [where many freelancers go to work].”
Although New Bloc will be targetting restaurants and cafes as it tries to roll the business out across the UK, Mr Kay said working spaces would be in areas that are not used during the daytime so users will not be disturbed by diners.
At The Refinery, for example, New Bloc members, who will pay £59 a month to access the space, Wi-fi and refreshments, will be housed on a separate floor to the restaurant.
With that site due to launch later this month, the business is looking to expand into other cities and is in talks with venues in London, Manchester and Glasgow.
“Once we get those four locations we will look to expand,” Mr Kay said. “The whole objective is to have two or three in each city”
Blushbooth, whose photobooths are hired out for events, is now present in Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as five English cities.
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