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Hive at 55 Getting Bigger and Better with Age

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
More than 100 folks celebrate the Hive at 55's 6-month anniversary

More than 100 folks celebrate the Hive at 55's 6-month anniversary

It’s hard to believe, but the Hive at 55 is now 6-months old. Yesterday, we raised a glass and celebrated this anniversary with friends, partners, and members that have supported us along the way.

We have partnered with countless organizations and had hundreds of individuals walk through our door and join our community.  It’s been amazing to become a resource for the many small businesses, entrepreneurs, and freelancers in New York City.

The Hive is definitely “on the map” when it comes to the greater technology and startup communities.

The celebration started at 6 PM, just about the time when our members start to wrap up their day. With drinks supplied by The Greene Grape and delicious food from Harry’s Italian, we pushed “play” on the stereo and let the fun begin!

We saw so many familiar faces: a mix of current members,  Meetup organizers, friends of our community, and even some new folks who have been supporting us from afar.  A women-based entrepreneur club was even discussed to empower the women of the Hive!

You can check out some of the festivities at our Flickr page. More than 100 people attended the party, including more than 20 members of our co-working community (some even brought their kids!).

The Hive will continue to evolve based on the people who work here. Their personalities and professional needs, as well as their input on programming and events, are what make the Hive a special place to do business.  We look forward to celebrating our first year with everyone and seeing what changes are made in the next six months!

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Update from the Hive

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
Downtown Alliance President Liz Berger, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and William C. Rudin

Downtown Alliance President Liz Berger, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and William C. Rudin

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of parties, celebrity sightings, student promotions and good old-fashioned collaboration.

On May 12th, Mayor Mike Bloomberg visited the Hive to witness part of his “Media2020” campaign in action. The Mayor spent over an hour here, meeting with member companies, taking a tour of the facility and speaking with reporters about the success of the Hive and the technology industry in New York. It was a very exciting day, to say the least.

From my perspective—in the back of the room behind all the cameras and flashes—I gained a great appreciation for this man’s job. Throngs of reporters follow him around, and while talking about the NYC tech industry, he had to answer questions about oil spills, politics and the economy. I was exhausted just watching.

Speaking of big names coming to the Hive: Just last week we celebrated the launch of ShopKeep.com, and amid all the music, food, and drinks, John Legend paraded in to say hello to a friend! He was with his girlfriend, Chrissy Teigen, and the two of them mingled for 10 minutes before heading out to their next party. No, his appearance didn’t make it onto Page Six, but it was nice to meet them both!

Later this week, after the submissions are reviewed by the judges, the Hive will announce the winner of the Tech in Residence Student Competition. We are happy to engage and support the student community and be a part of the next generation of startups and entrepreneurs. The submissions were all excellent and it was really cool to see how many students have started their own companies. The winning team will get free space to work on its company here at the Hive for the summer. For all other students, we have some exciting discounts on our website.

Last, I wanted to update you about collaboration among our members. The Hive makes an effort to ask its members: “What do you need?” and “What can you offer?” Through this approach, we’ve set up members with new jobs and had other members collaborate with each other. For example, a friend of the Hive asked if we had any web designers. Two days later, this person was sitting here working with one of our members on her website. Meanwhile, a marketing company in our building asked if we had any app developers. Just a short time later, a member told us that he signed a contract with that company. Along with these two big examples there have been a number of other instances, and there will be many more to come.

Collaboration, exciting visitors and outreach to the technology and media communities in NYC are what make life at the Hive so much fun. If you haven’t been here yet, come on by and check it out!

More photos of the Mayor’s visit can be seen on our Flickr page

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Coworking vs. Corporate Office Suites

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

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Many people who come to the Hive are new to the coworking movement.  Some don’t really get what we’re all about and make comments like: “So, you’re a corporate office suite.” Or, “How are you different than Regus?”  Well, here are some answers.

Corporate office suites have become increasingly popular, and Regus is one of the major players, with offices all over the world (and many right here in New York).  While corporate office spaces and coworking spaces both meet a need for workspace, they have distinctly different missions.

Corporate office suites are, in fact, corporate.  They generally have a receptionist answering the phones, banker-type furniture and closed-door offices. They’re a nice option for a small company that would like to appear a bit larger to their clients.  While this may be attractive option for some, it’s good to know there are alternatives.

Coworking spaces, like the Hive, are all about community and collaboration.  While we have a few private offices, you won’t find too many closed doors here.  And while you still have a professional office to come to for a meeting with a client, you also have the opportunity to network throughout the day with a group of cool, well, coworkers.

Everyone is working on something different and we encourage interaction and open communication.  Additionally, it’s our job as Hive staff to support our members.

Looking for a new gig? Looking to build some additional skill sets?  Just launched a new or updated website?  Let us know— we can help spread the word, work our contacts, and make things happen!  We serve as a resource for our members, and for our community.  We always make the time to get to know all our members—what they do and where they’re going.

Once a person walks through the door at the Hive, they can usually get an immediate feel for whether this space is right for them.  I always encourage people to come in and test out the space.  If it’s right for you, you’ll be hooked!  No reason not to come on by, check it out, and let us know what you are looking for.

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At The Hive: Hashtag #Ashtag

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

PlantTeam

They left last night… happily!

While using the twitter hashtag #ashtag, the Plant team, a Copenhagen based digital ad company, documented their journey in New York – a trip that became extended as a result of the Icelandic volcanic eruption.

But, they didn’t let some volcanic ash disrupt their workflow!  Instead, the entire team of 11 hopped into cabs toting all of their luggage and made their way down to the Hive at 55.  You can check out their blog (http://www.plantcph.dk/blog/) documenting their journey, with geo-tagged photos no less!

After a week attending conferences and some visits to tourist destinations thrown into the mix, the Plant team knew they needed to get some work accomplished for their clients. Having followed the Hive on twitter (@hiveat55) for several months, they reached out to us the night before, with an email subject line stating: “We’re stranded for a day and need a temporary office.”

We were happy to help!

Plant rolled into the Hive (literally!) with their Macs, iPhones, newly purchased iPads and, not to forget, lots of power convertors. All they required were desks to sit at and a WiFi hotspot. They fit right in with all of our fellow Hive members, similarly tech-minded professionals who also frequently work remotely. We managed to distract them from their work throughout the day with some interviews by media – radio, television and print – but all in all, they had a few hours of normalcy in a rather disruptive week.

As Jens, co-founder of Plant, said hesitantly: “We should be leaving today…hopefully.” Their plane took off just a few hours later. While we enjoyed having Plant here for the day, we hope they made it home safely, and we’ll keep the coffee brewing for their return, anytime!

(You can see more photos of the stranded co-workers on our Flickr Page)

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Hive Company Profile: ShopKeep.com

Friday, April 9th, 2010
Jason Richelson and Cameron Peek of ShopKeep.com in their office at the Hive at 55

Jason Richelson and Cameron Peek of ShopKeep.com in their office at the Hive at 55

A few weeks ago you read about the rise of Silicon Alley, and how the Hive at 55 is no stranger to the NYC startup community. There are a handful of companies working out of our space in Lower Manhattan, mostly in the media, technology, and nonprofit industries. The latest startup to call the Hive home is a Web-based point of sale system called ShopKeep.com. They moved in on April 1st and, as you’ll see, it looks like they are a great match for the Hive.

Jason Richelson, Founder of ShopKeep.com, has really come full circle. More than ten years ago he left his desk job atPrice Waterhouseto become a co-founder of an Internet startup called InternetCash. His company was based in Lower Manhattan at 90 William Street and he learned a lot about starting a business — as well as the unique Downtown neighborhood.

When the dot-com boom and InternetCash went bust, Jason moved on to new ventures. Living in Fort Greene, Brooklyn with an intimate knowledge of Lower Manhattan, he realized both neighborhoods desperately needed a great wine store. So Jason said goodbye to his desk job and dot-com days and opened a few retail stores with Amy Bennett –- The Greene Grape Wine Stores in Fort Greene, Brooklyn in 2004 and 55 Liberty Street in Lower Manhattan in 2005, and the Greene Grape Provisions Gourmet Market a few years later. During his six years in retail, Jason has learned the trades of store owner, business manager, brand maker, and problem-solver. It sounds to me that these are all good skills to have if you want to create a new startup company!

And sure enough, that’s what happened in 2008 while vacationing in a remote place. Jason got a call from both wine stores at nearly the same time: the server was down! Realizing he couldn’t be there to fix it and the ridiculous hourly expense to hire someone who could, an idea came to mind. The wine stores needed a point-of-sale system that was based on the Web and immune to these sorts of problems. By the end of the vacation, Jason learned no such system existed, and ShopKeep.com was born.

Let me try to keep this simple, since I don’t know too much about a “cloud based point-of-sale system.” In a nutshell, ShopKeep.com is an Internet-based “register” and “back office” that allows you to ring up sales and manage inventory in a quick and easy manner. The system is accessible to store owners and managers; if you can use the Internet, you can use ShopKeep.com!

While ShopKeep.com has not officially launched, they are already running live in select stores across the country. If you own a business and are interested in this service, you can sign up for a free demonstration on their Web site. They will launch in May, and in the meantime everyone at the Hive is glad to have Jason and his new hire Cameron share in the fun and professional community at the Hive at 55.  Needless to say, Jason has come full circle: ten years later, and he’s starting yet another dot-com.

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Hive Member Profile: Marie Chandra

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

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In our second installment of member profiles at the Hive at 55, I recently chatted with Marie Chandra, who is the CEO of her own business, Via Her, Inc.

Where are you from and where do you live now? I was born, raised and educated in France.  I moved to New York 10 years ago, and have called the Financial District home for the past two years.

What industry are you in? Travel.

Describe your occupation? My company works with individuals and companies to make business travel easier for women.  30 years ago, only one percent of business travelers were women. Nowadays, women constitute about 40 to 50 percent of the total number of business travelers. We believe that the travel industry, and large corporations have not evolved fast enough to accommodate the differentiated needs of women.

Why do you work at the Hive? Although I travel frequently for work, when in NYC, I prefer working in an office instead of my apartment.  The facilities at the Hive are nice; it has everything I need, and is quite affordable.  And of course, the location: it’s walking distance from my apartment.

What do you like about working at the Hive? It keeps me focused and motivated, especially when compared to working at a coffee shop or out of my home.

How long have you been working at the Hive? Since Day One [December 1].

What days and hours have you generally been here? All day, two or three days a week. It depends on when I am in New York!

How has your business or work style changed by working at the Hive? I feel much more comfortable meeting clients, prospects and partners here, especially when compared to a coffee shop or home office.

How do you think your business will improve or grow from working at the Hive? Establishing a professional image is important for me; and the Hive contributes to that. I’ve been thinking about organizing workshops here as well.

What’s your favorite thing about Lower Manhattan? I live and work here!  The transportation network is great. Almost every subway line stops here. Despite what a lot of people think, there is a real life here during the evenings and weekends with new restaurants and bars opening on a weekly basis. The neighborhood has become very residential and there is a real sense of community.  I used to live on the Upper East Side, and in Midtown; and rarely spoke to my neighbors. Now my neighbors are my friends and we go out for dinner, play sports together…

Where do you go to lunch when you’re at the Hive? Pret-A-Manger, it’s right across the street.

Do you have a hidden talent or secret hobby? I have a very keen sense of smell.  I used to work in project management for the fine fragrance industry.

What’s your favorite music/band, TV show, movie? I am a big Madonna fan.  She’s one of the few artists / performers that has remained successful and on the cutting edge for over 20 years! I also love movies and am a member of the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Is there someone professionally or in your industry you admire? Richard Branson.  Although he can be a little over the top sometimes.

A fun fact you want to share about yourself? It is not really a fun fact per se, but I love tennis and try to play at least twice a week.

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The Hive at 55 – The Rise of Silicon Alley

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

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With the change in the economic climate, it seems the talk of the town is no longer about FIRE (finance, insurance, real estate) but about the rise in the tech industry in New York City. All the press is covering it, from The New York Times and New York Observer, to bloggers and even international media.

While personally being new to this tech and media industry (just about as new as the Hive is!), it already appears to me that there is so much infrastructure out there to support this startup economy that is really taking off in the city.  There’s an event I want to participate in almost every night of the week (check out Gary’s Guide for a great listing of events), from tech demos to venture capitalist presentations to informal networking events –- its all there.  Meetup.com is such a tremendous resource for the tech industry, a great opportunity to learn new skills in your field and network with other technologist folks.

And in my brief time in this tech and media world, it’s amazing how many personal connections that I have already made.  I found it astounding that when I looked around the room at the Entrepreneurs Roundtable event (by the way, a terrific monthly event now in its second year) I went to this week that I knew a good ten people in the room. Not only do I know these people, but they are all tremendously supportive. Everyone has been so fantastic and welcoming –- introducing me to additional people I should meet or making connections for people to come check out the Hive.  There is such a great pool of talented interesting people here in New York that it’s no wonder there’s been so much buzz about the rise of Silicon Alley.

Everyday at the Hive I learn more about and from our members. The creative economy is definitely on the rise here, and it’s so fascinating hearing about startups, ventures, and new ideas.  I think the Hive is just one more to add to the list of tech startup resources in the city.  As we continue to grow I hope the Hive can become an even greater asset to the tech community –- and a resource to our members and the New York City community at large.

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Hive – Up In The Air edition

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

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You’ve heard me spout on about how joining the Hive as a member links you to a community of like-minded people.  But, the Hive does more than that; it offers you an international network.  Through the Coworking Visa program, members of one coworking space can work at another coworking space for free.  With approximately 100 participating coworking spaces worldwide, this means, when traveling you have an opportunity to check out a new space, meet some new people, and get down to work for free.

The Coworking Visa program really epitomizes what coworking is all about.  The five core values of coworking are collaboration, openness, community, accessibility, and sustainability.  The Coworking Visa program is remarkable because it’s self-governing.  No one oversees it, the site is maintained on the Wiki (http://wiki.coworking.info/CoworkingVisa) where each space can sign itself up and set its own restrictions for usage.  All spaces agree to offer three free days to each individual, and from there, each space can make its own arrangements.  People can look on the Wiki to find a space located in their visiting city and contact info to give the space a heads up about their visit.

Already at the Hive we’ve had several people utilize the Visa program.  In addition to the luxury of being able to travel and utilize other spaces, it’s also great to have out of town visitors come in and work for the day.  They shed light on their industry, city, and home coworking space.  Here at The Hive we’ve already had people come in from New Orleans and from across the pond.

So remember Hive members: traveling for work?  Need a place to get some work done between meetings?  Check out the Coworking Visa wiki page and learn where you can plug in and meet some cool people.

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Hive at 55: Meet a Member

Friday, March 12th, 2010

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I’m glad to say that each week the Hive at 55 gets more members, more visitors, and more people interested in our unique coworking space in Lower Manhattan. We currently have almost 50 members, including a few small businesses, and as you know lots of informative events every week.

But really, it’s all about our members. Many of them join for the community aspect because working from home can be quite isolating. So get used to seeing member profiles in our blog from time to time. From these, you’ll learn more about the folks that work here, and in turn learn more about what life is like at the Hive.

Today I chatted with Kelley Ferro, who works with Tripfilms and is there Marketing Manager / Travel Host / Head of Business Development.

Where are you from and where do you live now? I’m originally from Vermont and I now live on the Upper East Side.

What industry are you in? Online Video/New Media

Describe your occupation? I coordinate shooting assignments to increase video content on our Web site related to hot destinations and places where we need video — mainly by working with hotels, tourism boards, and filmmakers. I also host a weekly show about our best videos and shoot some location videos as well.

How long have you been working at the Hive? Since it opened in December!

Why do you work at the Hive? Tripfilms has moved around a lot and used to work at cafes.  And we all live in different neighborhoods, so the Hive makes sense for us.

What do you like about working at the Hive? Its comfortable, friendly, people have interesting stories, and it feels like we are part of a bigger company. Also we have a view of the water!

What days and hours have you generally been here? All day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

How has your business or work style changed by working at the Hive? The use of the conference room and private rooms has been great.

How do you think your business will improve or grow from working at the Hive? It gives us a permanent place to work and meet with partners and filmmakers.

What’s your favorite thing about Lower Manhattan? I like the South Street Seaport, and I think there are cool undiscovered restaurants around here.

Where do you go to lunch when you’re at the Hive? Tripfilms always goes to Chipotle – it’s our company thing. I like Hale and Hearty, and we have special lunches on Stone Street sometimes.

Do you have a hidden talent? I make homemade ice cream. Maybe I’ll bring some in this summer.

Special Hobby? I love to travel, even simple weekend trips.

What’s your favorite band, TV show, or movie? I love the Travel Channel. I also like 30 Rock, and “epic” movies like Gladiator.

Is there someone in your industry who you admire? I love Giada De Laurentiis, a celebrity chef with several cooking and travel shows.

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Our First Fight…

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

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So, the Hive has now been open for three months.  I find it hard to believe time has flown by so quickly when it seems like just a few short weeks ago I was fretting over all the little details.  While I’ve used this blog to rave about how great the Hive has been, all the new members who have started to call the Hive home, and the great programming we’ve put together, I think its okay to rant a little too!

We had our first big glitch last week when we ran into some Internet problems.  It all started when I decided to replace our router.  We purchased a much nicer router, waited for the Hive to clear out in the evening and went about the big switch.  It was great…until about 4:30pm the next day.  The Internet went caput at the end of the day, which started a flurry of phone calls.  Going back and forth between Cogent and our networking guys, we finally determined that we had a lemon of a router.  Unfortunately, with the onslaught of the real snowpocalypse, I was unsure when we could resolve the issue.  I trekked in the next morning, not sure if or when our tech support would be able to show up with the foot-plus of snow that came down in the area.  Fortunately, the moment is behind us and not only have some important lessons been learned, but we came out ahead in the end: our bandwidth is about five times faster than it was before.

We are also reviewing some of the steps we can take to prevent any future Internet problems.  I know how important high speed connection is to the small businesses and freelancers who are working from the Hive.  I was rather embarrassed when it happened, but I must say thanks to our members for being so helpful and understanding.  Many people chipped in to help and totally understood that sometimes these things just happen.  I am doing my best to ensure that it never happens again.

I can’t resist sharing news here too.  We just formed a meetup.com page where you can learn about all the events and programming we’re going to have.  You can find us at the Lower Manhattan Coworking Club here.  Find fellow friends of the Hive and like minded people –- and stay in the loop with all Hive related happenings!

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