Is building a startup at a coworking space a good idea?

I sit here in BASH at Singapore which is a relatively new co-working space which has the very name of ‘Build a startup here’. I visited Blk 71, a few years back and I must say the transformation and growth of the area and tech scene here in Singapore is quite impressive. One thing that I quickly notice when being in BASH is the amount of accelerators and incubators working out of here. There is a media accelerator, Startup Bootcamp Fintech, a DBS accelerator and the JFDI program. Is a co-working space a good place for building a startup though?

If we look at the American model and programs such as Y Combinator, you can see that they prefer for startups to build it out of their bedrooms / kitchen / garage or wherever and this is a different model to how things are done in Singapore. Albeit I have only been working from BASH for a few days now, let’s take a look at a few things which I have experience during my short time here.

Community

One of the things that I noticed which is a good or bad thing depending on how focused you are and on how you just want to get stuff done is the community. There seems to be many people who are open to having conversations with you and finding out what you are all about. There are also a ton of people that you can go take lunch with etc so you definitely not alone. With the rise of depression in tech startup founders, such a community would help with talking about what you are finding hard etc.

Space

The space is actually really decent for having meetings etc. The facilities are really good which is a surprise. For me personally, I don’t know how so many people work here with just a laptop / macbook. I need to have 2 screens when I work, any less and I have a bit of an anxiety problem. I brought my 2nd screen here from day 1 and am enjoying it!

Distractions

Distractions are always going to be there but when you see people constantly going in and out it can be a big distraction. Best way to cancel out distraction is with music. Listening to music with headphones let’s you zone out from the world but your eyes cannot stop wandering some times when you should focus.

First thoughts?

The first thoughts that I have about working in such a space is that it is definitely interesting, it is probably too early in the day for me to realize if it is something that I will like or not. Either way, I guess there are a lot of tech people around this area. If you find yourself in BASH, look for the lone guy in the corner and come say hi. I will be here a lot over the next three months working on taking Roomfilla to the next level. Enjoy your Monday and remember to ask yourself, ‘How are you going to change the world today?’