Co-founder & CEO
Startups #nofilter had the pleasure of sitting down with Serkan Kurtulus, Co-founder & CEO of CoWork7x24, an incredible co-working app. Serkan and his team are trying to streamline the relatively nascent co-working space rental process, by connecting spaces and people desiring office space. Click to read more interviews with startup founders.
**Exclusive for Startups #nofilter readers! Receive 20% off your first booking through the app, code= UnFiltered
Read below to see what CoWork7x24 is up to, their amazing progress thus far, and other startup and hi-tech tidbits:
1. How did the idea for CoWork7x24 come about?
While working full-time at P&G in 2014, I was granted a sabbatical to pursue my love of travel. This is when I stepped into a coworking space for the first time. Because I was already in a location-independent role at P&G at that time, I decided to attend an coworking event in a Budapest to learn more about the culture.
After this first visit and many to follow, I discovered that each coworking space had its own identity, community, and uniqueness. I was so inspired by the diverse, inclusive, creative and collaborative culture, that I knew I needed to be a part of it. It was only around a year ago though, that the idea of Cowork7x24 came to mind. My goal was to simplify the lives of coworkers and coworking space owners so that the industry could thrive.
2. Essentially, CoWork7x24 is a directory of co-working spaces for people to work and rent office space. How do you make money?
We’d prefer to say “marketplace” as opposed to “directory.” The marketplace enables coworkers to find and book a unique place to work from, whether that’s a meeting room or a desk. In terms of how we generate revenue, we partner with the coworking space and earn commission on their booking price.
3. Your website mentions attending relevant events. Is CoWork7x24 going to be creating events and meetups?
We think coworking spaces already do a fantastic job at curating and hosting their own events (workshops, networking happy hours, panels, talks, etc.) so our goal is to provide them with the platform and communication platform to raise more awareness and increase their event attendance.
Through the app, coworking spaces can easily list their onsite events as well as encourage coworkers to host their own. However, when the Cowork7x24 team is traveling, we love to co-host happy hours with coworking space partners so we can get to know the community better.
4. How many active users do you have for your app?
We have more than 20 coworking spaces in the system now, with around 100 desk and meeting rooms listed. The number of coworkers is relatively lower though as we have been in a closed beta and are just launching broadly.
5. We see that you are currently focused in Eastern Europe, which is a place that seems to be overlooked when it comes to hi-tech and startups. What is the scene like over there?
It is very exciting, there’s so much innovation and creativity happening in this area of the world! In every eastern European market, there are specific dynamics and challenges, but also great opportunities. The proof of that is in the growth of the booming and vibrant coworking culture. New spaces are opening every month to accommodate new accelerators, startups, and location independent entrepreneurs.
6. Do you have plans to expand worldwide, and if so, do you have competition in the mobile app space?
Yes, we do have plans to expand and you betcha – just like any other space, there is and will always be a healthy amount of competition. We are however keeping our focus on delivering our promise to simplify the lives of coworkers and coworking space owners.
7. Any plans to expand your app beyond your current mobile app capabilities?
Yes, we will continually improve to further simplify the lives of coworking spaces and coworkers, so, indeed, we do have a list of valuable and exciting features in our roadmap. Our goal is to always stay relevant and valuable to our customers.
8. For fun: What website do you go to check when your internet isn’t working?
I go read a book 🙂
9. For fun: Any advice for Startup #nofilter?
Next time you need a desk to work from, book it on Cowork7x24 – it’s on us! : )