As Fukuoka continues to deliver on its growing reputation as a Japanese startup hub, more and more companies seek to capitalize on the needs of the growing entrepreneur class. The Company (yes, that’s its actual name) is one firm seeking to ride the boom and on Dec. 5 2016, it opened a new, and expansive, share space near Canal City in Hakata-ku.
The shared space seeks to provide a space for all gear-light self-starters and is modelled on similar facilities such as Impact Hub, a share space located in tech hubs such as New York, London and San Francisco. It’s also a great space to teach, with communal and private areas to give your students the desired experience.
Using the shared space regularly requires membership, or to be a guest of a member, but once you’ve signed the dotted line, you get access to the space’s facilities. Drop-in plans do exist too, but at ¥1,500 a day, they only make sense for those who plan to use the space sporadically.
The shared space is massive, with work areas for individuals, groups, silent zones and large meeting spaces with projectors and tables that can be drawn on.
Wi-fi, tea, coffee, and mineral water as well as copying, scanning and printing facilities are all a given, and with the higher-end plans, members can get locker space, dedicated landline phone numbers and email addresses.
Unique to the shared space is an exclusive internal social network, through which members can share projects with one another and collaborate on ideas. The service also hopes to help freelancers translators, photographers and artists find new projects and clients through ease of communication.
The office has a lounge area and a bar counter to encourage social use as well. Consulting specialists for startups including lawyers and tax accountants will be available. For those with more permanent needs, office space on the second floor of the building is available to rent, though we’ve heard as much as 90% of the space has already been snatched.
Perhaps most importantly, the The Company shares a building with PIZZAgRAM which sells Romanesque, deli-style pizza using incredible ingredients by the slice (100g).
The Company seeks to expand rapidly and will soon open up a shared space in Kyoto, Nagoya and Beppu before moving onto mainland Asia with a space in Hong Kong. With hotel/hostels attached to each shared space (Fukuoka’s will open in March with 130 beds), joining The Company will give access to a burgeoning collective of entrepreneurs and professionals across the continent.
The Company
• Membership starts at ¥20,300/month
• Drop-in sessions from ¥1,500 a day; ¥500/hour
• 8-13 Gionmachi, Hakata-ku
• 092-710-7050(weekdays: 8:00〜22:00)
• http://thecompany.jp // English PDF
• Opened Dec. 5, 2016
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