Office-As-A-Service RocketSpace Doubles Real Estate To Accomodate Bigger …

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:28:05 +0000

Startups around the world are desperate for office space in the San Francisco Bay Area, so tomorrow RocketSpace will announce the lease of a new 50,000 sq. ft. office so it can house startups with up to 60 employees instead of capping them at 30. Along with this RocketSpace Suites project, the “office-as-a-service” plans to lock down another 100,000 sq. ft. spot and open a space in London this year.

RocketSpace currently provides plug-and-play office space for 130 startups and their 600 employees at a per-person, per-month rate. It lets founders concentrate on their businesses while RocketSpace handles leases, security, bandwidth, firewalls and other office hassles. Its relationships with venture capitalists and corporate accelerators have kept at least one of its residents securing funding every week, and it runs inspiring events featuring speakers like Peter Thiel and Vinod Khosla.

CEO Duncan Logan told me in a meeting today that one of RocketSpace’s biggest problems is that due to space contraints, “we kick out companies when they get to 3o employees.” Fast-rising startups like Uber, Spotify, Kabam, and Leap Motion have all gotten the boot. It’s also receiving far more qualified applicants than it has room for. RocketSpace needed more, well, space. Meanwhile, its current real estate is literally about to get steamrolled. Tomorrow, the city of San Francisco will announce RocketSpace’s current 181 Fremont location will be demolished to make way for a new Transbay Tower transportation hub.

So after a year of searching, tomorrow RocketSpace will announce the lease of a 50,000 sq. ft. space just north of Market Street at 180 Sansome. Eventually it hopes to take over that whole tower. But RocketSpace Suites is just the start of its expansion. It’s currently looking at a 90,000 sq. ft. Bay Area space to replace the Fremont home it will have to vacate. Logan says it will be able to host 2,000 people in its combined 140,000 sq. ft. space. By the end of 2013 RocketSpace plans to have added a London space. And even though it’s completely bootstrapped, after that it’s eying Tel Aviv, Berlin, and Vancouver for additional locations.

Logan says RocketSpace aspires to become an “innovation campus” that he calls a “Stanford for startups.” He explains that “young companies are like young people. They’re a product of their environment. We can build the best possible environment for startups.” By surrounding themselves with similarly ambitious makers, Logan believes startups can be more creative and productive.

Just watch out for your neighbors poaching your engineers.

ROCKETSPACE

Startup. Blast off.

RocketSpace is an accelerator for high-growth, seed-funded tech startups. We provide the fuel that every startup needs to accelerate: access to top talent, tier 1 venture capital, and blue-chip brands representing millions of potential customers.

Our programs are focused on creating the perfect tech startup ecosystem: speakers classes in our dedicated event space, services from the best startup service providers, and research analysis covering over 10,000 startups worldwide representing the “what’s next next” in technology.

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Article source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/28/rocketspace-suites/

Bay Area job market to top US, California – Alameda Times

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 08:24:11 +0000

Bay Area job market to top U.S., California

The Bay Area job market should expand more quickly than California and the nation over the next two years, primarily because of solid employment growth in the San Jose and San Francisco area, although the Oakland area should expand as well, a report released Thursday shows.

During 2013 and 2014, job totals in the Bay Area should expand by 7.2 percent, the Bay Area Council’s Economic Institute reported.

The only job losses expected in the Bay Area over the two years will come from local, state and federal government agencies, the report predicted.

Ellis Partners buys East Bay buildings

Ellis Partners has bought two office buildings in Livermore and one in Pleasanton in separate transactions, the realty investor and developer said Thursday.

San Francisco-based Ellis bought a 145,000-square-foot, two-building office campus just north of Interstate 580 on North Canyons Parkway in Livermore. The deal for the two buildings, known as North Canyons Tech Park, was arranged through realty brokerage HFF.

Ellis also bought a 64,000-square-foot office building known as Franklin Corporate Center, located at 5100 Franklin Drive in Pleasanton. The deal was arranged by commercial realty firm Colliers International. Ellis will undertake a major renovation of the Pleasanton building, including new lobbies.

LightSail

captures $37 million in VC cash

Berkeley-based LightSail Energy, a developer of new technologies for energy storage, has landed $37.3 million in Series D venture capital financing.

Investors Bill Gates, Peter Thiel, Khosla Ventures, and Innovacorp were among the notable financiers that participated in the venture funding round.

Founded in 2009, LightSail Energy has developed technologies to make renewable energy such as solar and wind power available at times when the power is needed, rather than only when they are available. LightSail’s storage system enables solar farms to store energy cheaply, then deliver the power when it’s needed.

— Staff

Article source: http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_21960946/biz-buzz

homesmillbrae.com » Peter Thiel

Office-As-A-Service RocketSpace Doubles Real Estate To Accomodate Bigger …

Bay Area job market to top US, California – Alameda Times