Page 8 - 2018 - Houston - Spring/Summer

task driven. Some incubators will require equity stake in the company while others charge a fee for office space which
allows access to all available resources.

ACCELERATORS If your company is past the startup phase and you are ready to grow, an accelerator will help you build
upon your company’s foundations and assist with getting the proposals in front of investors and key influencers at the
close of the program. Accelerator programs are typically within a strict time of less than 6 months with a stringent
task/timeline project approach to get as much work done as possible during the program.

Sometimes accelerators=immediate cash. While most companies hope that an accelerator will facilitate aggressive
growth, many are also looking for capital and sometimes are able to receive cash immediately from the program as they
work through the program and achieve milestones.

A couple of other terms you will see here are “Pre-Accelerators” which provide the same benefits as accelerators except
they typically do not have equity-based funding. “Seed Accelerators” are another program companies can apply for but
the application process is quite competitive. Should you be so lucky to win, you can anticipate equity capital investment
in varying amounts.
Now that you know what the differences are in all the
*Options by Company
new spaces to work, the benefits provided by every
company is different from company to company. Following, I will highlight some of the top things to keep in mind while
you are searching for your work space, but you will have to do some leg work to find what works best for you. Locations
range from the Google-type millennial vibe office space with a beer tap, to the Class A Galleria location where Champagne
bottles and glasses are kept on site.
Some of your smaller work spaces with fewer locations are more affordable and provide month to

TERMS month options. For larger properties, terms can be negotiated up to several years as space size
increases. You will need to determine how long of a term you want to commit to when signing for
your workspace.

Houston options are growing by leaps and bounds. While the concept has been focused on
Location
downtown, midtown and East End of Houston, many locations are being opened in outlying
areas of the Beltway and even as far as official suburb areas such as Cypress, Katy, and the Woodlands. Location also
impacts parking availability. Spaces that tend to be in established commercial buildings with traditional office suites may
not have access to free parking. This is also to be considered if you will be conducting client meetings at your office
location.

The final note and probably most important is the vibe. You may not like the word “vibe” but
THE VIBE whatever you call the emotion, feeling, sense, awareness, intuition, or gut reaction that you
feel when you walk into a place is very important. It should be a positive environment not
only so that you will be most productive and energized but also where you would be comfortable in conducting potential
client and partnership meetings. I mentioned earlier that the spaces really do have personalities that run the gamut; some
allow dogs, some have receptionists, some have trendy themes throughout the space, and some are basic and bare. Older
commercial buildings may also only have 8-5 access with A/C Monday-Friday. The bottom line for deciding what space is
right for you will be when your style/budget/vibe matches the location/environment that will help you grow!

RESOURCES:

5. https://www.wunsystems.com/blog/differences-coworking- 1. http://www.inspirecowork.com.au/coworking-vs-shared-
shared-spaces/ office-vs-hotdesking-vs-private-office-space-which-one-
best-suits-your-business-needs/
6. https://included.co/basic-differences-between-shared-
2. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/294798
coworking-and-incubator-spaces/
3. https://www.shopify.com/encyclopedia/business-
7. https://www.searchofficespace.com/blog/business-
incubator
advice/coworking-and-shared-offices/
4. https://inbia.org/wp-
8. https://bevmaxoffice.com/2018/01/23/virtual-office-space-vs-
coworking/ content/uploads/2016/09/Terms_4.pdf?x84587
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