BendTech

Click for photos of NedSpace Portland

If you’re an entrepreneur of any sort, or  simply like the idea of working alongside smart, creative people who are starting new businesses, take the NedSpace survey.  And please pass this on to anyone who might be interested in participating.  Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/nsbend

Seriously.  This is important.  Here’s why …

Why the survey is important

As recently reported in the Bulletin, and as discussed by NedSpace co-founder Josh Friedman at our last BendTech meetup, Josh and his partner Mark Grimes are in the process of deciding whether or not to open a NedSpace here in Bend.  The feedback they get from this survey will be a vital part of that decision making process.

What NedSpace is, and why it’s important

NedSpace is “Co-working for startups, innovative technology companies, non-profits, artists and social entrepreneurs”. Check out some photos of the Portland NedSpaces.  They are shared office spaces that provide the basic office essentials needed for small startup businesses – desks, internet, printers/copiers, palm-frond-waving eunuchs, etc.  The occupants are professionals from a broad cross-section of industries, both tech and non-tech.

… which is nifty and all, but what makes NedSpace special, and why I think this is worth getting excited about, is the culture these spaces represent.   NedSpaces are places where entrepreneurs, investors, and community groups commingle on a daily basis, and share the expertise and connections needed for businesses to flourish.  It is very much about bringing people together to benefit local businesses (read, “economy”) and community.

NedSpace is not a tech-specific endeavor – it will serve tech and non-tech groups alike – but BendTech is a tech blog and I want to touch briefly on what I think this could mean for our tech community.  People in tech here struggle against a sense of isolation.  Our attention is on the companies, clients and customers outside the area that pay our bills, making it difficult to devote the time and energy required to stay connected to one another here.  Meanwhile living in the High Desert makes it difficult to stay connected to the greater technology hubs that define our industry: Portland, Seattle, New York and, of course, Silicon Valley.

NedSpace will help reduce this sense of isolation.  Groups like BendTech, COWPU, and COISUG will have access to the space for meetings and events, making it easier for us to all get together. More importantly, NedSpaces presence in Portland (and, soon, other communities), will give us ties to those communities that do not exist today.  Imagine going to Portland and being able to work in a creative, vibrant space there, and engage the entrepreneurs that inhabit that community.  ‘Not sure about you, but that’s a pretty exciting concept to me.

So, again, if you’re interested in this, the best thing you can do is to take the NedSpace survey, and encourage like-minded friends and co-workers to do the same!