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Expanded co-working space at Cambridge Innovation Center opening today

E-mail | Print | Comments () Posted by Scott Kirsner October 13, 2011 02:46 PM

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By Scott Kirsner, Globe Columnist

I dropped by the newly-expanded co-working space at Cambridge Innovation Center this morning. That's where entrepreneurs and consultants who don't necessarily need private offices can rent a desk for $250 a month. And it's also home to two "neighborhoods" — one where angel investor Bill Warner offers advice and educational programming for entrepreneurs, called the Anything Goes Lab, and another called iCollaborative, geared to students working on start-ups and funded by Battelle, the non-profit independent R&D firm. Both of those require that you apply and are admitted. With Anything Goes, members still pay the $250 monthly fee; with iCollaborative, Battelle will cover the cost for up to 30 students.

The new Cambridge Co-Working Center (C3) space is just under 5700 square feet — about twice as big as the original co-working area, which opened in 2009. (As HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah notes in the comments below, the fourth-floor real estate was formerly the home of his digital marketing start-up — until HubSpot outgrew it.) The new "czar of co-working" at the Cambridge Innovation Center is Sidi Gomes, an entrepreneur and alum of Harvard's Graduate School of Design. There's a champagne toast planned at 4 p.m. today to inaugurate the new space.

Some pics:

Sherry Zhao, who is overseeing the iCollaborative space. She says six students have already won admission to it.

Near the entry to C3, a flat-panel TV with videogame consoles and comfy seats.

Aside from the Aeron chairs, most of the furniture comes from IKEA.

I am pretty sure I could eat $250 worth of the complimentary Oreos every month.

There are bunkbeds for those who need a refreshing nap after a late night of user interface design. "Naps are a very high-productivity thing," Warner says.

A blackboard calendar will be filled with two months' worth of upcoming events. The rolls of brown paper in the middle are intended for sketching schematics and group brainstorming.

Entrepreneur Nick Tomarrello of Escapist was responsible for outfitting the Anything Goes Lab.

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About Scott Kirsner Scott Kirsner was part of the team that launched Boston.com in 1995, and has been writing a column for the Globe since 2000. His work has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Newsweek, and Variety. Scott is also the author of the books "Fans, Friends & Followers" and "Inventing the Movies," was the editor of "The Convergence Guide: Life Sciences in New England," and was a contributor to "The Good City: Writers Explore 21st Century Boston." Scott also helps organize several local events on entrepreneurship, including the Nantucket Conference and Future Forward. Here's some background on how Scott decides what to cover, and how to pitch him a story idea.

Events

June 12: MITX Innovation Awards
Honoring innovative sites, software, and tech products created in New England.

June 13: Mass Innovation Nights
The monthly product launch event and schmooze-fest comes to the North Shore for the first time.

June 18-21: BIO International Convention
The enormous biotech industry trade show comes to town, with speakers like Senator John Kerry, Christopher Viehbacher of Sanofi, and Human Genome Sciences CEO Thomas Watkins.

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