Hacker News Reader

Comment by nlh | Hacker News Reader

Disappointing! I just signed up a few weeks ago and have happily used Loosecubes several times to find some great coworking spaces. They introduced me to the good folks at PARISOMA in SF and Buro in Miami.

So sorry to hear about this. Of course, I didn't pay them anything for those intros (and I would have, btw) but I imagine that in general has something to do with their decision to close up shop.

I'd be interested to learn a few things: 1. What was the story behind their (hoped?) business model, and why did they decide to close the doors? 2. I wonder if someone will pick up the mantle where they left off -- perhaps not at the same scale -- but there is absolutely a need for this sort of coworking directory.

Perhaps a side-project-in-waiting for someone...?

View on HN

Loosecubes, they are great team, shame it did not work out. And as others I hope we get some insight on what actually happened.

1.There is some insight on a comment from "Chris Di Fonzo" on TechCrunch article. Though it may be just his own opinion http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/13/loosecubes-shutdown-casts-a...

2.I am ready to pick up the mantle..if I find a developer, have been researching this sector for 2 months and have got a good understanding on what kind of product is required, how to launch it and carry it forward.

3.It is not a side project, this is full time, just came back form the Paris coworking europe conference and after meeting numerous space owners, software providers I feel there is huge gap in what people want and what is being provided. Secondly end users, people like you and me, are not even the focus on most of these products.

4. Someone said below the space owner can mange their marketing, space bookings etc on thier own, that is not the case, I have had completely opposite feedback.

There are a few alternatives, like https://www.deskwanted.com/ and http://www.opendesks.com/.

We're actually building an MVP for a similar site with focus on the market in northern Europe, it would be interesting to hear where it went wrong for Loosecubes. They looked like the best kids in class.

Have a look at http://www.coworfing.com, saw some cool public places with wifi around me.

I'm cofounder of Coworfing, thanks for mentioning us. We're still under development but working hard to provide you the best service. The best comment I found on the topic is over here: http://happymonster.co/2012/11/13/what-loosecubes-shutdown-m... and especially this paragraph "Because for LooseCubes, it was never about the physical features of the facilities. All that stuff is irrelevant now. The name of the game in the workspace sharing world is the people you have a chance to meet. Nobody ever said they loved coworking because they got to sit in a fancy chair. LooseCubes got that better than most, and was putting that first and foremost in the direction they took." We respected and watched closely Loosecubes because they put a real focus on being social, while most of the other players are only directories. Loosecubes understood that the purpose of the tool is to help people share their workplaces. It's more about coworkers than listings of coworking spaces.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com