Celebrating six years of Venture Workspace

Searching for a coworking space in Claremont? Venture Workspace turns six, and Founder, Louis Fourie, pays homage to the pilot office at Villagers Office Park.

“As our founding branch we now refer to as ‘the mothership’, Claremont has held a special place in our hearts since we first opened our doors there in August 2016”, he says.

Emerging as a flexible and affordable alternative to traditional rental models, the Venture Workspace portfolio now consists of three ready-to-use coworking spaces. This includes a flagship branch at the Constantia Emporium Mall. It opened in February 2021, and a third at the Sanctuary Mall in Somerset West, established in October that same year.

The next chapter in Constantia

Since our inception, our ethos was to bring coworking spaces to the suburbs where professionals could avoid traffic jams and enjoy a healthier career-life balance closer to home and heart. The growing demand for workplace accessibility inspired us to establish our second office at the Constantia Emporium Mall.

With the bespoke shopping mall still in its development phase at the time, Louis and his team were lucky enough to have a hand in the layout of their new offices before the walls went up.

“We had first dibs on location, opting for the entire first floor. The team worked closely with the architect to mould the space to our needs. We also love that the land we are situated on has its own interesting backstory. Once used as a dump, it was rightfully awarded back to a local family after a restitution battle who then leased it out.”

“Leading up to the opening, we were overrun with enquiries. Despite South Africa going into hard lockdown a month later, we managed to hang in there and make it through”, he adds.

Setting up in Somerset West 

“By mid-2021, the Venture Workspace team was feeling optimistic. There was a growing demand for flexible office solutions, with remote and hybrid working more commonplace as a result of the pandemic.

Feeling bullish, the search began for a third space to add to our portfolio. We settled on Sanctuary Mall in Somerset West, hitting the ground running after just two months to set up”, Louis explains.

“Establishing our succeeding branches within local shopping centres has proved a winning formula. With ample parking, shops, banks, and gyms in close proximity, our members can embrace a flexible and efficient way of life.

As luck would have it, South Africa went back into lockdown during the same month as the Constantia launch. It was a massive blow, but we decided to keep an even keel and persevere. Fast forward to one year later and by January 2022, we were able to recover our losses, operating at full capacity across all three centres.”

Looking ahead

As Venture Workspace celebrates its sixth year in operation since the launch of its original coworking space in Claremont, Louis acknowledges that they would not be here without the grit and resilience of the team.

As part of the company’s birthday celebrations this month, special mentions go out to Bongi, Suzanne, Stephanie, and Owen based at Constantia, Florence and Mercy at Claremont, and Lize and Zolani at Somerset West.

“To all our loyal tenants who stood by us from day one, we are very grateful for your support. We are extremely proud to be a South African start-up initiating positive change in the serviced office market. We pride ourselves in a strong focus on hospitality and a client-centred experience.

Gratitude is further extended to former team members Nadia Moore, Bianca van Blerk, and Claudine Le Tape, who Louis explains were integral to the ongoing success of the Venture Workspace brand.”

“I’d also like to say a massive thank you to our shareholders:

Chris Hayman, whose audacious vision and a sharp eye for opportunity has helped propel us forward.

Colman Murphy, our Accountant and CFO, with his pedantic number-crunching and contract-crafting skills.

With the company now in its sixth year, we have learnt to crawl, walk and now run. We’ve earned our stripes as a well-known and reputable force in South Africa’s coworking sector”, Louis adds.

“We love that our three spaces attract a wide spectrum of businesses, local organisations and ambitious individuals. We look forward to celebrating our birthday on the 25th of August and welcoming many more professionals and aspiring start-ups through our doors”, he concludes.

Looking for a coworking space in Claremont, Constantia, or Somerset West? Contact the Venture Workspace team now for more details.