GlobeSt.com-

MIAMI—When Pipeline brought coworking space to Downtown Miami last August, it was the first exposure many had to the alternative workspace concept. Fast forward just a few months and Pipeline is a vibrant community of entrepreneurs, startups, independent professionals, and small teams that want to build relationships based on profitable synergies with a diverse community of professionals.

GlobeSt.com caught up with Pipeline co-founder Philippe Houdard to talk about the shared office space trend in Miami. Part one of this exclusive interview also looks at the types of companies are seeking to join alternative workspace communities. Be sure to come back this afternoon for part two of this story.

GlobeSt.com: What factors are contributing to the shared office space trend accelerating in Miami?

Houdard: The concept of shared office space has been adopted in major cities across the country, including New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, to provide businesses and entrepreneurs with a collaborative environment in which to exchange ideas and create new connections. Nowhere is there a greater need for this than in Miami, where small businesses and entrepreneurs working independent of one another serve as the backbone of the economy. Here there is an appreciation for creative space, and businesses are looking for an environment that will enable them to focus on their work as well as fuel their productivity through collaboration with others.

GlobeSt.com: Are the types of companies seeking space mainly in technology, or is it across other business sectors?

Houdard: When Todd Oretsky and I began working on this concept, we envisioned creating a workplace that added much more value than simply offering real estate. In short, we wanted an amazing workplace that was fun to work in and encouraged positive interactions between different types of companies and individuals, allowing them to collectively increase their productivity and success. To realize this vision, we needed to attract and house businesses from a broad range of industries and at various stages of the business cycle. As we have grown our community, we are seeing this theory become reality.

GlobeSt.com: What type of companies is Pipeline attracting?

Houdard: Our members include a combination of small teams from global companies, tech start-ups, design and creative agencies, attorneys and young businesses in the fields of energy, education and healthcare. We find that our members are not only engaging and collaborating with their neighbors, but are also informally networking through the many seminars, educational programs and events that we host each week at Pipeline.

Members include: The Founder’s Institute, the world’s largest startup accelerator; Pininfarina, an Italian design firm with clients like Ferrari; Rent Jiffy, a Washington, DC-based online business for property license filing; a division of Google; LearnerNation, a cutting-edge provider of interactive learning tools; SkyBank Financial, a leader in electronic payment processing; The Hawn Foundation founded by Goldie Hawn; and renowned interior designer and HGTV personality David Bromstad.

Be sure to come back this afternoon for part two of this story, where Houdard will discuss why he decided to locate in Miami’s Brickell Financial District and why the project has been so successful so quickly.

By Jennifer LeClaire | Miami