A great coworking space is a collection of minds inspired by the brand that brought them together. As a member, you benefit from the brand that creates the space, the ethos it aspires to, and the people it attracts. Not only can a great space provide great ideas, but the association could also lend credibility to your otherwise unknown startup.
Amenities
Amenities available at different co-working spaces range from free Wi-Fi and coffee to weekly seminars with high-profile guest speakers and shared staff members, such as receptionists. But the unstructured exchanges that take place at the coffee machine are the real amenities. The knowledge and experience of your peers and small, informal interactions around the printer can spark new ideas.
How the shared space community boosts productivity
Shared space boosts productivity by making you more effective, reducing loneliness, networking, providing flexibility and avoiding loneliness.
Co-working spaces for entrepreneurs, freelancers, startups, and business owners in Uganda are developing rapidly. The reason for this is mainly because they are a solution to most startups that lack enough capital to rent a lone office. By renting at a co-working hub, you will get most (or at times more than) what you would get in a solitary office at a cheaper price.
1. The Innovation Village
The Innovation Village has been a launchpad for innovators and entrepreneurs since its founding.
It opens Monday to Friday from 8 am to 8 pm and on weekends, from 9 am to 2 pm.
They offer different packages to those interested in renting space, i.e. you can rent space for a day or on a monthly basis. The Village is also divided into two sections, and the prices for each section differ.
Services: Wi-Fi, conference room, kitchen, unlimited internet, free coffee, and open design. There is also a restaurant in the hub so you don’t have to walk a long distance to buy food.
Location: Ntinda Complex, Block B, 3rd Floor, Ntinda, Kampala, Uganda
Website: http://innovationvillage.co.ug/
Must Read: Tech hubs & co-working spaces in Uganda: What they charge for space
2. The Design Hub
Design Hub says that their mission is to show the economic value of creativity and design thinking and provide an entry point for international market opportunities.
The Design Hub rents space priced in three different categories; for a startup, you pay Shs215000, for expanding companies, you pay Shs325000 and for established companies, you cough Shs415000.
The hub also offers packages for those interested in using space for a day. The Internet is also provided but the offers differ depending on how much you pay, according to their website.
Location: 5th Street Industrial Area, Plot 3 Bata Close, next to Bata Factory outlet
Website: designhubkampala.com
3. The Tribe Kampala
Tribe Kampala offers meeting rooms that accommodate from 2 – 12 people, a whiteboard, and internet. The Tribe is open to individuals and teams working in diverse domains of expertise. The facility opens throughout the week.
Services: Wi-Fi, printer, copier, scanner, tech support, mail service, discounts for select partners.
Day pass: Shs30,000
Location: Plot 8, Bukoto Street, Kisementi near Arena Sports Bar
Website: tribekampala.com
4. The Outbox Hub
The Outbox hub hosts a wide range of tech events ranging from developer meetups, innovation days and workshops. The hub helps foster an entrepreneurial spirit through knowledge sharing and collaboration.
Amenities: Wi-Fi, free coffee, conference room, dedicated event space for 25 to 100 people. Space pricing starts at 220,000 per month.
Location: Soliz House, Lumumba Avenue, Kampala
Website: outbox.co.ug
5. Hive Colab
Hive Colab incubates companies and startups. They focus on digital economies: financial technologies, medical technologies, educational technologies, agricultural technologies, and technology for governance (Tech4Gov).
They are open from Monday to Friday from 7 am to 8 pm and on Saturday from 8 am to 6 pm.
Location: 4th Floor, Kanjokya House, Plot 90, Kanjokya Street, Kampala.
Website: https://hivecolab.org/
6. Venture Labs
The Venture Labs Kampala lab runs a co-working space for innovative start-ups and small companies. Venture Labs has a range of private offices that are available on occasion, in addition to shared private offices. General memberships involve the use of the open-access co-working spaces.
Location: Plot 7, Binayomba Road, Bugolobi.
Services: Workspace, garden with deck and hammocks, unlimited broadband fiber, free coffee, tea and water, housekeeping, chill out lounge, 24-hour access, and ping pong. There is also a restaurant for easy access to food.
Website: venturelabseastafrica.com
7. The Space Hub
The Space Hub provides space to budding or established entrepreneurs, freelancers and start-ups.
Amenities: Internet, coffee, and water
Location: The facility currently occupies a smaller area at Be Forward Uganda bond on Lugogo By-Pass in Naguru, but the managers told us they are currently shifting to a bigger area. This is why we left out some of the services as they can’t be provided in their current location.
Website: thespacehubafrica.com
8. The Tech Hub
This was opened this year by Techcellerate Limited (TCL) and Ortus K Muhangi Advocates.
Their website indicates that their “core purpose is to foster innovative ideas through business incubation, technology demonstration and validation, and workforce development.”
Services: Check tweet below
The "Tech Hub" is open for business at Park Royal Building 7th Floor, Uganda Road (next to Watoto). Supporting early-stage #Businesses and Social #Enterprises to flourish through #incubation and #acceleration. See flier for details. You can follow us @The_TechHub pic.twitter.com/v5T0MFdG7h
— Silver Kayondo (@SilverKayondo) May 14, 2018
Location: Park Royal Building, Plot 26 Buganda Road in Kampala
Website: Click here for information about The Tech Hub
It is important to note that as you pick a co-working space to rent space at, you have to consider the location of the facility from where you stay, what kind of company are you running and what sort of people do you want to associate with.
The hubs also vary in price and services, so what you need should help you judge how much you should spend. And it is not a guarantee that the higher the price, the better the services.
Related:
Photos: New tech hub eyes accelerating digitization of Uganda
8 unbreakable years of building tech hubs in Uganda: Founders talk future plans
