Female entrepreneurs are giving the old boy's network a run for their money with new women-only work spaces, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. One, called the Wing, is part co-working setup and part social club.
“Women are craving community, connection, and confidence, and that’s what we’re going to give them,” says Stacy Taubman, 38, founder of Rise Collaborative, which is set to open in St. Louis this month and will offer members networking events, a book club, and a chance to mentor teens. Then there’s SheWorks Collective, also in Manhattan; New Women Space, in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Hera Hub, in Phoenix, Southern California, Washington, D.C., and Stockholm.
Female-friendly bells and whistles at these workspaces include lactation rooms, free blowouts, and candles from Diptyque. At $185 a month, fees at the Wing are somewhat cheaper than popular unisex competitors such as WeWork charge. At WeWork, basic membership costs $220 a month.
The first co-working space, Brad Neurberg's Spiral Muse, opened in San Francisco in 2005. In 2014 Los Angeles entrepreneur Jen Mojo added the women-only angle, founding Paper Dolls, a co-working community designed specifically for female entrepreneurs.
