Member Article

Peter Thiel-backed on-demand workspace provider opens tenth space in London

On-demand workspace and meeting room firm Breather has opened its tenth space in London as the demand for flexible offices continues to boom in the capital.

Its new site comprises of two sites at 21 Poland Street in Soho.

The startup, which was founded in 2012, has rapidly grown its presence in London since launching in June this year, and is now targeting 50 spaces by the end of the year to add to its current sites in Soho, Shoreditch and Hatton Garden among others.

Firms and individuals can hire tech-ready workspaces by the hour, with users able to locate nearby offices on the Breather app and provided with a personalised pin to gain access to each facility.

Breather’s success has underlined the appetite for cheap, flexible workspaces amongst the capital’s startup community with Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Julien Smith, stunned by the level of demand that the startup has experienced since setting up operations in the UK.

He commented: “London is, and always will be a global force and our offering is perfect to meet the demands placed on the existing infrastructure which might hamper the startup landscape.

“We launched mid-Brexit result, so it was an uncertain time for us but the power of the startup and SME culture in London is unwavering.

“It is a hotbed of creatives and tech companies and continues to deliver in terms of open minded individuals and firms who want to look for new solutions to existing overheads like rent.”

The on-demand business was set up by Julien Smith and Caterina Rizzi and has so far attracted $27.5m in funding, including backing from Paypal founder Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures.

It now has over 200 spaces in operation across major North American cities including New York, San Francisco and Montreal.