Coworking-Inspired Startup Bets on Boutique Teams as the Future of Work

Published on September 24, 2018 - By Allwork.Space - Press

Curated leverages coworking to build global community of the world’s best teams

New York – September 24, 2018 — Curated (www.curated.io) has seized on the rapid expansion of coworking to become the first company created to specifically address the needs of members based in coworking spaces.

Since the start of 2017, over US$9.5 billion has been invested globally in coworking. Between 2016 and 2017 the number of coworking members grew by 78%. Curated is capitalizing on the coworking trend by focusing on the work happening inside coworking spaces. Through its global community of ‘Boutique Teams’ – companies with specialized skills that make up the majority of coworking members – Curated has established a new market for project-based work.

Curated’s ‘human tech’ offering is at the forefront of the next wave of outsourcing solutions. The company connects clients with Boutique Teams to achieve the right fit for each project, by utilizing the platform’s proprietary technology supplemented by human curators.

“The massive global investment in coworking has provided a home to an entirely new workforce of Boutique Teams,” said Founder, George Raptis. “These teams provide a variety of services from designers to web developers and even professional services.”

Raptis continues, “With a mass migration from the ‘big agency’ world to more nimble teams, we saw the opportunity to create a better way for fast growing companies to find and connect with the right teams for their project-based work.”

THE PRODUCT

The Curated platform allows clients to determine best fit by comparing ‘Curated Proposals’ – tailored proposals from hand-picked, pre-vetted teams. Once teams have been selected, the Curated platform assists by facilitating project invoicing  and payments – further reducing friction in the outsourcing process.

Curated aims to establish itself as ‘the home of work’ – a place where clients can source Boutique Teams on short notice.

By providing access to world-class teams without the big agency price tag – Curated sits in the sweet spot between often unreliable freelance solutions and the “old-world” of expensive agencies.

“We’re opening the market to a whole new workforce of Boutique Teams,” says Raptis.

STRENGTHENING COWORKING

With the number of coworking spaces growing by 30% in the last year alone, and over 60% of coworking members being growing/small businesses (who are typically on month to month contracts), Curated seeks to create new opportunities for coworking that extend beyond the value of leasing space.

“We believe the long-term success of coworking operators will depend on the long-term success of its members. If we can provide growth opportunities for Boutique Teams and provide stability for tenants – Curated will play an important role in strengthening the coworking model,” says Raptis.

THE FUTURE OF WORK

Within months of its launch, Curated achieved over US $1million posted in projects. The company now operates in over 15 countries, and has a waitlist of Boutique Teams across the globe.

Curated has become part of a broader resourcing strategy for several high-profile clients including coffee juggernaut Bluestone Lane, global software company Optimizely, and consumer-goods brand The Daily Edited – all looking to accelerate growth and drive cost efficiencies through the outsourcing process.

Raptis sees the logical next step for Curated being external investment to keep up with demand. “Now that we’ve established Curated as an amenity to complement coworking and the wider outsourcing market, we’re focused on scaling our global, team-based approach to the future of work.”

About Curated

Curated (www.curated.io) is the first company born out of the needs of the coworking revolution. The rise of highly skilled ‘Boutique Teams’ in coworking spaces has created an opportunity for startups and fast-moving companies to grow with external, outsourced teams, reducing the cost and time lag associated with hiring. Curated’s ‘human-tech’ platform connects clients with small specialist teams – fast becoming the trusted source for a higher standard of work for client users, and creating growth opportunities for Boutique Teams.

About George Raptis

George Raptis is a serial entrepreneur who believes that ‘human-tech’ will be at the center of the future of work. Having previously built and launched San Francisco-based fintech startup Credible.com (listed in 2017 on the Australian Securities Exchange), George founded Curated (www.curated.io) out of a frustration with both the standard and accessibility of outsourced work. Hailing from Australia and based in New York, George’s passion for building a trusted approach to work has grown Curated to over 15 countries.