Yesterday we discovered how videoconferencing is using holograms to take conferences and presentations to the next level. Today, we’re learning that the humble video call is once again shifting gears – but rather than being used as a presentation tool, it’s taking the form of a virtual hackathon.
Flow Club, dubbed the “Peloton for coworking”, lets users host remote coworking sessions to help people get into a productive flow state.
Users join a video session for a certain amount of time, and use the majority of that time to work on specific projects – together, but virtually. They may kick off the session to explain what they’re going to work on, then at the end, they will recap the tasks they have accomplished.
“It’s for modern day workers to approach work with a little bit more intention,” says cofounder and CEO Ricky Yean. “A little more focus.”
The company announced it raised $5 million in funding, led by Worklife Ventures. Brianne Kimmel, founder of Worklife Ventures, said in a statement: “In today’s remote workforce, preserving human connection while finding new ways to stay motivated are key to cultivating productivity and inspiring innovation.”
This is exactly what coworking spaces stand for, and Flow Club takes the concept of virtual coworking in a fresh and interesting direction.
It’s not a completely new idea, of course. The idea of virtual coworking accelerated during the early stages of the pandemic – at a time when physical coworking spaces were forced to close their doors, communities continued to ‘meet’ over video calls and work together, in a virtual sense, to help maintain productivity and accountability.