The “other mayor,” Mike Bloomberg, spoke strongly about his support of initiatives to help laid-off workers get on their feet as entrepreneurs. This is very closely aligned with what we at New Work City are about, and what we intend to pursue in the coming weeks:

Our Small Business Services agency and our Economic Development Corporation will work together to help laid-off workers connect to start-ups and small firms in other industries by launching new job-training programs.

“They’ll also partner with private foundations to create ‘entrepreneur boot camps’ for all those interested in starting their own companies. And when the aspiring entrepreneurs are ready to take the next step, we’ll help them find office space. Right now, many landlords face rising levels of vacancies. But a number of academic institutions see value in those vacancies, and are interested in creating incubator space for new start-ups. By connecting these two groups, we can fill vacant commercial space and help launch start-ups that may have come up with the next big thing. 

“We’ll stimulate entrepreneurship in other ways, too. For instance, we’ll provide additional seed funding to high-tech start-ups. Right now, across the whole city, only $40 million in private money is being spent on this kind of ‘angel’ investing and yet there is a huge demand for it. So our Economic Development Corporation will find $3 million in its budget to attract new private angel investors. That will allow us to increase the pool of available financing by $10 million net – a 25 percent increase.”

New Work City stands ready to help in any way it can to help. We are already working on our own recession-busting program, and will be calling for you to help us. Let us know if you want to participate early on!

I believe strongly that, even in difficult economic times, if you find a way to provide something of value that people will pay for, you will propser. The more we can help each other find ways to value, the more we will all benefit– as a community, as a city, and as a nation.

That’s right! After a long year of figuring out the business model, building interest, and looking at space after space, we’ve finally arrived at 200 Varick Street!

We’ll be sharing the space with element^n, who have graciously given us a very flexible deal and a chance to get on our feet.

The building has lots of other young, creative companies in it, and will be a great environment. The entrance, hallways, and elevator have all been recently renovated and look great (there’s even an LCD screen in the elevator!).

The neighborhood is great, with tons of restaurants, cafes, bars, and little parks to explore. Adjacent to 200 Varick is SOB’s, a famous latin dance club. On the other side, Chipotle. The cafe downstairs, attached to the entrance, is Deb’s. It pumps in salsa music nonstop and has wifi.

We’ll be getting the first set of keys this week, and will be able to do tours in the next couple of days, but our official occupation date will be November 1st. There’s a whole lot to be done between now and then, including a trip to Ikea, signing up the first members, and, of course, a launch party.

Stay tuned right here for updates on all that and so much more.

We never would have made it this far without your continued support and excitement— both here in NYC, and around the world. As we move forward, New Work City will continue to be shaped by your needs and your input. It’s here because you want it to be here, and will continue to exist to serve your needs.

The workplace is changing, fast. The twentieth-century office enviroment is on its way out, and a newer, better, greener, happier, more productive workplace is taking its place.

The new workplace is everywhere. It’s in coworking spaces, cafes, parks, at home and elsewhere, and we all get to be a part of it.

This is the new way of doing work.

Welcome to New Work City!