The new business incubator, CoVenture, wants to develop a coworking space in downtown Carbondale and is asking the town to commit $25,000 to help make it happen.
At the Board of Trustee meeting on Tuesday night, CoVenture made its pitch; the town’s trustees had lots of questions.
Coworking refers to a shared work environment where freelancers, people working remotely, or entrepreneurs can work instead of at home, a coffee shop or the library.
The idea is if you create a space where people come together, all with different skills and talents and interests, innovation can happen. The space becomes a hub where people can network and collaborate on projects.
CoVenture is in the process of applying for a grant from the state of Colorado and needs local partners to have a competitive application. Garfield County has committed to supporting the group financially, but a commitment from Carbondale will make their application even stronger. CoVenture already has a space to work in downtown Carbondale, in a building owned by a board member. The money the group is getting from governments is for operations.
The town’s trustees were all interested in the idea of a coworking space, but several made the point that many $25,000 is a lot of money; other non-profits come to the town for $2,500 grants which, several trustees said, can be hard to commit to.
Carbondale needs to finalize their budget in December, and will need to make a decision on CoVenture’s request by then.
