Company Culture

Benjamin’s Desk cofounder stepping down to focus on his real estate startup

The coworking space is tackling ambitious expansion plans over the next 18 months.

Mike Maher in Benjamin's Desk, before it opened as a coworking space. (Photo by Yael Borofsky)

Mike Maher is onto his next venture.
Maher cofounded Center City coworking space Benjamin’s Desk in 2012 with his wife, attorney Jennifer Maher. Now, he’s taking a step back from the business so he can focus on his real estate startup, Houwzer. His older brother Anthony Maher, who was the space’s COO, is taking over, according to a Philadelphia Business Journal report.
Read the full story
Benjamin’s Desk also has ambitious expansion plans, according to the report. It’s also taken an undisclosed investment from The Hub, which offers meeting space in the Cira Centre and other Philly locations.
Here’s what’s in store for Benjamin’s Desk:

  • It’s expanding to the sixth floor of its current building at 1701 Walnut Street, which means the space would occupy three floors of the building, bringing its total square footage to 10,000.
  • In the next 18 months, Benjamin’s Desk plans to launch multiple spaces that clock in at about 10,000-20,000 square feet, Mike Maher confirmed to us.
  • It’s “looking at establishing 10,000 square feet of ‘innovation micro-centers’ throughout struggling neighborhoods in the city,” according to the PBJ report.

The coworking space has also severed its ties with SeventySix Capital, Wayne Kimmel’s investment firm that invested $150,000 in the space. Mike Maher told the Business Journal that Benjamin’s Desk bought out that investment and got its equity back “for reasons we don’t need to disclose.”

Companies: 76 Forward / SeventySix Capital

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

The man charged in the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting had a ton of tech connections

From rejection to innovation: How I built a tool to beat AI hiring algorithms at their own game

How a laid-off AI enthusiast pivoted to become a founder — while holding down a day job

ZeroEyes lands major Temple partnership after multimillion-dollar raise

Technically Media