Impact Hub Philly: arm of international coworking network to run coworking at 3rd Ward

Impact Hub Philly, part of an international coworking network now called Impact Hub with more than 40 spaces in five continents, will run coworking at 3rd Ward, the three-month-old education and maker space in Kensington.

3rd Ward’s staff is focused on the space’s other offerings, like events and classes, so it made sense to have a partner organization run the coworking side of the business, said 3rd Ward events director Jestis Deuerlein.

Impact Hub Philly aims to open officially this September, with a soft launch on July 20 as part of 3rd Ward’s block party, said Martin Montero, who was previously part of the team to get Impact Hub Philly off the ground. Montero previously worked for The Loom, a shared artist and manufacturer workspace in Port Richmond.

In the meantime, Impact Hub Philly will be hiring staffers to run the space. It’s not clear yet how many staffers the team will bring on, Montero said.

3rd Ward’s coworking space, a mix of open desks and office space, fits 200 people, Montero said.

Founded in London in 2005, international coworking network The Hub has a social good focus and is a registered B-Corp. Its U.S. flagship is in San Francisco.

The Hub opening up shop in Philly is the latest in a series of out of market organizations opening local offshoots. 3rd Ward itself expanded from Brooklyn and Brooklyn startup education outfit General Assembly took up residence at Venturef0rth last fall but has since halted operations. It’s too soon to tell if these expansions will succeed, but if anything, it means that Philly’s profile as a tech and maker city has risen.

Hub Philly’s site isn’t live yet, but email hubphilly AT gmail.com for more information.