2.15.2018
Betaworks Studios: A Place for Builders
Late last year we shut down the betaworks office in Meatpacking and we transformed the space. This Spring we will open the doors to the first “betaworks Studios” — a club for builders. This is a new company and a new way to experience betaworks.
A place for builders
As technology reshapes every aspect of our world people all over are becoming builders. Builders are startup people, entrepreneurs, but builders are also the people who are changing the way they live and work as they remain part of a company or work freelance. Builders are creators who want to shape how technology affects their lives and they believe that building is the best way to understand technology. A builder is a mind-set as much as it is a skill-set. Yet builders need a place.
There are new places to work, conferences to attend, accelerators to join but there isn’t a place that builders can go to connect with their peers on an on-going basis. Our tribe needs a place. The faster the world changes, the more technology reaches out beyond the confines of our screens, these creators need a place to connect, meet peers across domains, share ideas, collaborate — become better builders.
The technology that was meant to connect us is isolating us …
For thirty years technologists have been creating online communities. The mantra “only connect” assumed that online connections were sufficient. Yet today, I believe the world, including builders, are yearning real connections — strong ties — in meat space. For ten years betaworks has been that place for the limited number of people who work with us. Betaworks Studios is opening that door to every builder — anyone is welcome to shimmy up to this bar, it’s just a high bar.
10
Betaworks turns ten this year. 10 years of working with exceptional people building, investing, accelerating and learning. While the products are manifest, betaworks is at the core a culture. It’s a place to foster building and builders and help them get better at what they do. Over the past 10 years about 10,000 people have attended an event at betaworks or worked with us to launch a company. That network of 10,000 is the core of our community, you are builders we aim to serve with this next evolution of betaworks.
Our first Studio will open this Spring in New York’s Meatpacking neighborhood, the home of betaworks. It will be a lively, comfortable, functionally-designed place to meet fellow members, drop in, take a meeting, connect with other members or get advice at that bar I mentioned, the S bar. You can grab a bite, do a little work, host an event, attend demos, join a Think lunch, or delve into one of our Camp sessions.
Think curiosity. Ten years ago, we did the first Think lunch at betaworks, since then these lunches have happened pretty much each week. Think lunches are forty five minute long open format meetings — the conversation is led by one person, the topic must be framed as a question — it should provoke discussion — the moderator is asked to press, and lead with curiosity.
No phones or computers are allowed, there are no recordings, it’s a time to talk and Think — its an opportunity for people to discuss things important to our industry, but not necessarily urgent or pressing. Everyone who has ever worked at betaworks has led a Think. Builders from different domains have led them —developers, artists, singers, senators, rappers, designers, writers, poets. Subjects have ranged from, “How has technology changed the act of creation?” to “how was the Life of Pi filmed?” to “will Europe exist in ten years?” to “the future of HQ”. Think lunches are a now going to be open to anyone who is a member of a Studio or invited by a member.
Atbetaworks we love frontier technology. Several years ago we started running thematic programs, Camp as we call them — these are twelve week accelerators programs, each is focussed on a new emerging interface. The expertise and knowledge in these Camps is going to seep into the Studio. These programs for emergent technology will inform the expertise in the Studios. Builders want to learn about new emerging technology and the presence of the accelerators will help enable this in a way that only betaworks can offer.
Betaworks studios will be a network of physical spaces and software designed to unlock both the community of builders we work with day in and year out, as well as new builders. From day one, the software will be embedded into the physical experience, enhancing the human connections. Combining a digital and physical space, Studios will be a place, a platform, for builders to flourish and stay ahead of the curves that matter to them.
For ten years we have been doing all of this informally for a limited community. I’m excited to for betaworks Studios to open the doors to a much broader community. If this is for you, then sign up and we will get back to you with details.
Thank you to the, builders, the 10,000 that have helped make betaworks what it is today. Thank you to Everlane, IDEO, Knoll, Rex, Leong Leong and other partners, friends and family who have helped make this a reality.
