Venture to offer a co-working combo

Omaha entrepreneurs in need of work space will have another alternative when a new venture that seeks to expand companies and foster creativity opens later this summer.

The project — called Jailbreak Omaha — will function as part co-working space and part incubator for startup companies.

Co-working involves individuals and small companies sharing office space to save money and exchange ideas. The concept is gaining popularity among freelance workers and independent designers across the country, said Dusty Davidson, one of the project's coordinators and co-owner of Brightmix — a small Omaha-based Web development company.

So Davidson and other project coordinators, including Jeff Slobotski of Silicon Prairie News, decided to open a co-working space in Omaha. They want to bring “the coffee shop crowd” together to work and to collaborate, Davidson said.

It can be difficult for small companies to rent office space when first starting out, he said. Entrepreneurs frequently work out of their homes or coffee shops as an alternative to paying for space.

Davidson said the group is looking at locations in or around the Aksarben Village area because of its central location, proximity to the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the new development in the area.

He and his partners initially chose the name Jailbreak as a code name, modeled after a similar place called “Gangplank” in Phoenix. The group liked it, and the name stuck, he said.

An Omaha business that opened in late 2007 provides office and meeting space in an a la carte manner for small businesses and independent workers.

EncompassC3's CEO Judy Gough had operated a home-based business for about five years when she became frustrated with having to meet with clients at restaurants or other public places.

She decided to open a business that could accommodate small businesses that only occasionally need space.

EncompassC3, at 10842 Old Mill Road, rents individual offices and meeting space for an hourly or daily rate. The largest conference room can accommodate up to 60 people. The facility includes a kitchen.

Gough said business owners using the space have access to phones, Internet, audiovisual equipment, copy and fax machines as well as basic office supplies.

EncompassC3 provides an alternative for “viable businesses without a bricks and mortar (location),” she said.

“It's an extension of your business space.”

Davidson said Jailbreak will be more than just shared office space.

“It's about building community and fostering collaboration.”

The Jailbreak community could be leveraged to build entrepreneurial spirit among participants, he said.

Jailbreak would not be the first small-business incubator in Omaha, but it would be the first to combine the functions of a traditional incubator that offers subsidized space and other resources with a level of collaboration that is typically associated with co-working spaces, he said.

“The goal is to be a beacon for entrepreneurs in and around Omaha,” Davidson said.

Ken Moreano, executive director at the Scott Technology Transfer and Incubator Center, said he is excited about the hybrid function of Jailbreak that would allow startups to share office space and ideas and also have access to resources such as funding and mentors.

The new venture would be the first of its kind in Omaha, he said. It will provide a “sense of place” for the many independent workers, startups and innovators in Omaha.

The space will allow for “the creatives and entrepreneurs to converge,” he said.

Moreano said the incubator at the Scott Technology Center houses five companies with an engineering or technology focus.

Incubators provide subsidized space and infrastructure for early-stage companies. Companies in the Scott Technology Incubator can reside there for up to three years and work with strategic partners to help expand the business, he said.

Omaha-based live Internet auction company Proxibid is one of the most well-known companies to emerge from the Scott Technology Incubator, Moreano said.

Davidson said he hopes Jailbreak Omaha attracts entrepreneurs from a variety of industries, including software developers, graphic designers and artists.

The space will have enclosed offices to accommodate companies with several employees, and it will have individual desks for rent on a monthly basis. Tenants will share amenities such as a game room, conference space, and fax and copy machines. Tenants must provide their own computers.

Davidson said the space also will be open to the public for events and meetings.

He said he hopes Jailbreak would answer the question, “Where do Omaha's entrepreneurs hang out?”

Contact the writer:

444-1085, stefanie.monge@owh.com