7 Noteworthy Coworking Spaces in Silicon Valley (SF Bay Area)
With the launch of our foreign business support services earlier this spring, a shared office space for entrepreneurs has also been launched. Eager to continue implementing improvements to better cater to the needs and desires of foreign startup owners in Japan, staff at FREA have examined such spaces in Silicon Valley, where the concept of coworking originated as a response to the startup environment.
With each entrepreneur or small-business-owner having widely varied needs, we felt that “best” would not be an appropriate descriptor, however each of the following locations is highly rated and have numerous services to offer—read on for our list of coworking spaces in the SF Bay area that we felt stood out for one reason or another.
PART 1: San Francisco
Bespoke (SF)
Housed right inside the Westfield San Francisco Centre in Union Square, Bespoke stands out as a retail-focused and fashion-oriented resource amongst the many more purely tech-focused shared offices. Demo stations for feedback and engaging potential audiences are available both inside the working space and throughout the massive shopping mall, which draws over 20 million visitors each year.
Going beyond generic office spaces, Bespoke even offers a “nap room” with beds for members to recharge during the day, as well as an indoor rock-climbing wall for a change of pace. The unlimited supply of quality local coffee also seems to be an appreciated perk.
Covo (SF)
This coworking space is housed in a large downtown building with an open-to-public café area and tiered pricing options ranging from pay-per-hour to monthly memberships including private office rooms. Covo’s greatest strength perhaps lies in its staggering range of amenities offered for a comfortable environment promoting work-life balance—a few examples are both a café and tap room area, a bicycle room, dry cleaning services, and the pet-friendly nature of the building.
Canopy (SF, multiple locations)
Offering several locations spread across SF, Canopy specializes in carefully curated, ergonomic working environments. Amenities include a full-sized kitchen, beverage refreshments, desk phones and tech support.
For entrepreneurs working remotely, they also offer “virtual office” memberships providing a business address. All membership tiers include a portion of meeting room credits, and access to community happenings—Canopy frequently hosts industry speakers, themed discussions and other events.
Galvanize (SF)
https://www.galvanize.com/san-francisco/campus
Unlike most other shared office spaces, Galvanize is also a campus building which offers a variety of tech courses for individuals seeking to either improve their existing skills or a begin a new career in the tech industry. The five-story building offers a wide variety of seating including private offices and an open-to-the-public café area, and also hosts frequent tech meetups during evenings, creating valuable networking opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Designed to be drastically different from traditional workspaces, Galvanize contains multiple micro-kitchens (with refrigerators) for refreshments throughout its floors, which have large amounts of natural light and are furnished with varying themes. Visitors praise the “energizing” environment that promotes productivity and the inspiring rooftop view from the 5th floor of the bustling city.
Previously, in the first half of our compilation of top Silicon Valley coworking spaces, we focused on offices based in San Francisco itself. But Silicon Valley actually encompasses a much larger overall region, with areas often differing significantly from the urban city vibes of SF. Here are 3 more noteworthy coworking spaces, this time located elsewhere in the Bay Area.