Co-working spaces merge to form new ‘Avenu’ for Uptown
Fifth and Forbes avenues are the main thoroughfare that connects Downtown to the booming tech and university hub in Oakland. However, the community that sits in between — Uptown — often is passed through, rather than settled in.
Two pioneering co-working spaces, StartUptown and Revv Oakland, are looking to change that through a not-for-profit merger that creates Avenu, an aptly named entity with a commitment to equitable economic development in the Fifth and Forbes corridor.
StartUptown has two offices in the Uptown neighborhood: one building on Miltenberger Street inside the old Paramount Pictures Film Exchange and another, the flagship location, along Fifth Avenue.
Follow the bus route through Uptown to Oakland, and there’s another co-working space called Revv Oakland, headquartered along Forbes Avenue. Revv has five locations, including dedicated spaces for startups and flexible co-working spaces.
Revv has more than 5,000 square feet dedicated to Yelp-acquired startup company NoWait on Meyran Avenue, 3,850 square feet dedicated to Containership on Oakland Avenue, 3,327 square feet of dedicated space for Stitch Fix on Atwood Street and another 6,000 square feet of space between co-working centers at 3710 and 2712 Forbes Ave.
“The new identity, Avenu, captures both our mission — to drive equitable economic development in the corridor — and our geographic footprint,” said Tad Hale, acting executive director of Avenu, in a release.
Despite StartUptown and Revv Oakland’s success in housing recognizable startups that have made prominent exits, including Rhiza, Allpoint Systems and Powered Analytics, the two coworking organizations cite a larger vision beyond flexible work.
“Pittsburgh’s transformation into a destination for aspiring entrepreneurs is important and necessary, and providing turnkey services and collaborative events to help startups grow faster in an amazing university neighborhood like Oakland was an obvious way to contribute,” said Revv founder Mark Musolino in a release.
In a statement, Dale McNuttof StartUptown said it “has always been about improving my community by attracting more people to work, make, and live in Uptown ... to spur development in a corridor that had great potential to build a broader entrepreneurial culture.” Mr. McNutt lives in Uptown in a space connected to StartUptown’s flagship site.
Mr. Hale said Avenu will help connect people and programs through “placemaking” to create lasting value and a community of residents, builders and entrepreneurs. He hopes to attract more communitybased startups.
Increased programming also is on the docket.
“Find What Drives You” is the theme of Avenu’s launch and celebrates those who help drive development along the Fifth and Forbes corridor.The Avenu website (www.avenu-pgh.com) will golive Sept. 15.
According to a co-working space spreadsheet compiled by Carnegie Mellon University’s Project Olympus incubator, a dedicated desk at Revv Oakland starts at$250 and a dedicated office starts at $500. StartUptown offers a dedicated desk for $250 per month or a dedicated office for $550.
The co-working spaces under Avenu’s umbrella are only a sampling of those located in the city. There are more than 30 other flexible work space options, including Alloy 26 in the North Side, Ascender in Larimer’s Bakery Square, Catapult in Lawrenceville and Beauty Shoppe in East Liberty.