Catalyst in Denver, Colorado is a coworking space meant to bring together people in the healthcare industry. It boasts an unbeatable view of downtown Denver, a spacious kitchen with booths to work out of, and is Well Building Certified, meaning the building has been designed for improving the health and well being on the inside. We talked to Koleby Margoles, the Community Manager of Catalyst about the space.
When did this space open? What enticed you to do so?
We opened our space in July of 2018. The entire goal of Catalyst is to put different players within the healthcare industry into one physical location. The coworking space is just an aspect of that. We have 7 floors of a large building and the idea was just to have all these different providers within healthcare, systems, and organizations together in one physical location to help break down those barriers to see what is really bringing healthcare down and create direct change.
What type of amenities do you have and what makes Catalyst special?
Our coworking space itself is about 20,000 sq ft. We have 60 different offices ranging from 1 to 6 people, and 32 individual reserved desks. The entire building of Catalyst is around 250,000 sq ft, so we have a lot of office space, but the coworking space operates the entire 4th floor.
What is your favorite thing about operating a space?
Getting to work with so many different people. Every day is a new challenge, and a new experience and that’s why I love it so much. I’ve worked in coworking before and I find it to be really inspiring that we have all these different people from all walks of life in one physical location, and working with them is so fascinating and fun for me.
What is the most unexpected or surprising thing you’ve come across?
The most surprising thing, specifically about Catalyst has just been the excitement people have just being here. When I first signed on, I thought, it’s just a coworking space – but people are so excited to be here and interact with one another. It’s really inspiring for me to be here every day. I see all these collaborations in meetings happening organically which is so rewarding for me.
What is your biggest piece of advice for someone wanting to open a coworking space?
I would say the advice I have for someone wanting to open a coworking space, which is now a huge booming industry, is to have your focus and what your why is. Why are you opening up your space? What’s the reason for you being there? Yes, you can just be a space where people need a spot to work, but what’s your goal and what’s your focus. What are you going to be providing them that’s going to help them achieve their goals in their business. Having the why is really important to be able to achieve that success.
