Coworking Centers Support Seacoast Startups

Tom Elliott came to Durham in 2009 to live in the Seacoast and be part of a tech ecosystem. However, as a one-man home-based business, Elliott craved creative interaction and was frustrated to find no coworking spaces. So in 2010 he created one, renting 600 square feet in downtown Durham and setting up a membership-based coworking facility-Idea Greenhouse-that offers entrepreneurs and startups affordable, flexible space to work and network.

I found dozens and dozens of people stuffing themselves into this 600 square foot space for our events, Elliott says.

In March 2011, Elliott partnered with UNH to expand to a 2,400 square-foot space, and now counts among its clients a veggie burger startup and a footwear manufacturing startup. The space includes 10 workstations, private offices, a drop-in work area and event space. Other similar spaces have since opened.

Alpha Loft

Alpha Loft, aimed at tech and creative startups, was created by Joshua Cyr two years ago on Congress Street in Portsmouth. Cyr says the mix of people makes for a good collision for ideas.

Alpha Loft quickly sold out of its dedicated desk space and added four more, Cyr says. Alpha Loft now has 10 desks ($200 a month) and a half-dozen slots for drop-ins ($100 per month).

Alpha Loft has launched http://seacoast.io, which includes an online listing of events in the region and a map of with resources that help startups.

Dover's Tech Ecosystem

While Portsmouth is known for its innovative startups, Dover has quietly become a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity. Collaborative Office Group, or COG, was launched in March by Dave Boynton, executive director of Seacoast Local, a nonprofit that promotes buying local and helping independent businesses grow, and Ryan Bedard, founder of Ecomovement. The pair needed office space and rented enough space in Dover's mill district to house many other nonprofits and entrepreneurs.

COG houses 12 businesses including the Health and Safety Council of Strafford County and Dogtooth Construction.

Drop-in space rents for $75 a month, dedicated desk space rents for about $250, and private offices rent for about $600. Shared amenities include high-speed business class Internet, a conference room with projector and event space.

A second coworking center, Tech Mill, is opening this month in the Cocheco Mills focused on technology and creative startups. Each of these coworking centers offer a slight twist on the same concept. The world is richer when different people spend time together, Elliott says.