Meet Bold, The “Zipcar For Small Meetings”

The growth of the flexible workspace industry, particularly in London, isn’t just opening new opportunities for serviced office and coworking operators. It’s also paving the way for niche workspace suppliers to identify, and meet, an ever-evolving catalogue of untapped requirements. One solution that has just hit the scene is Bold, a new brand of meeting spaces in London with a very precise focus. “Bold is a new brand of small meeting venues, it’s like ‘Zipcar for small meetings’”, explained Caleb Parker, co-founder and CEO of Bold. Providing a network of design-led spaces specifically for small meetings, Bold aims to capitalise on the growing trend for workspace-on-demand from SMEs and cash-strapped startups. Caleb, the former CEO of MeetingRooms.com, explains that one of the key drivers behind Bold is the growing trend for micro-office consumption; flexible workspace by the month, day, and by the hour. “The world is moving on, but the commercial real estate sector is still doing business the same way it has for the last century. If we look at companies like Netflix, Spotify, Zipcar, Airbnb, TaskRabbit, and many more, we're seeing a move from an ownership economy to an access economy.” Explosive growth in coworking and the prevalence of online meeting room platforms shows that the flexible workspace sector is catching on. However, there is a significant amount of disparity between platforms and inventory, which means supposedly online bookings still require manual intervention. By contrast, Bold aims to make the process truly digital. “The Bold platform allows you to tap in and out of Bold spaces for as little as an hour, or up to a full day. It’s all bookable via your mobile, which also acts as the key to unlock the space.” The ability to book by the hour enables SMEs and cash-strapped startups in London to keep within budget and limit the amount of time and resources they pay for. Indeed, as one of the world’s most expensive business locations, London is rarely associated with cost efficiency. Even Shoreditch in East London, once the darling of basement-dwelling tech entrepreneurs, has cast off its humble ‘Silicon Roundabout’ persona and rocketed far beyond the realms of pre-funded startups. Knight Frank now claims that Shoreditch, the heart of London’s tech sector, is the most expensive office space of any tech hub in the world. “It's no secret that London is expensive, and the SME community needs help,” says Caleb. In addition to cost-saving, Bold has another secret weapon to help the SME community. Its meeting rooms aren’t just designed for small meetings. They’re creative, inspiring, design-led spaces that are throwing off the shackles of staid corporate meeting environments. These are quirky, beautiful, curious, brave spaces designed to invigorate the senses and provoke fresh thinking. After all, no dull conversation could ever take place in one of these chairs: Bold’s ‘Nude’ themed meeting space is “intended to liberate your creative spirit”.