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Loosecubes is shutting down

blog.loosecubes.com

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Re: Loosecubes is shutting down

#21

Post by otakucode »

johnabowen wrote: post #3
ahc wrote: post #2

What a shame... I really loved their service. Also, quite surprising given they raised a pretty big Series A just a few months ago. http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/05/loosecubes-series-a/

I agree that it’s surprising. I hope we get a postmortem; I’d like to know why they are closing the doors. Lack of traction (seems like they had some though)? Trouble monetizing?

I'd like to know why they had 16 employees. I'm probably just overlooking something, but it doesn't seem to me that you'd need more than a handful.

Re: Loosecubes is shutting down

#22

Post by andersaa »

nlh wrote: post #5

Disappointing! I just signed up a few weeks ago and have happily used Loosecubes several times to find some great coworking spaces. They introduced me to the good folks at PARISOMA in SF and Buro in Miami. So sorry to hear about this. Of course, I didn't pay them anything for those intros (and I would have, btw) but I imagine that in general has something to do with their decision to close up shop. I'd be interested…

There are a few alternatives, like https://www.deskwanted.com/ and http://www.opendesks.com/.

We're actually building an MVP for a similar site with focus on the market in northern Europe, it would be interesting to hear where it went wrong for Loosecubes. They looked like the best kids in class.

Re: Loosecubes is shutting down

#24

Post by NikP »

nlh wrote: post #5

Disappointing! I just signed up a few weeks ago and have happily used Loosecubes several times to find some great coworking spaces. They introduced me to the good folks at PARISOMA in SF and Buro in Miami. So sorry to hear about this. Of course, I didn't pay them anything for those intros (and I would have, btw) but I imagine that in general has something to do with their decision to close up shop. I'd be interested…

Loosecubes, they are great team, shame it did not work out. And as others I hope we get some insight on what actually happened.

1.There is some insight on a comment from "Chris Di Fonzo" on TechCrunch article. Though it may be just his own opinion http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/13/loosecubes-shutdown-casts-a...

2.I am ready to pick up the mantle..if I find a developer, have been researching this sector for 2 months and have got a good understanding on what kind of product is required, how to launch it and carry it forward.

3.It is not a side project, this is full time, just came back form the Paris coworking europe conference and after meeting numerous space owners, software providers I feel there is huge gap in what people want and what is being provided. Secondly end users, people like you and me, are not even the focus on most of these products.

4. Someone said below the space owner can mange their marketing, space bookings etc on thier own, that is not the case, I have had completely opposite feedback.

Re: Loosecubes is shutting down

#25

Post by ryankals »

Really sad to hear them closing up shop! I used Loosecubes a few times to find space at TheAlley in midtown. Perhaps they had trouble monetizing? They certainly had loyal regulars such as myself posting reviews... shocking to hear they went under.

Re: Loosecubes is shutting down

#26

Post by colinbartlett »

looseaway wrote: post #19
ahc wrote: post #2

What a shame... I really loved their service. Also, quite surprising given they raised a pretty big Series A just a few months ago. http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/05/loosecubes-series-a/

From what I understand, this is an example of why tranched VC investments are bad. (See: http://cdixon.org/2009/08/15/the-problem-with-tranched-vc-in... ) It's not an investment until the money is in the bank.

Interesting read!

Re: Loosecubes is shutting down

#27

Post by coworfing »

ovi256 wrote: post #16
nlh wrote: post #5

Disappointing! I just signed up a few weeks ago and have happily used Loosecubes several times to find some great coworking spaces. They introduced me to the good folks at PARISOMA in SF and Buro in Miami. So sorry to hear about this. Of course, I didn't pay them anything for those intros (and I would have, btw) but I imagine that in general has something to do with their decision to close up shop. I'd be interested…

Have a look at http://www.coworfing.com , saw some cool public places with wifi around me.

I'm cofounder of Coworfing, thanks for mentioning us. We're still under development but working hard to provide you the best service. The best comment I found on the topic is over here: http://happymonster.co/2012/11/13/what-loosecubes-shutdown-m... and especially this paragraph "Because for LooseCubes, it was never about the physical features of the facilities. All that stuff is irrelevant now. The name of the game in the workspace sharing world is the people you have a chance to meet. Nobody ever said they loved coworking because they got to sit in a fancy chair. LooseCubes got that better than most, and was putting that first and foremost in the direction they took." We respected and watched closely Loosecubes because they put a real focus on being social, while most of the other players are only directories. Loosecubes understood that the purpose of the tool is to help people share their workplaces. It's more about coworkers than listings of coworking spaces.

Re: Loosecubes is shutting down

#28

Post by coworfing »

As a more open alternative (we're open source and trying to build a common listing of places), I'm wondering what will Loosecubes team do with their db & their code. Moreover, I'm sure they know and understood many things that would help everyone if shared.

Re: Loosecubes is shutting down

#29

Post by ALee »

I'm quite surprised this happened. I recently used their services in NYC for the first time. There was a lot they could have done to increase growth for their service and to optimize for revenue. I would have paid money for the service (and I rarely pay for any services), but alas, I don't think they're able to do that.

It is possible that their price tests just didn't yield a very high margin for them, which is essential in these AirBnB type of companies.

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