This summer I started a coworking space called Founders here in Fort Wayne, IN. I started it with Ray Angel and Steve Franks, two prominent members of the startup community in our city.

Founders opens every day at 8am and closes, well, whenever. It’s completely free to use, and supported by our Power Founders system.

You can read more about Founders at www.atfounders.com.

A few choice photos from our first three months

Nick Arnett, one of the coworkers at Founders, said this a few days into the space being open:

Throughout the past five days, Founders has already seen over a dozen people use it as a place to work out of and dozens more pass through to see what all the excitement is about. I’ve spent the last few days observing how people interact with the space and “founders” calling it home, and one thing is clear: Fort Wayne’s startup scene has finally hit a critical mass of people to be able to support a location like this.

There was also a nice story about the opening from the News Sentinel.

I’ve always liked the idea of starting a collaborative workspace, though I didn’t think I’d have the opportunity for another couple of years at least. The situation to found Founders sort of snuck up on me, but I’m really glad it did.

The growing community at Founders is really awesome. Since launching we’ve hosted a number of community events including a guerilla website redesign and our own version of a hackathon called 48hrs. The community itself has furnished all 3,000 square feet of our space so far, at least until we pull together a Kickstarter to take it to the next level.

The work in starting a second venture

I’ve also discovered that being a part of two distinct businesses is a bit difficult. Who knew, right?

I’ve spent a good deal of time working on Founders since July, but am finally at the point where a balance can be struck. It’s no doubt a challenge, of course, but it’s one I think I can make work. I’m working that pendulum back in the other direction right now.

In any case, if you are heading through Northeast Indiana any time soon and want to visit a cool new coworking space, swing by and give Founders a try. We’d be happy to meet you!