New co-working space IF Lab coming to Kensington
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IF Lab will offer co-working spaces for businesses owned by people of color. Photo: Taylor Allen/Axios
Cofounders Tayyib Smith and Meegan Denenberg gave the public a first look Saturday at their Kensington co-working space, the IF Lab, which is designed to provide resources for people of color pursuing entrepreneurship.
Why it matters: Black Philadelphians make up 43.6% of the city’s population but only represent a little over a quarter of business owners.
- When looking only at businesses that have employees, that figure plummets to about 6.3%.
Smith and Denenberg plan to open the co-working space in early 2022 and work with 10-20 businesses at any given time.
- The space, which has a library and small tech center, is the first of its kind, but there are plans for another in West Philadelphia.
- Co-working will be offered on a membership basis. Facilitators will share grant opportunities and provide technical assistance.
What they're saying: Smith told Taylor the project is about providing resources and information for people at any level, including "some people who are ready to start a small business and some people who need to go on a path to discover how to hone in on an idea."
- Denenberg told Taylor the space is intentionally designed to feel relaxed.
- She said they wanted to make a "mental jungle-gym" but also "a space for people to breathe." The purpose is for it to feel like it's for the community.