Team Collab: The Business Concept
Context
Collab is a social impact advisory firm that redesigns and renovates co-working spaces according to “The Collab Model,” in hopes of achieving gender equity in the workforce. The Collab Model is the modern-day office space -- reimagined. Complete with onsite childcare and plentiful new parent amenities, office spaces designed after "The Collab Model" are specifically made to be more parent-friendly.
As the transition to parenthood is a difficult one, we at Collab want to relieve new parents of the burden of choosing between work and life at home, by bringing both important aspects of life together.
Current Environment
We at Collab understand that the transition into parenthood is a difficult one - one that disproportionately rests on the shoulders of mothers. The current work/life paradigm that exists within society dictates that adults must choose between being parents and pursuing the careers they love. We think this is really unfair.
Without parent-friendly coworking spaces, parents will likely feel overwhelmed with the new responsibilities that come with childcare and pressured to choose between having a career and having children, which either:
Forces parents to forgo their careers for childcare, creating a resume gap and barriers to re-entering the workforce.
Creates the pressure to opt for expensive childcare centers in order to continue their careers, which is a luxury that parents of some socioeconomic backgrounds cannot afford.
The Value Proposition
From the lack of national paid maternal leave in the U.S. to unequal pay, it is evident that gender equality and workforce equity is not our current reality. We at Collab aim to do our part in changing that narrative by telling all parents -- not just mothers -- that these issues are ones that we all take on. Our goal is to encourage all parents across the entire gender spectrum to participate in and engage with the Collab network. It is only at the point when we all choose to collaborate will we truly begin to see change.
Developing the Business Model Canvas (BMC)
Collab has gone through multiple prototyping cycles - major changes occurring both before our pitch to the product development team at WeWork LA and before our pitch at the 2016 USASBE College Pitch Philly Conference, where we met with potential investors and mentors. The former provided us with helpful insight on the operations of co-working spaces and the latter helped pivot Collab from a real estate development firm to a social impact advisory firm. The Collab team also plans to attend the 2017 Harvard Social Enterprise Conference, where they will refine and pitch the Collab model once again.
