“Sima Harian”, the manager of the Karaj Startup House, stated that the Karaj Startup House, which has 500 visitors per year, is about to be closed, while clearly opposing this decision, saying that this will lead to the loss of the treasure of Karaj startups’ activities of the past few years.
On the other hand, Karaj city council believes that it has not decided to close this complex and has a transitional view of this complex. This transfer comes at a time when the Karaj Innovation Factory is not easily accessible for startups due to its distance from the city center of Karaj, and in case of this transfer, Karaj Startup House It will be closed in practice.
According to Digiato, the Association of Shared Workspaces has also expressed its clear opposition to this decision by publishing a statement regarding the closure of Karaj Startup House, which has 500 visitors annually. There is a concern about the repetition of the domino effect of the closure of co-working spaces in a situation where the Isfahan hub was on the verge of closure a few days ago. Although this closure was stopped with the follow-ups, now it is the turn of Karaj Startup House.
The use of shared work spaces has become a part of the country’s work culture with the formation of the startup ecosystem. Karaj Startup House was launched in 2015 by the city administration and the approval of the Karaj City Council. Now, after 6 years of activity, the city council has decided to close it down.
“Sima Harian”, the manager of Karaj Startup House, in an interview with Digiato By explaining that the view of the city council is not to close this complex; announced that in their opinion, transferring this startup house to the innovation factory is equal to gaining new opportunities; An issue that, of course, Harian himself does not agree with.
Closure due to relocation
The manager of Karaj Startup House stated that the focus is not on the closure of Karaj Startup House and that the discussion is about transferring it to Alborz Innovation Factory, he told Digiato: “Karaj City Council decided that all startup complexes should be located in Innovation Factory. Meanwhile, the innovation factory does not have the necessary capacity to cover Karaj startups in an integrated manner.”
Harian, emphasizing the need and necessity of increasing startup houses in Karaj, in response to the question Digiato Regarding what activities have been done to prevent the transfer or closure, he said: “The need of Karaj startups for this complex led to more consultation with the members of the city council and an explanation about the capacities of the “Karaj Startup House”; Up to this point, the results of negotiations have been positive.”
According to him, the Karaj city council has examined the capacities up to this moment and it is going to be further examined, and therefore the decision to transfer has been stopped for now.
Annual use of 500 people from Karaj Startup House
In response to the question of how many people use this collection, the manager of the Karaj Startup House said: “The estimates that have been made show that 500 people use the Startup House annually.”
Pointing out that the seat capacity of the startup house is 70 people, he said: “This number of seats is available to people in different time periods from 7:30 am to 9 pm.”
Harian also pointed to the possibility of team building and using various training workshops in Karaj Startup House and described this process as a suitable capacity to help Karaj startups.
A nearby establishment or distant facilities
Digiato’s research shows that in the city of Karaj, there is no place specifically known as Shared workspace Not for startups. Karaj Startup House is not just a shared work space and it seems that it has made spiritual support for startups possible.
On the other hand, the location of the Alborz innovation factory has not been particularly favored due to difficult access. The current situation and the decision of the city council to transfer the house to the factory also strengthens this hypothesis.
Firstly, the profitability of the startup house for the city council is not enough to help it continue its operation, and secondly, the activists in this house are encouraged to migrate to Alborz Innovative Factory and its prosperity accelerates.
This decision comes while Harian explained that access to the Alborz Innovation Factory is not easy for everyone, saying: “Startup House hosts all people of different age groups. The exchange of experience between students and middle-aged clients is well established. On the other hand, it is not very possible to access the innovation factory by public transportation, and people have to go to the factory by private car.
Expressing his hope that the consultations with the Karaj City Council will reach desirable results, he said: “At least 10 startup houses and innovation factories should be built in Karaj.” “Startup House is a treasure that has provided the possibility of activity and team building for several startups.”
A resolution for the end of the year
On the eve of 1402, the decision to close down Karaj Startup House will increase the concern of startups active in this complex. The economic situation is not so suitable for renting a personal office, and a startup based on the nature and type of its work basically does not have the possibility of such a choice.
Although the year 1401 did not have a significant rise for startups, but its long decline continues until the last days of the year, and in addition to the problems of accessing the Internet, fixed costs and entering the market, there are still concerns about how to provide local resources to advance work plans.
After the news of the possible sale of the Azadi Innovation Factory in Tehran and the increase in the costs of innovation factories in different cities, it seems that next year the challenge of accessing physical work space should be taken more seriously in the checklist of startup challenges.
