Just who will occupy the “Smoffice” – short for world’s smallest office – will be disclosed on Tuesday.
“Smoffice” is the latest public relations effort by Durham to attract more attention as a startup capital for new and emerging businesses.
Launched by the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Durham, Inc., “Smoffice” is promising free office space, furniture, a tablet computer, technical support and advisory service plus a rent-free condo for six months.
The creators of the twice-run “Bull City Startup Stampede” that brought 30 businesses running to town have narrowed the focus this time around to one company.
The space is really, really small – it’s located in the front of the Beyu Caffe on Durham’s Main Street. Including a desk designed by Center Studio Architecture and built by McDonald York, the space is inside the front window of the coffee shop.
The condo comes courtesy Mangum 506, which is nearby.
Adam Klein, the “Startup Strategist” for the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, and Matthew Coppedge, director of marketing for Downtown Durham, came up with the “Smoffice” concept.
They also created the Stampede, which over two programs has produced 15 companies that remain in downtown Durham. The Stampede packages included free office space, high-speed bandwidth and other goodies.
The winner will be disclosed on April 17 at 1 p.m. through a virtual press conference via Skype.
