Raleigh Founded, a local coworking provider, recently left its flagship Warehouse District location to move into a new building at 509 W. North St. With a large classroom, meeting rooms, event space and offices for teams of up to 50 people, Raleigh Founded’s new digs provide ample room for growth as the organization broadens its footprint.
The 36,000-square-foot space is about a five-minute drive north of the old location on South Harrington Street, which opened in 2012 and steadily expanded to more than 1,000 members. Raleigh Founded Executive Director Lauren Romer says the search for a new home started a few years ago after the team learned of major renovations coming to the Harrington Street block.
“The thought of leaving behind the 10 years of history at our Warehouse location was incredibly bittersweet, [but] we knew it was the perfect opportunity to find a space that could serve as the hub for community activity that we always dreamed of,” Romer says. “[North Street] has become that space.”
Downtown Raleigh’s historic Warehouse District has attracted several development projects recently, including a 20-story luxury mixed-use development on West South Street opening in 2025 and another 20-story office and residential tower completed last fall on nearby Hillsborough Street. In 2022, Raleigh Founded’s building and four other nearby parcels were sold to New York City-based Tidal Real Estate Partners in a $20.9 million deal. Soon, the area will be home to new apartment towers and a bus depot.
Raleigh Founded’s new home matches the style of its signature Warehouse space. Locals may remember the distinct blue brick wall that once bore its original name, HQ Raleigh, before a trademark lawsuit led to a rebrand in 2020. The entrance was later repainted with the Raleigh Founded signage.
Romer says the new location mimics the original blue brick. “We’ll also eventually have a mural with our logo on the outside of the building, similar to our previous location,” she adds.
Raleigh Founded’s Ongoing Expansion
Raleigh Founded members, who range from solopreneurs and freelancers to startup teams and tech resource tenants, aren’t tied to one space. They can access all of the brand’s coworking spots across the Triangle, including its Capital Club office space in downtown Raleigh, Gateway on Crabtree Boulevard and a hub on North Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus available to students and members.
The organization recently launched a new coworking space in Cary, part of the 21,600-square-foot Rogers West building. Romer says there are 50 people on the waitlist and over 20 inquiries for the event space. “More than half of our suites are full,” she adds. Tenants will begin moving in over the next few months.
Raleigh Founded is also expanding its programming, which mainly targets entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses and the broader tech community. It recently launched a new program to tap into NC State’s entrepreneurial students and alumni, sharing resources across its locations to integrate students into its base of startup employees and founders.
“We are always looking for more ways to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Triangle and increase access to resources for the startups in our community,” Romer says, adding that several new events are planned for the coming months.
Raleigh Founded will host its annual State of the Region event next month in partnership with local startup organization RIoT. Later, it will host a job fair co-organized by NC State’s Entrepreneurship Garage, followed by its annual Pitch Please event and a new program, Kickball for a Cause, to raise money for a local nonprofit.
