Coworking space makes waves in Taipei

2020/01/13

The number of people in Taiwan who work remotely for major employers is minuscule compared to the U.S. or the U.K., but the country does have a growing cohort of freelancers and self-employed specialists who see no reason to rent or equip a conventional office. Many of the latter work from home, but some take advantage of a type of establishment that did not exist before the internet age: the coworking space.
 
 Located just steps away from Taipei metro’s Technology Building Station in Daan District, Impact Hub Taipei aspires to foster something more than spurring economic growth. Like 100 other hubs spread throughout the world, IHT is a home for activists, artists, creatives, campaigners, entrepreneurs, freelancers and professionals taking action to drive positive social and environmental change.

Unlike conventional offices, those who frequent coworking spaces seldom share similar goals. They also have very different reasons for paying the membership fees entitling them to sit all day—maybe all night—making the most of ultrafast Wi-Fi.
 
 There are various professional teams at IHT, which is linked through a Vienna-based association to the original Impact Hub. It is an everyday occurrence to see people collaborating and forming cross-sector strategic alliances in a high-energy, low-stress environment.
 
 IHT co-founder and CEO Oliver Chang said the organization’s core values are sustainability, social innovation and the sharing economy. “We aim to support a local community of entrepreneurs or impact-makers to do good through business.”
 
The hub also caters to professionals on short- or medium-term stays in the city. Day passes and tailored packages for foreigners are proving popular, partly explaining the growing popularity of IHT.
 
“Our Hub has been visited by people from over 20 countries, and over 30,000 people have attended our events,” Chang said, adding that the future looks bright for IHT and other organizations providing a fresh take on the traditional working environment.

According to Chang, plans are in the pipeline to quadruple IHT’s physical by branching out to a second location. “This is expected to provide more coaching, education programs, incubation, mentorships and workshops,” he said.
 
“We want to house everything under one roof, so entrepreneurs can focus on business and impact.”
 
At a flexible and comfortable coworking space like IHT, activities related to the technology sector are supported in every possible way. Hannah Tsai, a translator familiar with similar facilities in Australia and Singapore, said it is beneficial to be in the company of like-minded souls if working on a scientific paper, for example.
 
 There is another plus of working at IHT as compared to home, Tsai said. Finding partners ready, willing and able to go for noodles is never an issue, she added.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)