New Founders-Only Coworking Space Opens in NYC
A new founders-only coworking space called The Varo has opened in Manhattan. The space is positioned as a "battlefield" for ambitious entrepreneurs and engineers, offering desks, day passes, and event spaces. The model aims to foster an in-person community for builders to connect with peers and potential co-founders.
- The Varo is located at 1239 Broadway in a 12,000-square-foot space in Manhattan's NoMad neighborhood and is specifically designed for venture-backed startups with teams of six or fewer people. - Pricing for the space starts at $45 for a day pass, with monthly memberships beginning at $1,000, positioning it as a premium option compared to other NYC coworking spaces where day passes can be found for as low as $25-$29. - The launch comes as New York City solidifies its position as the world's second-largest startup ecosystem, with local startups raising $18.7 billion in 2024. - NYC's AI sector is a particular area of growth, accounting for 14% of all U.S. Seed and Series A fundraising in AI, with notable AI companies headquartered in the city including Dataminr, Pinecone, and UiPath. - Venture capital investment in the city remains strong, with NYC startups raising $1.68 billion in January 2026 alone, a 93.5% increase year-over-year; AI companies accounted for 36.2% of that funding. - While VCs are focusing on AI, enterprise AI startups have received the vast majority of funding, with B2B AI startups raising $16.4 billion compared to $7.8 billion for B2C AI startups in 2024. - The city's tech ecosystem includes a high density of serial entrepreneurs who have founded multiple successful companies, such as Kevin Ryan (Gilt Groupe, Business Insider, MongoDB) and the founders of Flatiron Health, who previously sold an ad tech company to Google. - The broader NYC coworking market includes diverse models, from single-location boutique spaces to networks like Croissant, which provides access to over 60 different workspaces across the city on a single pass.
