"I haven’t learned anything new since starting my business." Said no entrepreneur, ever.
It's fair to say we've learned a thing or two over these past five years building The Hivery.
If you've never heard of us before, The Hivery™ is a collaborative and creative coworking space where you can pursue your work, passions, ideas and next steps. We are one of the first female-fueled coworking spaces and have built a dynamic, kind, and impactful community, leading a movement for how and where women create meaningful work. And, we aren't done. We've got big plans and a bold vision for spreading The Hivery love far and wide.
We're creating a spectacular second location at the historic Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture on the waterfront in San Francisco's Marina District. By partnering with iFundWomen, we are raising a beauty and creativity fund for The Hivery to enliven our stunning Fort Mason space (opening in the Fall!) with art, creativity, beauty, and giving. We don't just want to create space; we want to create something so special that the impact is bold, unique, and overflowing with positivity.
Founder Grace Kraaijvanger, shares a few key surprises…along with our drive to partner with iFundWomen to make amazing things happen.
- Women are hiring, partnering, collaborating and funding each other’s work EVERY, SINGLE DAY at The Hivery. The level of commitment to each other's growth has blown us away. The stories of our community rallying to help, mentor, support, and encourage each other are endless, With iFundWomen, we knew we'd found a partner that raises capital for women ventures in the same spirit that we've created our community...from one woman to another, with massive impact.
- Kindness matters. Big time. It's the thing our members bring up again and again. "Someone always says hi when I walk in...People are so nice here...This kindness thing is contagious." It's simple, but it's a huge stinking deal. In a world of chaos and uncertainty, being nice goes a long way. "Where are the jerks?" people ask us. Well, they're just not drawn to this kind of thing; they never seem to make it to the front door."
- People want The Hivery where they live. At least once a week, someone is asking us to bring The Hivery to their hometown—Brooklyn, Amsterdam, Chicago, Santa Barbara, and many more places. People are craving belonging. They don't want a club. They don't want to feel cool. They want a place to belong, as who they already are. We're making that happen already in Mill Valley and are taking that to San Francisco and to our virtual membership, with more locations to come!
- A non-traditional movement requires non-traditional growth. From the beginning, we knew we'd grow in a different way. Today, five years in, we're viable and solid, yet stay true to our intention of centering our growth around creativity, kindness, and community. We're in this together with our members and the broader community, not as a platform or a trend or an opportunity, but as a collective spirit and an impactful ecosystem. It feels great to be fully invested in creating meaningful work in new ways. And yes, we explain this all the time at conferences, to venture capitalists interested in us, at colleges, and in other gathering places across the nation.
The biggest reason that The Hivery is growing and flourishing is because of YOU. Without a community of engaged, inspired humans like you, we would just be a coworking space. Instead, we are worlds beyond a space; we are a movement.
With your support of this campaign, together we can support and elevate women, one voice at a time!
By supporting this iFundWomen campaign to expand The Hivery, you will be an instrumental part of growing this movement for women and building new "spaces" both literally and metaphorically, to create meaningful work.
Specifically, we'll use the funds to create a STUNNING space in San Francisco with even more beauty, amenities, and square footage than ever, and continue to bring you the very best in speakers and programming, virtually, in person, and at our annual Entrepreneur + Inspiration Lab, coming next in Fall 2020. We're committed to growing The Hivery in community-centric way, and this women-funded campaign is an example of creating, growing, and funding The Hivery by and for community.
"To have been witness to the power that occurs when women create and build, charge what they’re worth, collaborate together and scale with intention…the result is jaw-dropping. This is what I want not just for women, but for humanity." -Grace Kraaijvanger, Founder, The Hivery
Hear What Our Members & Loyal Community Have to Say
"I have died and gone to heaven! The space is so beautiful, the energy is incredible, and the women here are so kind and friendly. Really, you all have built such an amazing, empowering community." - Kat B.
"Wow! Eye-popping beauty and inspiration in every sense of the words! Grace has created a most unique space that is attracting women entrepreneurs that are working on manifesting their dreams ~ And that is exactly what this world needs." -Jennifer P.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see a proliferation of Hiveries in our future. This is an idea whose time has come!" -Sandy R.
"I'm so grateful for this magical generous and beautiful community. Grace has set a tone of support, love, warmth, non-pretention, and in which women having each other's backs and being one another's cheerleaders is the essence of this place. She's the Mill Valley Oprah---teaching women to believe in their own dreams and setting an example with her own GRACE and generosity. Deeply awed and inspired and grateful to be a part of this community!" -Pamela W.
"Every aspect of this beautiful space is filled with heart, soul, grace, intelligence and amazing community. Grace has created the perfect environment for women to thrive and shine. Such a gift to the world! I would give it 10 stars if I could." -Delisa S.
