CSI's 23-year coworking journey with Tonya Surman скачать в хорошем качестве

CSI's 23-year coworking journey with Tonya Surman

Host Hector Kolonas interviews Tonya Surman about founding the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) in Toronto in 2004 as a shared space for small nonprofits before the term “coworking” existed, initially offering shared resources and “virtual tenancy.” Surman recounts CSI’s growth from 14 organizations to hundreds across multiple locations, including buying a 36,000-square-foot building in 2010 using a city loan guarantee and community bonds. More links and details in the show notes at https://twic.co/23years She discusses tensions around credit for coworking’s origins, emphasizing CSI’s mission of social impact and relationship-building over branding. Surman details CSI’s financial challenges—rapid expansion, never fully breaking even, COVID member losses, rising interest rates, and selling a building to the City of Toronto for an Indigenous homeless shelter—leading to consolidation, community-financed debt, and finally reaching profitability. She argues coworking’s enduring value is belonging and relationships, warning that scaling can undermine humanity. Chapters 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:45 CSI Origins in 2004 04:28 From Shared Space to Growth 06:53 Who Gets Credit for Coworking 10:40 What Changed and What Stayed True 13:53 Niches and Transactional Spaces 16:44 CSI Financial Rollercoaster 24:12 Finding the Sweet Spot 27:34 Future of Coworking 29:53 Closing Thanks