इस एपिसोड के बारे में
Building Coworking Communities Across Africa with Paul Keursten of Workshop 17
In this episode of the GCUC Podcast, Liz Elam sits down with Paul Keursten, co-founder of Workshop17, to explore his journey from launching coworking spaces in the Netherlands in 2008 to building a 16+ location operation across Africa.
Paul shares lessons from scaling a coworking business while staying true to community, hospitality, and culture. They discuss:
- Why coworking has always been about people, not just space
- How Workshop 17 navigated the WeWork acquisition talks and COVID uncertainty
- Why you can’t scale community and why you have to nurture culture
- Building a coworking ecosystem across Africa through partnerships
- The future of flexible work beyond traditional office spaces
A conversation about resilience, innovation, and creating workplaces where people feel connected and inspired.
Connect with Paul Keursten:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-keursten-b6b1625/
Connect with Liz Elam:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizelam
Learn more about GCUC & get your tickets for GCUC Africa:
The conversations shaping the future of coworking don't stop with the podcast. Join operators, founders, and industry leaders from across the continent this October at GCUC Africa.
GCUC Events
https://gcuc.co/coworking-events/
Watch the GCUC Podcast on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@GCUCPodcast/videos
Learn more about Workshop 17:
Check out our Juicy Podcast Sponsor, Workspace Geek
Workspace Geek helps coworking operators simplify billing, automate operations, and spend less time managing software so they can focus on building thriving communities.
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to the GCUC Podcast, leave a review, and share it with another coworking operator. Follow GCUC for more conversations with the people shaping the future of flexible work.
