Are you tired of the distractions of working from home? Do you crave a professional environment that fosters productivity and collaboration? It sounds like you need to visit a coworking space.
As remote workers, we often leave our private office at home for a day at a coworking space in Raleigh. They are useful for those times when you need conference rooms or to make private phone calls without kids running around in the background, as well as to network with other remote workers.
Our coworking space of choice is Raleigh Founded, a flexible coworking space with several locations in Raleigh and the Triangle.
Founded Raleigh has a strong entrepreneurial/start up foundation and has a productive kind of energy that you can benefit from when you’re surrounded by likeminded people who are creating and innovating.
The coworking space scene in Raleigh is certainly growing, so in this guide, we want to share why we enjoy working at Raleigh Founded.
About Raleigh Founded
Raleigh Founded has been operating coworking spaces right in the heart of downtown Raleigh (and with more locations further out) for over ten years.
They are one of the first coworking spaces to open up in the city, and today have four locations in Raleigh and one in downtown Cary.
They also have other locations across North Carolina and South Carolina, so if you’re ever traveling across the state for work of leisure, they have hubs in Winston Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, Yanceyville, Durham, and Greenville South Carolina.
Their ethos is to enable business owners and entrepreneurs to start and grow their companies by offering all the facilities they need. Not only do they have versatile rooms, office supplies and select private offices, but they also have gathering spaces for networking, some spaces even have a gym and wellness room.
They realise that productivity is not about having a desk, but a network. That’s why they also have networking events where you can meet other industry experts, investors, and startup businesses to collaborate with.
Raleigh Founded Locations
As you can imagine, living a nomadic life for over 20 years means we love and embrace change. So, one of our favorite benefits of the Raleigh Founded membership is we can use the coworking spaces at their multiple locations. So, whether you’re downtown Raleigh or in the suburbs, you can find a workspace that’s convenient for you!
Gateway Plaza
The Gateway Plaza is the largest coworking space by Founded and is located just north of downtown. It benefits from free parking and has tons of restaurants nearby. If you prefer to eat your own lunches, it has a huge kitchen where you can make your own meals.
It has a huge, conference style classroom, several meeting rooms, and other smaller rooms with hot desks where you can work from a laptop. There’s also a wellness room which can be used for meditation or for new moms to have a bit of quiet time with their baby.
There is a lot of great new development happening here with a few new restaurants and bars set to open and is where you’ll find Dogwood County Club if you want to swing a golf club at lunch.
Please note, the Gateway Plaza location will be closing at the end of the year!
North St Location
At the moment, the North St Location is generally where we work out of, but I love that we have several options! The North St location offers a prime spot in downtown, provides easy access to amenities, restaurants, and transportation hubs. It’s a convenient workspace in the heart of the city!
Since our return, we’ve been able to take advantage of the great lunch specials at Burger Village. We also like to step out and grab a coffee from nearby Iris Coffee Lab, a popular coffee shop in Raleigh.
And if you’re in need of an after-work beverage, well it’s Glenwood Ave – take your pick! (see our full guide to Glenwood Ave).
There is no official parking for North St Location, which worried us initially, until we realized it’s only evenings and weekends where neighborhood street parking is hard to find. We’ve managed to get street parking easily in the nearby streets (we park on Nth Street between Glenwood & Boylan, or on W Lane St).
Raleigh Founded Capital Club
We love going to the coworking space at the Captial Club in Downtown Raleigh for the gorgeous panoramic views of Raleigh from the 12th floor. The building, built in the 1920s is quite classy and features a lot of the original architecture.
I’ve also attended a few events here; it’s a wonderful space for them (you can rent it!)
Raleigh Founded Centennial
Deepening a long partnership with NC State University is their Raleigh Founded location on Centennial Campus, opened in collaboration with the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department.
What’s unique about this location is they have the Entrepreneurship-Garage, which is a Maker’s Space only available to NC State students and Raliegh Founded members.
Cary Founded
I am most excited that they opened a Cary Founded location in downtown Cary as I can bike there – or even walk. Like other Founded coworking spaces, the Cary space has a huge facility with lots of natural light and modern decor.
It has meeting rooms and a central gathering place where you can work from a laptop, as well as wellness rooms where you can find a quiet space to relax.
During lunch hours, pop over to the Albatross Golf Bar for their Smoky Old Fashioned, one of the best cocktails I’ve had in Raleigh. And I’m happy we have good coffee across the road at Brew or Geluna Gelato – a hidden gem for coffee. (See our full guide to Downtown Cary). You could even stretch your legs at the Downtown Cary Park.
Why we chose Raleigh Founded
We’ve been members of Raleigh Founded since 2020 – remember that year, when we were all going stir crazy being stuck at home!
As we previously traveled full-time with our kids, while homeschooling and running an online business, that overwhelming feeling of everything burying you at once was not new to us. We handled the pandemic well, but after being so full on as a family for many years, it was time for a break!
Craig started going to Raleigh Founded first, and instantly connected with its vibe, its entrepreneurial focus, and the people he was meeting there.
I joined about a year later, as they opened a new podcast recording studio, that members could use. It made sense that I also join this Raleigh coworking space, so we could record our podcast episodes, brainstorm ideas with others, work in a new environment, and network at the one time.
Plus, I really loved its location in a unique historical building in the Warehouse District. Well, that has since changed, due to that building being sold, so Raleigh Founded headquarters has now moved to a new location at 509 W North Street, just off Glenwood Ave – another great Raleigh location.
After a short break at the end of 2023 due to an intense travel schedule, we returned to Raleigh Founded, refreshed, ready to record our podcast again, and excited about working alongside other entrepreneurs, business owners, and remote workers.
Raleigh Founded isn’t just any coworking space – it’s a community hub designed to support entrepreneurs, freelancers, and remote workers like you. Here’s why becoming a member could be the best decision for your work life.
Premium amenities at Raleigh Founded
The state-of-art facilities are designed to meet all your professional needs. Your membership comes with high-speed internet, brightly decorated spaces, comfortable seating areas, business class printers, plenty of power access points, phone booths for private conversations, printing access, and meeting rooms.
AND, they also have unique common areas wherr you. vsngo for downtime. They have local coffee, an espresso machine, and beer (on tap including non-alcoholic options). Nothing wrong with a beer during your lunch meeting. Remember Hemingway: Write Drunk. Edit Sober.
They also have communal full service kitchen amenities like utensils, mugs, fridge, microwaves, and dishwashers so you can save money by bringing your own lunch!
Founded App makes it easy to book
There is a Raleigh Founded App where you can book meeting spaces, see what events are on, and utilize resources such as a directory of members. There is also a slack channel for latest updates, to ask questions, offer help, and interact with members. It makes planning your visit really easy.
Fast wi-fi
You would think fast wi-fi would be a given at a coworking space, but that’s not always been the case. We’ve been to coworking spaces where the internet has been so slow, you couldn’t load a YouTube video. With so many people using the facilities, hard-wired ethernet that’s fast and reliable is essential. I found the internet to be reliable and fast every time I’ve visited Raleigh Founded. If you need to join video conferences, the internet is great. for that.
Access to a Podcast Studio
An invaluable part of our membership is the ability to use their podcast studio to record our podcasts. We just have to walk in and press play as all the equipment is provided, including cameras to record the video podcast and lighting. The podcast studio is now at the Gateway Plaza location and membership plans offer a certain amount of recording hours each month!
We’re not sure if this will be moving back to North St once Gateway closes. We recently interviewed the Australian Ambassador to the US & former Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd at the Gateway Plaza location. So if the podcast studio is good enough for a dignitary such as that, it’s good enough for your guests!
Flexible Membership Options
For now, we’re in a co-working space, but for our future, who knows, we may grow into one of the Raleigh Founded suites. That’s another bonus for our annual membership, it can grow with us.
They have flexible memberships for their coworking spaces (including day passes for travelers or anyone needing a one-day break. Mompreneurs, I see you!), but they also have dedicated suites and office spaces, and meeting rooms, all bookable via the app.
It’s cool when you hear some of the success stories that began and grew from Raleigh Founded. Heard of Pendo anyone?
Collaborative energy
Mentioning Pendo, is that not the kind of people you want to rub shoulders with? That’s the energy of Raleigh Founded. I love that it’s a collaborative space with a wide mix of people and businesses that you can learn from and with and get inspiration.
From business owners to creators, graphic designers, accountants, attorneys, marketing professionals, investors, advisors and community partners, there’s a wealth of expertise to tap into and share insights with.
These like-minded individuals are all eager to connect, collaborate, and support one another. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, brainstorm, get feedback, and just enjoy general life chit chat. People like helping people here.
Here is our helpful Networking in Raleigh Guide for Startups, Founders, Entrepreneurs, and Professionals
Exclusive Events and Workshops
How can you not love a coworking space that awards you the ugly sweater prize at their annual Christmas party? It was the first time we ever participated in the Ugly Sweater trend, and now I’m hooked!
Was it the prize or the cute llama I got to wear. (I can promise you with the 100-degree Holiday Season in Australia, we are not doing ugly seater parties!)
Throughout the year, they have a wide range of networking events, social events, workshops, and seminars designed to help you sharpen your skills, expand your network, and take your career to the next level. Many of them have fun activities and entertainment as well, it’s not all work related (all work and no play, right?).
Most popular is their annual Pitch Please event where companies and businesses can pitch their business ideas and gain feedback from an impressive panel of Venture Capitalists. How invaluable is that? See all events at Raleigh Founded here.
Helpful onsite staff
If it’s your first time going to a coworking space, the staff are there to direct you and help you find everything you need. Whether you need tech support or just need directing to the perfect space to work, the staff are there to help.
In Summary
We love being part of the Raleigh Founded community and using the many benefits of their membership to help elevate our local online business and brand, as well as offering a place to work that offers comfort and convenience.
The podcast studio is of huge benefit to us, as is the opportunity to build relationships with many innovative, creative remote workers and entrepreneurs in Raleigh. It’s exciting to be a part of a community in the Raleigh-Durham area that is growing and cares about helping others grow too.
And of course, it’s so great to take a break from the isolation of working from home and have other beings to talk to aside from my family members and cats.
Even if you do just end up working from one of the lounges! If you decide to join Raleigh Founded, tell them we sent you, and please come and say g’day if you see us in their locations!
- Website: RaleighFounded.com
- Location: 509 W North St, Raleigh
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