IWG Autonom invests in Impact Hub Bucharest

Autonom has invested €2m ($2.2m) of equity in co-working company Impact Hub Bucharest, along with bank guarantees and credit towards new locations. Impact Hub Bucharest offers start-ups and entrepreneurs acceleration programmes and events, as well as flexible working solutions. The company has three co-working locations in Bucharest, comprising 6,700 sq m of workspace, offices, meeting and event rooms.

Impact Hub Bucharest, an organization that supports Romanian entrepreneurs and innovators through co-working spaces, team offices, events, and acceleration programs, finalizes the process of redefining the development strategy that started in the summer by taking over the 3house locations, and now through attracting a new shareholder – Autonom.

This autumn Autonom has become a shareholder in Impact Hub Bucharest, investing 2 million euros in equity, letters of bank guarantee and lines of credit for the development of the new spaces.

Autonom is a company with 100% Romanian capital, founded in 2006, in Piatra Neamț by Marius and Dan Stefan. It is the main provider of mobility solutions in Romania through a unique national network, being also present on the markets of Hungary and Serbia.

In the summer of 2019, Impact Hub Bucharest and 3house merged under the same brand, with Oana and Vlad Craioveanu, co-founders of the organization and Ilinca Păun, CEO of The Entrepreneurship Academy as a partner. At the end of 2019, after a short due diligence process, Autonom joined as a minority partner, with an investment of 2 million euros.

The new structure will assume a consultative and strategic role for Dan and Marius Stefan, as well as for Ilinca Păun, while the majority of shareholders remaining Oana and Vlad Craioveanu.

“8 years ago, when we opened the doors of our prototype co-working space, we don’t know if we were very clearly thinking about where we will be in the next few years. The beginning was a time when we learned a lot about ourselves as people, as entrepreneurs, about the co-working business, about communities and especially we learned that growing a local business is not necessarily so easy. We started from a 50 sqm space opened in 2011 and today we reach 3 spaces, with over 6,700 sqm. We are honoured and thrilled about this partnership and the growth that will follow for Impact Hub, having at our side partners who know what it means to build a solid and ambitious business. Together with Dan, Marius, Ilinca and our team, we intend to carry on the mission of developing new working environments for entrepreneurs, freelancers, smaller or larger companies, opportunities for entrepreneurial development as well as new partnerships between public, private and non-governmental actors from various industries”, said Oana and Vlad Craioveanu, founders of Impact Hub Bucharest.

“Impact Hub helps to develop the local entrepreneurial environment, a key direction for Autonom. We are glad that together with Vlad, Oana, and Ilinca we have the opportunity to take another step in this direction,” said Dan Stefan, co-founder of Autonom.

Today, Impact Hub in Bucharest has reached 3 locations in central points of Bucharest (Timpuri Noi, Universitate and Floreasca), now occupying an area of ​​6,700 sqm, translated into over 250 places in coworking, 42 team offices, 8 meeting event rooms. Also, the members of Impact Hub University and Floreasca benefit from bistros created under the concept dedicated by the Station by Maidan.