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Ask HN: Finding a sublease or temporary office space in the Bay Area

7 points by timcederman ↗ HN
We're a team of 3, working full time on our bootstrapped startup, and need to find some office space either close to Caltrain in San Francisco, or along the peninsula (also near Caltrain).

What are some of the strategies folks use for finding subleases or temporary spaces? Since it's just 3 of us, we only need 150-250 sq ft, which is proving difficult to find.

8 comments

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VertexRed
I'd say try Airbnb and work your way from there by contacting the owner.
tedmiston
Does Airbnb offer office space rental in SF?
hijinks
Get emails of a lot of companies and just email them asking if they'd lease space in their office to you
mchannon
Regus will do in a pinch; they have one on Folsom Street near Caltrain.

Don't expect it to be cheap, but they're usually not full. They (and others like them) have spaces areawide; you may find some discounts closer to Burlingame or San Mateo, as there's slightly less demand outside the twin orbits of San Francisco and Palo Alto.

If you're bootstrapping, you should defend why you're in San Francisco to begin with. Your runway is far shorter in SF; unless what you're working on will only work if you're there in person, or you're square dancing with funders each day, focusing on working almost anywhere else in the world would be smarter.

dhruvkar
If specific areas of the Bay Area aren't important, look for local, small business parks in smaller cities. Often times they aren't advertised very well, or at all. I've found interesting deals driving around and calling the realtor's number. In one case, I talked to an existing resident at the office park and he was able to connect me with the owner, who offered to build out office space (essentially put up a wall) based on how much space I needed, ending up to be a better deal than the realtor offered.

E.g. In Alameda, I found a place for $1.80/sqft for a 70 sqft place. It was enough office space for just myself. Adding internet/utilities, still under $200. In San Leandro, found a 100sqft office space including internet/utilities for $250/month.

Also, another resource I found useful LiquidSpace. http://www.liquidspace.com

Edit: just saw your location requirements. My experience is mostly in the East Bay. Near BART, but a long ride to the peninsula.

MalcolmDiggs
First, I'd really ask yourself if you need an office.

* San Francisco Public Library has fast wifi, private meeting rooms, etc. I worked there for months after I got sick of giving Regus all my money.

* WorkShop Cafe (http://www.workshopcafe.com/) is awesome, and charges you 2 - 3 bucks an hour to work from their space.

* There are lots of free cafes, hotel lobbies, bookstores, parks with free-wifi, and other places to work.

If none of those work for you, check out WeWork, RocketSpace, NextSpace, Sandbox Suites, etc. There are so many co-working spaces available, that I'm sure you'll be able to find one. They typically have a waiting list for private offices, but there's enough turnover on the open-desk areas that you can normally squeeze in.