Co.co.haus is a business hub helping entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, micro and small businesses thrive in Puerto Rico. As a coworking space, professional support hub, and entrepreneurial community, they are working together with locals to reverse the “brain drain” from the island, where some of the best and brightest minds leave to find work and business opportunities elsewhere. Their mission is to empower locals with the knowledge and tools they need to lead fulfilling and successful lives without the need to leave the island.
Launched in 2017 by Founder and CEO Mariangie Rosas, co.co.haus serves the needs of local entrepreneurs working in a variety of industries. “Many in my generation left to pursue careers and greater opportunities outside the island at the turn of the century but with the recession starting in 2006 and still not in full recovery 10 years later, I knew I had to come back and do my part to retain our best talent” says Rosas.
With a Puerto Rican economic development strategy focused heavily on traditional industries, co.co.haus recognizes the potential for independent professionals and microbusinesses to transform the island’s economy. Freelancers, small business owners, and solopreneurs are the backbone of the local economy. They need a community and a space to help them scale.
For instance, a foreign pharmaceutical or other large corporation can provide employment for a couple of hundred locals, but this employment is very specific. In contrast, entrepreneurs across the island have the potential to create many less specific employment opportunities, but more opportunities in general. There can be hundreds of these small businesses creating thousands of employment opportunities because there can be micro businesses in any industry or market. This diversity will make the local economy more resilient and catastrophe-proof rather than relying primarily on big corporations.
The coworking space and community at co.co.haus help facilitate this entrepreneurial transformation. Along with providing affordable desks, wifi, offices, and meeting rooms, they offer a collaborative environment, an in-haus business network, professional development opportunities, and a full creator studio to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses in a comfortable and safe environment.
In the co.lab, which is co.co.haus’ production studio, members and the extended community can record podcasts, take professional product photos, do brand shoots, headshots, create music videos, tutorials, courses, live streams, and more. The studio provides plug-and-play access to top-of-the-line equipment to produce high-quality content. They keep studio rates accessible in an effort to further support local creators and business owners and establish co.co.haus as a point of connection and collaboration on the island.
Community membership comes with a virtual office, which provides a way for people to have a professional business address. Members are provided with the documents required to obtain local business permits which are a requirement to receive tax incentives, for people just starting out or moving businesses to Puerto Rico. Their premium offerings include expanded access to mailing services and more workspace amenities.
Co.co.haus made headlines in 2022 when they negotiated access to group health insurance for their members, through a partnership with the Puerto Rico Retailers Association (Centro Unido de Detallistas). Co.co.haus is the first coworking space in Puerto Rico to offer group health insurance to freelancers and solopreneurs. This landed them on Inc. Magazine’s Best In Business 2022 List where 240 companies around the nation were awarded for focusing on purpose over profit.
The co.co.haus community is a vibrant and diverse mix of locals and visitors that includes digital creatives, marketers, attorneys, accountants, copywriters, nonprofits, tech companies, startups, political organizations, film editors, producers, actors, and more. And let’s not forget their four legged members – they are dog-friendly and their members love them for it!
Their differentiating feature is that they are a place where Puerto Ricans, mainland Americans, Puerto Rican diaspora and visitors from around the world can connect as business owners, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and people who love Puerto Rico.
The international community that comes to co.co.haus chooses them because of their strong focus on the local economy, and these newcomers want to collaborate with the local community. They may arrive as strangers, but quickly become part of the co.co. family.
At co.co.haus, they lead with their values, which include being pro-parent, inclusive, and diverse. The space has a private pumping and feeding room, with a chair that’s comfortable for feeding little ones, a dedicated fridge for milk, and a baby changing station in their gender neutral restrooms.
One of their priorities is to make sure their values are reflected in their events and collaborations with other organizations. When partnering with others, their values must align with the company’s. With diversity being one of its main pillars, they make sure to have a varied demographic visible in their programming and events, so it is reflective of their diverse community.
Mutual support, collaboration, and community are at the heart of their work at co.co.haus. During recent national disasters, they opened their doors to provide free access for individuals, companies, and institutions working on relief efforts. They also launched outreach efforts to inform their local—and global—audience about NGOs focusing on hurricane relief to aid in awareness and donation efforts.
A spirit of support and collaboration runs through co.co.haus and extends far into Puerto Rico’s business landscape. As a hub, support system, network, and community, they are all-in on local entrepreneurs, the local economy, and reversing the island’s “brain drain.” Book a tour or get a day pass and see for yourself what co.co.haus is all about.
