Born out of the need for crowd-funding solutions for all kinds of startups, Fundable was launched in May of 2012 by Wil Schroter, CEO and Eric Corl, President. Elliot Schneier came on board as COO and Ryan Rutan as VP Consulting. The company looks to help businesses of all sizes; recently, a company looking to get funded was able to raise $1.2M on the website.
“Our focus is on entrepreneurs who are looking to build sustainable businesses and need to reach out to a larger base of backers that will include equity investors,” says co-founder and COO Wil Schroter. “Our goal is to help launch one million companies.”
Once they realized they would need to move their office out of TechColumbus, they began to look for new office space. Schroter noticed the 45,000-square-foot campus in Powell -once home to product branding and design firm Fitch Inc.- was available and went to take a look.
“It’s a pretty cool campus,” says Schroter. “It affords us a lot of benefits.”
Fundable became the first tenant in the space and occupies about 7,000-square-feet with 22 full-time employees. Other startups fill the rest of the campus.
Schroter designed the space and the renovations took about a year.
“I wanted it to feel more like a home and less than an office,” he says. “It doesn’t take a ton of money to create a great space, it just takes a little bit of time to find the right stuff. We spent every bit of eight months between sourcing the right items. For a very modest sum, we built the best office I’ve ever worked at.”
“We wanted to make sure everyone could hear everyone,” says Corl. “Make it the kind of environment that inspires productivity and doesn’t have a lot of burn-out.”
To get a high-impact sign with low cost, the company turned to The Sign Chef.
“I take a ton of pride every time I see our company logo on something,” says Schroter. “I always feel energized seeing it, like we’ve just staked our claim in some foreign land. The problem is that signs are kind of expensive, and it’s usually a luxury you can absolutely avoid since most people will never see it.”
Using The Sign Chef, they were able to upload their logo online and choose from a variety of options.
“Our Fundable logo looks like a stamp, so for $160 we were able to create a large 3 foot wide logo in one color and paste it on a wall that gave good contrast,” he says. “It looks amazing and we had it in a couple weeks.”
The campus includes recreational activities such as a volleyball court and wooded paths, as well as waterfalls to enjoy. In the winter months, the snowfalls create a very serene environment. The large windows throughout the space bring the outdoors in. There is also space to work outside. A daily recess offers everyone the chance to relax and recharge, while a basement outfitted with a gym offers another benefit.
“We spend a lot of time finding people who work really well together and will enjoy the culture here,” says Schroter. “I absolutely love my job.”
“The freedom of being able to do what you love is great,” adds Corl.
“It’s a huge privilege that we work really hard for,” continues Schroter.
In addition to access to funding, the company often offers advice to entrepreneurs.
“Wil’s been instrumental with hundreds of entrepreneurs,” says Corl. “He responds to every email and gives real and practical advice through experience.”
“I enjoy the hell out of it though,” Schroter says.
To learn more about Fundable, visit Fundable.com.
Do you know of, have, or work in, a creative workspace and would like to be featured in this series? If so, please contact Anne Evans.