Innovation Collective: Coeur d'Alene - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Roman M.

Best co-working space and entepreneurial community, and I've been to lots all over the country.

24/7 co-working, dedicated desks, private offices, amazing community events, tons of meetups for stuff like AI, marketing, etc.

Richard B.

Great place for casual business meeting. And FANTASTIC coffee and treats.

Routine access to start-up companies, small businesses and an outpost of University of Idaho, in same building.

For much of the year, there is outdoor seating by fire pits. All year a great sitting are with comfy chairs and tables near fireplace.

Kathleen S.

I recently attended a meet and greet by various people who are on the primary ballot for various positions in Idaho next Tuesday.
This facility is a combination of bar, cubicles for a variety of purposes along with several areas that can hold a large number of attendees while not feeling crowded. The site would be great for a sit down function or for one good for mingling.

Nathan F.

Great space. Full of people who are excited about the work they are doing and willing to help one another.

THE SPACE

The Innovation Den is a nifty mix of private and public spaces. The building houses Maverick's (barbershop) and Coeur d'Alene Coffee Company which are both open to the public. CdA Coffee Co is my new favorite coffee shop, and not just because my office is in the same building. I get a consistently Fantastic cup of coffee every single time. (Try 'The Woodsman' if you're feeling adventurous) The staff are friendly, and the atmosphere is clean and bright. Mike at Maverick's gives a great haircut and always brings interesting conversation.

Now that the (paid) co-working space no longer has public access, I find the main office areas to be much quieter. That said, these are open offices, and I'm sure the owners did that on purpose. To my knowledge, there have been one or two tenants that have moved out because they decided that the open atmosphere was not a great fit for their office needs. Speaking with the building manager, those spaces were filled within a week (one within hours), because people want to be here - for good reason.

Downstairs houses the University of Idaho's Computer Science department, x-Craft, The Lair (a private club complete with bar, liquor lockers, and separately ventilated cigar room), and a handful of private offices. The main floor offices currently rent for $500 per month, and the private office spaces downstairs (which are slightly larger) rent for $600 per month and include membership to The Lair. Co-working with 24-hour access by key fob is currently $175.

THE PEOPLE

There are a lot of tech people in this building. I don't have a tech business, but I love the excitement and forward-thinking attitude that most of the tenants seem to have. The place is bustling with creativity, deal flow, and cooperation.

There are also a handful of traditional businesses here: real estate agents, financial advisors, investors, marketers, and so on. The common theme I've found is that most of these people are trying to do great things in their field, and they're willing to share stories of their personal wins and losses, as well as lend a hand or offer advice when pertinent.

Innovation Collective also hosts their staff (I'm a volunteer) in the building. IC puts on several events each month including Fireside Chats, Coffee and Concepts, private summits, and parties. If you have an idea, talents, or resources, it's a great way to connect and get involved.

Most of the events are free to the public, and some of the private events have included speakers like the Head of Communications for SpaceX, Head of Integrated Marketing for Johnson and Johnson, Nely Galan (look her up - she's awesome), the founder of Singularity University, and many more. I'm sure not every gathering or setting is a good fit for everyone, but I can tell you for a fact that there is a venture fund, a robotics company likely to be acquired by a household name, and a 3D printing and design company in talks with tech BEHEMOTHS that have all come directly from the influence of Innovation Collective. YMMV, but this group has had an undeniably positive impact on our town's economy and culture. That's why I keep coming back.

Finally, I came from an office space in downtown Coeur d'Alene that was substantially larger at approximately 700 sq. ft., and the expense was $900 per month. Since being in the Innovation Den, I've made more valuable connections, had much more fun working, and would gladly trade the extra office space I previously had to be around this particular group of people. This is the tribe with which I'd like to be associated, and the monthly expense of rent is a small price to pay for that. Yes, the office spaces are smaller than others you can find at the same price, but you can't find another community of entrepreneurs who are willing to lift one another up like this group of people. If it was double the price, I'd pay it.

Jeff

Trendy office with co-wworking spaces, small office leases, and an in house coffee shop. Newly remodeled location in a historic brick building. Downstairs you'll find an excellent members only area too!

fredsbend

SUMMARY: Though the Innovation Collective does good work, I don't think the value proposition is met in the paid leadership group or the office space offered by the Den. The co-working is a fair price, but it's missing some key necessities.

There's a few issues that bring the rating down, with the building and with the services provided by or at the Den.

1. THE BUILDING: It's a great building. Lots of town history there. Makes it kind of a romantic spot. But the offices are open at the ceilings, making for a lot of noise penetration and lack of privacy. Further, some offices have poor window access (they're 6 feet high) or don't have windows at all! The Lair, the private club space in the basement, feels like a basement, not a fancy members club as you might expect, but at least the offices are actual rooms with privacy.

2. SERVICES:

2.1. OFFICE SPACE: It's very overpriced. $500 per month for a 9x11 office, and remember the privacy/noise problem, plus poor or nonexistent windows. Bigger offices in the same area go for less. But they're trying to sell a community at the same time. Tenants are generally supposed to be small business or startups, or tech related. An office does come with free WiFi, but a wired connection costs more. The Lair and offices downstairs are $600 per month and are only a little bigger. Plus there's the "feels like a dingy basement" problem.

2.2. CO-WORKING: There aren't many options in the area, so it's had to compare. Current price is $175 per month. There's no dedicated desk, and no community kitchen or anything like that. WiFi only, no wires. It's a nice building and price seems fair.

2.3. COFFEE AND BARBER SHOPS: I haven't bought anything there, so I cannot say. They look nice.

3. THE INNOVATION COLLECTIVE: The Den is the headquarters for a group that endeavors to build up Coeur d' Alene as a tech hub, and helps meet that goal by offering free educational events and think tanks, help with your projects, and a paid leadership group. The free events are ok. Sometimes it's really good, but it depends on who's there and who's speaking. The paid leadership group needs a lot of work. They need an actual curriculum with a purpose and members who aren't just regular Joes that are mildly dissatisfied with their professional life.

Mike G.

Coolest Think-tank-Dream Fruition Factory in Area. Where ideas are Given Life and The World is Forever Changed. 👍👍
Greatest community of Innovation and Tech and Thinkers, and Doers around. A place to Drink coffee Meet Friends and Kick Butt. 🤙👍👍

Corbin C.

Hey, tourist. Is your thirst for greed equal to your thirst for delicious coffee? Then the Innovation Den is the perfect spot for you. Nestled in the forgotten past of CDA's downtown Elk's building, this gigantic coffee house could only be matched by the egos that wouldn't think twice about what overcompensating looks like when shiny and "artisinal" crafts are placed right in front of you. I came into the "Den" lost and overburdened by my redundant and meaningless job and also looking for a good cup of joe, and what I found was that shameless self promotion, rugged leather satchels, and double non-dairy macchiato's were the perfect combination that my life was always missing. Because of the "Den" I now spend all my time making Instructional video's on Facebook and YouTube on how to craft local beer, and I am waiting for the Shark Tank to accept my submission video.... Oh, and I just can't stay away from their amazing coffee! Milllenialpreneurship baristiaism saved my life, come and drink their "kool-aid", too. (Kool-aid, interestingly enough is actually on their menu).