Silversquare inaugurated its first Luxembourg coworking space in rue Glesener on 5 June Silversquare/Olivier Minaire

Silversquare inaugurated its first Luxembourg coworking space in rue Glesener on 5 June Silversquare/Olivier Minaire

The firm, which was founded 10 years ago in Belgium, offers desk space for up to 250 people over five floors in private and open plan areas in the gare-based office.

In a May interview with Delano Magazine, Silversquare Luxembourg’s Claudine Bettendroffer said it responded to a “huge market need for” private spaces within a dynamic framework.

“Most coworking spaces at the moment are open spaces. There are not a lot private spaces available in Luxembourg in terms of domiciliation. If you want to register your address, you normally need a private space,” she said.

Coworking community

Silversquare said it was expecting around 50 firms and self-employed people from a range of sectors to work at the site, which boasts relaxation areas, novel working spaces for working seated or standing, meeting rooms, a kitchen and auditorium to host events. The office is the first to be opened by Silversquare in Luxembourg and their fifth overall. The firm’s goal is to double that number by 2020.

“Each centre is different because it depends on the people inside,” Bettendroffer said, adding that the goal will be to create events and activities that encourage users of the space who don’t necessarily work together, to forge contacts and create an ecosystem.  “It's an exchange of values. That’s why community plays an important role.”

Startup culture

Luxembourg’s economy ministry is strongly pushing a startup culture in Luxembourg. Just last week, the House of Startups was inaugurated in rue de la laboratoire, also in the same City district. The organization now houses startup supporters Nyuko, which managed one of the first coworking spaces in Luxembourg. Today that space has been moved to the House of Startups where it is run by the Luxembourg City Incubator in the same building.

Bettendroffer said she felt the coworking culture was encouraging more people to become entrepreneurs.

“What I saw in the last years, especially with the startup ecosystem is the more spaces that come up, the more initiatives that come up and the more companies are created,” she said.