American Underground
American Underground is a Durham, NC coworking and startup hub founded in 2010, operating three downtown locations with 275+ member companies. A subsidiary of Capitol Broadcasting Company, it provides flexible workspace, accelerator programs, and an inclusive founder ecosystem under the Google for Startups Tech Hub designation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersDurham, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What American Underground does
American Underground is a Durham, North Carolina-based coworking and startup hub founded in 2010, operating approximately 65,000 square feet across three downtown locations following its 2025 consolidation into a newly built 40,000 sqft flagship in the American Tobacco Campus's Washington Building, supplemented by two retained Main Street sites. The company is a subsidiary of Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. and supports more than 275 member companies spanning startups, nonprofits, and jobseekers. It carries the Google for Startups Tech Hub designation and self-positions as the 'Startup Hub of the South.' Member-company outcome metrics reported by AU include 96% revenue-generating, 86% cash-flow positive, 61% of funding-seekers having raised capital, with $500M+ in aggregate funding raised and 7,000+ Triangle-area startup jobs created since 2014; 53% of member companies are led by a woman or person of color.
American Underground firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- American Underground
- Legal name
- American Underground, LLC
- Website
- https://americanunderground.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- American Underground is a Durham, NC coworking and startup hub founded in 2010, operating three downtown locations with 275+ member companies. A subsidiary of Capitol Broadcasting Company, it provides flexible workspace, accelerator programs, and an inclusive founder ecosystem under the Google for Startups Tech Hub designation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
American Underground industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Coworking & Startup Hub Services
- NAICS
- Facilities Support Services (561210)
- SIC
- Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hybrid Work Enablement & Desk/Room Booking Operations (BPABAFAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Conference Centers & Dedicated Meeting Venues (THAHAAAB), Internal Meeting & Workshop Management (THAHAIAA)
Keywords
Where American Underground is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
American Underground business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Coworking Memberships: Monthly and annual membership fees for shared coworking space, private offices, and dedicated desks. Membership tiers serve startups, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and jobseekers with varying levels of access to workspace, conference rooms, and member benefits.
- Meeting & Event Space Rental: Hourly and daily rental of conference rooms, event spaces, and meeting facilities. Includes access to podcast studio and botanical library spaces for member and external events.
- Day Passes: One-time day pass sales for visitors to use coworking facilities during business hours (M-F 8am-5pm). Sold through e-commerce platform.
- Office Space Leasing: Flexible private office leasing with short-term and month-to-month terms. Offices range from 180 sqft (2-4 desks) to 1990 sqft (24+ desks). Includes mailing address, mailbox, and access to common areas.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Jobseekers Membership - $50/month |
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | FCAT Fellowship - Free |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
American Underground product offering
Product offeringCore offering
American Underground operates a coworking and startup hub in downtown Durham, NC, providing flexible shared workspace, private offices (180–1,990 sqft), and meeting/event space across approximately 65,000 square feet. It sells coworking memberships tailored to startups, nonprofits, and jobseekers, and runs free accelerator/educational programs (FCAT Fellowship, Black Founders Exchange, Idea to Entrepreneur) that funnel founders into the workspace community. The company supports 275+ companies through workspace, mentorship, investor introductions, and a member events calendar.
Product overview
American Underground is a coworking and startup hub branded as the 'Startup Hub of the South,' offering a unified platform of workspace and community services. The core offerings include coworking memberships, private office space, and meeting/event space across three downtown Durham locations. The product portfolio includes specialized membership tiers (Jobseekers, Nonprofits) and accelerator programs (FCAT Fellowship, Black Founders Exchange, Idea to Entrepreneur, Landing Spot 2025). Supporting programs include the Equity Raise Podcast and member events calendar. All offerings are interconnected through a shared membership system providing access to workspace, programs, events, and community networking.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Coworking Memberships
Quantifiable outcome
- 96% of AU-based companies have earned revenue
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use American Underground
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
American Underground technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
American Underground partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Google for StartupscoreGoogle for Startups Tech Hub partnership providing AU members with access to Google Cloud credits, startup benefits, and network connections. AU displays Google for Startups logo as a key partner sponsor.
- Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC)coreParent company. American Underground is a subsidiary of Capitol Broadcasting Company, which also owns WRAL and other media properties. CBC's logo appears as a primary community supporter.
- The Diversity MovementminorDEI organization that powers the Equity Raise podcast. Provides diversity, equity, and inclusion content and resources to the AU community.
- Leadership TriangleminorPartnership for Landing Spot 2025 program supporting those affected by federal funding cuts with free coworking, workshops, and networking. Joint initiative between AU and Leadership Triangle.
- Hutchison PLLCminorLegal partner for Idea to Entrepreneur program. Provides complimentary legal support to program winners, helping early-stage founders with business formation and legal needs.
- Fidelity Center for Applied Technology (FCAT)coreJoint development of the FCAT Fellowship - a 10-week pre-accelerator program for early-stage tech startups. FCAT provides funding, mentorship network, and program content while AU provides coworking space and operational support. Over $500k in services provided at no cost to participants.
- Raleigh FoundedminorReciprocal access partnership through Passport Program. Jobseeker members of AU gain access to Raleigh Founded facilities and vice versa, extending geographic coverage in the Triangle region.
- Earfluence MediaminorPodcast production partner for Equity Raise podcast. Produces and supports the podcast focused on diverse founders and venture capital equity.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
American Underground competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- 1871: 1871 is a Chicago-based startup hub and coworking space serving 1,000+ member companies with programming, mentorship, and corporate partnerships. It is a direct peer to AU in operating a non-profit-style hub model that combines workspace with curated accelerator programming and corporate sponsorship.
- Capital Factory: Capital Factory is a startup hub and coworking space in Austin, TX, offering accelerator programs, mentor networks, and community events for early-stage founders. It is a direct peer to AU in combining workspace with curated startup programming and corporate partnerships (e.g., the Capital Factory trademark 'Startup of the Year').
- BioGenerator: BioGenerator is a St. Louis-based startup hub and accelerator focused on biotech and healthcare ventures, providing workspace, programming, and seed funding. It is a direct peer to AU in operating a hub model combining curated workspace with sector-specific accelerator programming.
- Workbar: Workbar is a regional coworking operator in the Northeast US offering flexible memberships, private offices, and meeting space targeted at SMBs and startups. It is a direct peer to AU on core workspace offerings though without AU's depth of curated founder programming.
- Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC): CIC operates large-scale innovation campuses offering coworking, private offices, and venture client services across multiple US and international cities. It is a direct peer to AU in providing multi-site startup-focused workspace with programmatic and corporate-partnership layers.
- Galvanize: Galvanize is a tech-focused coworking and education platform offering workspace, bootcamps, and community events for tech entrepreneurs. It is a direct peer to AU in combining coworking with structured programming and corporate partnerships targeting early-stage tech founders.
Broad incumbents
- WeWork: WeWork is the largest global coworking and flexible-office operator, offering coworking memberships, private offices, and meeting space across hundreds of locations. It is a broad incumbent competing with AU in core workspace offerings but without AU's regional startup-hub programming or DEI focus.
- Industrious: Industrious is a premium flexible-workspace provider offering coworking, private offices, and meeting space with an enterprise-grade service model. It competes with AU on workspace but operates as a broad incumbent without AU's community-led startup-hub programming.
Emerging players
- Techstars: Techstars is a global startup accelerator operating mentorship-driven programs with coworking access for portfolio companies. It is an emerging/partial peer to AU's FCAT Fellowship and Black Founders Exchange programs, though Techstars is program-first with equity participation versus AU's hub-first model.
Regional players
- Raleigh Founded: Raleigh Founded is a coworking and startup community in downtown Raleigh, NC, that has a reciprocal Passport Program partnership with AU's Jobseeker members. It is a regional peer serving the adjacent Research Triangle market with overlapping startup-hub positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
American Underground social profiles
Digital presenceAmerican Underground financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
American Underground leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
American Underground funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
American Underground M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about American Underground
What does American Underground do?
American Underground operates a coworking and startup hub in downtown Durham, NC, providing flexible shared workspace, private offices (180–1,990 sqft), and meeting/event space across approximately 65,000 square feet. It sells coworking memberships tailored to startups, nonprofits, and jobseekers, and runs free accelerator/educational programs (FCAT Fellowship, Black Founders Exchange, Idea to Entrepreneur) that funnel founders into the workspace community. The company supports 275+ companies through workspace, mentorship, investor introductions, and a member events calendar.
Is American Underground a public or private company?
American Underground is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was American Underground founded?
American Underground was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is American Underground based?
American Underground is headquartered in Durham, United States, in the North America region.
How does American Underground make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Coworking Memberships are the primary driver. The others are meeting & Event Space Rental, day Passes and office Space Leasing.
Who are American Underground's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are 1871, Capital Factory, BioGenerator, Workbar, Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) and Galvanize. Broad incumbents are WeWork and Industrious. Techstars is listed as an emerging player. Raleigh Founded is listed as a regional player.
Does American Underground have an API?
No public API is recorded for American Underground.
What industry is American Underground in?
American Underground's product category is Coworking & Startup Hub Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABAFAH, Hybrid Work Enablement & Desk/Room Booking Operations, with a secondary code of THAHAAAB, Conference Centers & Dedicated Meeting Venues. Its NAICS code is 561210 and its SIC code is 8744.