What Worklab By Custer does

Worklab By Custer is a privately held, hospitality-focused coworking and meeting space operator founded in 2014 and headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with two physical sites: a downtown Grand Rapids location at 99 Monroe Ave NW and an Ada Village location at 496 Ada Dr SE. The company offers a multi-tier product portfolio spanning Individual Memberships (part-time and full-time), Business Memberships for hybrid and distributed teams, Private Offices, Dedicated Desks at $499/month, Virtual Office services (mail handling, professional address, printing), Punch Cards (5/10/20 visit bundles), and six named Meeting Rooms ranging in capacity from 5 to 35 people. All memberships renew on a month-to-month basis with no long-term commitment, and prospective members can trial via free day passes.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring subscriptions (individual and business memberships, dedicated desks, private offices) complemented by usage-based meeting room rentals and one-time punch card purchases. The go-to-market is hybrid: self-serve online booking for meeting rooms and punch cards, sales-assisted customization for business memberships, and content marketing plus free day passes as demand-generation. Target customers include individual professionals, hybrid and remote teams, growing companies avoiding long-term leases, and enterprise organizations seeking premium meeting and offsite spaces.

The technology stack is conventional and asset-light, consisting of AV equipment, fiber WiFi, online booking systems, and standard website infrastructure (Squarespace-hosted with Meta Pixel tracking); there is no proprietary platform, mobile application, API, or disclosed AI/ML capability. The company's stated differentiation rests on hospitality (private chef, Mudpenny coffee, curated snacks), community environment, dual-location convenience, and amenities including 24/7 fitness center access. Worklab operates independently with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or acquisition activity, and has launched a complementary consumer goods brand (wlH Store at worklabhome.com), signaling modest brand-extension ambitions beyond the core workspace offering.

Name

Worklab By Custer

Legal name

Worklab

Website

https://worklabinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Worklab By Custer is a privately held coworking and meeting space operator with two Michigan locations (Downtown Grand Rapids and Ada Village), serving individual professionals, hybrid teams, and growing companies through memberships, private offices, dedicated desks, and meeting room rentals on a month-to-month basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coworking & Flexible Workspace Services

NAICS

Administrative and Support Services (561)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Hybrid Work Enablement & Desk/Room Booking Operations (BPABAFAH)

Keywords

• Coworking spaces
• Flexible office rentals
• Meeting room bookings
• Private office leases
• Virtual office services

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Memberships: Monthly memberships offering access to coworking spaces, phone booths, meeting rooms, and amenities. Includes part-time and full-time options with 30-day rolling renewals.
2. Business Memberships: Customized team memberships providing flexible access to coworking spaces, business lounges, and shared amenities without long-term lease commitment. Designed for hybrid teams and growing companies.
3. Dedicated Desk Rental: Reserved personal desk in professional workspace available for daily or monthly rental, providing consistent workspace for individuals.
4. Punch Cards: Prepaid visit packages offering 5, 10, or 20 visits valid at either location. Punch cards do not expire and provide access to coworking space, phone booths, and discounted meeting room pricing.
5. Meeting Room Rentals: Hourly or booking-based rental of professionally equipped meeting spaces. Available to both members and non-members. Rooms include AV technology, whiteboards, WiFi, and access to shared amenities like coffee and refreshments.
6. Private Office Leasing: Dedicated private office spaces for individuals or teams, ranging from single-person suites to multi-desk team offices. Available at both Grand Rapids and Ada locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Worklab By Custer operates premium coworking and meeting space facilities at two Michigan locations (Downtown Grand Rapids and Ada Village). It sells individual and business memberships, private offices, dedicated desks, punch card visit packages, bookable meeting rooms, virtual office services, and free day passes, supported by hospitality amenities such as a private chef, unlimited coffee, phone booths, AV-equipped rooms, fiber WiFi, and a 24/7 fitness center.

Product overview

Worklab By Custer is a premium coworking and meeting space provider offering a comprehensive suite of workspace solutions. The product portfolio centers around Individual and Business Memberships (including Part-Time and Full-Time tiers), Private Offices and Pod Desks, Meeting Rooms (with six named spaces ranging from 5 to 35 capacity), Punch Cards for flexible visit-based access, Virtual Office services, Dedicated Desks, and complimentary Day Passes. The offering is designed to support solo professionals, hybrid teams, and growing companies with flexible, hospitality-focused workspaces at two Michigan locations (Ada Village and Downtown Grand Rapids), featuring amenities including AV technology, fiber WiFi, coffee service, private chef catering, and 24/7 fitness access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Memberships Flexible month-to-month coworking memberships for solo professionals and remote workers providing access to coworking areas, phone booths, meeting rooms, and shared amenities at both Grand Rapids and Ada locations on a 30-day rolling renewal.
• Business Memberships Customized team memberships for hybrid teams and growing companies offering flexible access to coworking spaces, business lounges, meeting rooms, phone booths, dual-location access, and a professional business address without long-term lease commitment.
• Private Offices Dedicated private office spaces and pod desks for individuals or teams ranging from single-person suites to multi-desk team offices, providing quiet, focused work environments at both Michigan locations.
• Meeting Room Rentals Hourly or booking-based rental of professionally equipped meeting and conference spaces (The Bridge up to 5, The Thornapple up to 11, The Grand up to 24, The Think Tank up to 10, The Signature, and The Summit up to 35 people) with AV technology, whiteboards, high-speed WiFi, and shared amenities like coffee and refreshments.
• Punch Cards Prepaid visit packages of 5, 10, or 20 visits (non-expiring) valid at either the Grand Rapids or Ada location, granting access to coworking space, phone booths, high-speed WiFi, unlimited snacks and beverages, and special meeting room pricing.
• Virtual Office Monthly subscription offering a professional business address, mail and package handling, printing services, and mailing room access with flexible upgrade path to coworking or office space.
• Dedicated Desk Personal reserved desk in a professional workspace environment available for daily ($59) or monthly ($499) rental, providing a consistent workspace for individuals.
• Day Pass Complimentary day pass provided to prospective members during tour bookings, allowing them to experience the coworking space and community prior to purchasing a membership.

Quantifiable outcome

• 47% of people in coworking spaces report higher productivity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Convene: Premium meeting, event, and flexible workspace operator offering meeting room rentals and workspace memberships with a hospitality experience. Directly overlaps with Worklab's meeting room and event hosting business.
• Spaces (by IWG): International coworking and flexible office brand owned by IWG, offering memberships, dedicated desks, private offices, and meeting rooms. Directly comparable product mix and a potential direct competitor if IWG expands into Grand Rapids.
• Industrious: Premium flexible workspace provider offering private offices, suites, and coworking memberships with a hospitality-driven experience similar to Worklab's positioning. Operates nationally and is a credible expansion or acquisition candidate in the same product category (coworking with meeting rooms and corporate memberships).
• Mindspace: Hospitality-focused flexible office provider offering premium coworking and meeting rooms across multiple markets. Comparable to Worklab's hospitality differentiation and target customer profile (growing companies, enterprise teams).
• Regus (by IWG): One of the world's largest flexible workspace operators under IWG, providing virtual offices, private offices, and meeting rooms. Overlaps with Worklab on virtual office and meeting room offerings at broader scale.
• WeWork: Global coworking and flexible office operator offering memberships, private offices, and meeting rooms. Although WeWork operates at vastly larger scale and after its 2023 restructuring has a more limited footprint, it remains the most-recognized direct competitor for flexible workspace, including any expansion into the Grand Rapids market (comparable offerings: individual memberships, private offices, meeting room rentals, hybrid work enablement).

Emerging players

• Workfrom: Online platform connecting remote workers with cafes, coworking spaces, and other work-friendly venues. Could be a discovery/lead-gen channel for Worklab and represents a similar user-facing approach to the same flexible work market.
• Workplaceless: Remote work training, community, and consulting services for distributed teams. Tangentially related as a complement/enabler of hybrid work but does not provide physical workspace, representing an alternative solution for the same target customer segment.

Direct peers

• The Yard: Hospitality-driven coworking and private office provider in major U.S. cities, with a similar premium, service-led positioning and comparable product mix (memberships, private offices, meeting rooms). Closely comparable business model to Worklab.

Regional players

• Local West Michigan coworking operators: Operators such as The Factory (Grand Rapids), Grand River Technology Corridor coworking spaces, and other West Michigan independent coworking brands compete most directly with Worklab in its home market on price, location, and community fit.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/worklabbycuster

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Worklab By Custer