Workzones ignites Santa Barbara’s startup scene

Santa Barbara, California – As layoffs and “return-to-work” mandates increase, more people are forging careers as independent contractors and entrepreneurs. Workzones, a premier coworking community located in downtown Santa Barbara, is playing a pivotal role in this transformation, not just a provider of flexible office spaces, but also as a supportive launchpad for the region’s startups.

For more than a decade, Workzones has served the Santa Barbara independent worker and business community by offering shared co-working facilities, flexible private offices and meeting and event space. More recently, the company has expanded its offerings to meet the growing demand for mentorship and support among startups and fledgling entrepreneurs.

Workzones members can now take advantage of opportunities designed to inspire, support and accelerate the journey to entrepreneurship and successful company building. These include hosting pitch meetings for a local investors club, participation in education and networking opportunities through the local business and technology innovation hub Ventech Inc. (of which Workzones is a sponsor), small-business consulting with the SCORE Santa Barbara chapter, and mentorship from veteran entrepreneurs.

SCORE at Workzones

SCORE is a national, nonprofit organization that provides free mentoring, resources and education to help small businesses start, grow and succeed. The home base for Santa Barbara County’s SCORE chapter is at Workzones, providing easy access for local members and emerging businesses to take advantage of the organization’s support, which includes in-person as well as hybrid workshops and interactive sessions.

“By partnering with Workzones, we’re placing our mentors and resources right in the heart of Santa Barbara’s vibrant startup and business community,” said SCORE Santa Barbara County Chapter Chair Tom Phillips. “It’s an ideal environment for innovation, collaboration and accessibility. We’re proud to call Workzones our home base and excited to meet entrepreneurs where they’re building their dreams.”

Successful Workzones entrepreneurs give back

Among Workzones’ earliest members are Michael Franco and Steve Wells, two distinguished entrepreneurs who transformed their startups into thriving businesses, all from this local coworking space. After successfully selling their companies, the pair now dedicate their expertise to mentoring and supporting the next generation of founders.

Franco is the co-founder and former CEO of Riptide, a cloud-based building automation company. He grew his startup vision into a high-growth business starting at Workzones. In 2021, Riptide was acquired, and is now part of Trane, a global leader in HVAC solutions. Franco is also a Workzones co-founder.

Similarly, Wells capitalized on Workzones’ flexible workspace solutions as he scaled ClearPathGPS, a company he co-founded. The company’s growth trajectory culminated in its acquisition by private equity giant Accel-KKR.

For both entrepreneurs, Workzones provided critical infrastructure, including essential meeting spaces, a collaborative environment, and office solutions that supported their companies as they expanded and allowed them to manage dispersed and growing teams.

Now, Franco, Wells and other Workzones-affiliated entrepreneurs have founded a cross-functional, fractional C-suite advisory service to support emerging businesses, using Workzones as their operational base. Their continued presence at Workzones underscores the coworking space’s role as a launchpad and long-term partner for Santa Barbara’s entrepreneurs.

Supporting students

Meanwhile, Franco and fellow Workzones co-founder Pam Tanase are using their expertise to support the next generation of business leaders. This year, Tanase served a second time as a judge for the annual Scheinfeld New Venture Challenge business plan and pitch competition at Santa Barbara City College. Franco mentors UCSB students competing in an annual university entrepreneurship competition.

A legacy of innovation and community

Workzones remains dedicated to empowering Santa Barbara’s business community by celebrating past entrepreneurial successes, supporting today’s trailblazers and investing in the future of regional innovation. As a trusted hub for startups, professionals and mentors, Workzones continues to fuel the city’s dynamic economic landscape.

--Workzones is located at 351 Paseo Nuevo, 2nd Floor, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101. For more information visit https://workzones.com/, email host@workzones.com or call 805-966-3722.

--Photo credit: Santa Barbara City College