The business, called Equal Space, is expanding fast.
"Bi-weekly you'd be meeting with the team to identify as a diverse founder, a fem-identifying founder, or LGBTQIA+ founder -- what are your obstacles, what are your wins and what dragons are you trying to slay," said co-founder and CEO Citi Medina.
Members, or "spacers," can rent an office for a day, a month or a year.
It took Medina and co-founder Ralphie Roman two years and multiple attempts to gather the funding for their expansion into Newark. Then Wells Fargo stepped in and Audible was soon to follow. Now, the ES550 space is up and running.
The state-of-the-art facility on Broad Street calls its aesthetic "intentional" and so is its location.
"Newark's LGBTQIA community center is a member of our space with multiple suites, so there are queer youth in our space who feel not only that they're being given the value of being seen, they're getting the services from the community center, but they're allowed space to think forward in a position of thriving," Medina said.
Equal Space's mission is to help local entrepreneurs and small businesses, largely led by women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, be successful.
"I was really able to come to terms with my nonbinary existence because of the freedom of expression that not only me, but all of our members, no matter what their gender descriptors are," said Equal Space Community Engagement and Programming Manager Kelly Outing.
Co-founder Rafael Roman says anyone who wants to join Equal Space just has to present as who they are -- in turn they will be seen, heard, affirmed and loved.
ABC 7 New York is your home for the NYC Pride March on Sunday, June 30. Watch the broadcast from noon until 3 p.m. on Channel 7 and anywhere you stream ABC7NY.
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