#MemberSpotlight – Mindspace Yakum’s First Members Share Their Experience

It has only been a few months since Mindspace Greenwork Yakum in Israel – our very first location outside of the city – opened its doors. For a long time, coworking and flexible office spaces were associated with prominent cities and urban areas. A change of scenery from the hustle and bustle of the city center to the countryside gives a different vibe – it’s quiet, calm and relaxing.

Five of the first members to join Mindspace Yakum, either leaving work-from-home behind or pursuing the hybrid work model, told us about their experience so far.

Judith Nissani

Founder, Owner and General Manager at JN Contract Claims Management

Why did you choose Mindspace Yakum?

Location, location, location. Since I live nearby, it was perfect for me.

After working from home for a while, I felt that I needed to change my working environment. I looked for a change of scenery, flexibility to grow, and meeting room facilities, but wanted to stay close to my home and avoid spending hours driving. When I heard about Mindspace Yakum before its launch, I decided to wait for it to open.

Three more lawyers in my company work remotely, and we use the workstations and meeting rooms at Mindspace when we have to meet.

What captivates you about this specific location?

Its proximity to my home (only 15 minutes away) and to my kids’ school (10 minutes away), as well as the countryside atmosphere and the green landscape.

What does working at Mindspace give you, that was missing when working from home?

It allows me to concentrate better, to be more productive, and to hold meetings with multiple stakeholders. It also helps better define the start and the end of the workday.

About JN Contract and Claims Management

We are a team of legal professionals who provide proven international expertise services in contract and claims management to PPP and large-scale international infrastructure projects. The company provides contract and claims management services to light rail transit megaprojects in Israel by NTA, JNET and TransIsrael.

Ohad Biron

CEO and Co-Founder at Binah

Why did you choose our location in Yakum?

I live close by, so coming to Yakum helps me avoid traffic.

Why did you choose to work in a flexible workspace?

We are a new start-up with staff in Silicon Valley and in Israel. Two of us work at Mindspace Yakum, and two part-time employees come here for our weekly meetings. This isn’t my first time working in a coworking space.

How is Mindspace Yakum different from the flex workspace where you previously worked?

The previous place was essentially an open space with workstations, mostly for freelancers. Here we have a private office, available meeting rooms, and the right supportive environment for a company with a team that plans to grow, build a product and reach an MVP.

I’m looking forward to see how the community at Mindspace Yakum is going to grow as well.

Why do you think that a sense of community is important in a workplace?

It can create collaboration opportunities. At this point I outsource quite often, and such a community can offer a diverse pool of service providers. Additionally, I can learn from the challenges of other companies at a similar stage. For example, there’s another company here that we refer leads to each other for investment and design partnerships.

About Binah

Binah helps fast-growing B2B SaaS companies deliver products that customers want, faster than ever, by providing the first product-led growth planning and execution platform for product managers, designed and built for better enablement. We are on a mission to ensure feedback cycles and iterative, incremental product building and launching processes inside organizations work seamlessly and efficiently, bridging gaps between engineering and business groups.

Here’s a sneak peek into Mindspace Yakum’s green surroundings:

Meir Peretz

Senior Full-Stack Developer at Siteplus

You are actually the very first member of Mindspace Yakum. Tell us about yourself.

I am 23 years old, and I have been in high-tech as a full-stack developer for the past three years. In my day-to-day I build cloud-based applications, CMS, e-commerce websites and more.

I live in Netanya, and I’m now starting my own small business. When I came to see the place in October there was nothing here, except for all of these green surroundings – which is what I was looking for.

What do you like the most about this office?

I’m not confined to one small space, as I get to enjoy the open surroundings. I love sitting outside when the weather permits. Sometimes I hold work meetings in the sitting areas by the lawn. It’s great to arrive at such a relaxing, green place. Also, the staff here is really nice.

About Siteplus

Siteplus is a web and software developing brand, working with the newest technologies and features in the market. Their goal is to match each customer – be it from the lifestyle, design, music, law or agriculture industries – with the best cloud-based solution that fits their specific needs. Siteplus collaborates with top designers to achieve the highest-quality user experience.

Noa Yitzhak

General Manager at Unicorn

What do you like the most about Mindspace Yakum?

I look out the window at the train passing by through the green scenery, and I feel like I’m in Switzerland. When we first came to see the place, the offices were not set up yet, but the view captivated us. Even today, the calming view helps us stay focused.

How does a flexible workspace help your team work together?

We are a company of eight people that was founded about a year ago. After working from home, we looked for a place where the team could work together. Today, we work in a hybrid model. Our private office has five workstations, and each employee comes in about three times a week.

While the smaller spaces are excellent for work-related discussions and interviews, the big meeting rooms enable the entire team to come together and collaborate once every other week.

Unicorn’s expertise is all about recruiting top talents. Could such an outside-of-the-city office help expand the talent pool and the candidate diversity?

Absolutely, as well as improve the quality of life of employees. Many of the employees do not live in Tel Aviv, so they end up having to spend a long time on the road to get to work. Yakum is located in an accessible and pleasant area.

About Unicorn

Unicorn aims to secure highly-skilled talents quickly and efficiently. Whilst technology, project briefs, and recruitment requirements have changed, our commitment to driving the business forward has remained consistent. Unicorn has a dedicated team that will make sure your company will receive the most accurate candidate to drive your company to its next step.

Nir Tzur

EVP Engineering at Viably Capital

Why did you choose to work from a flexible space?

We are a new company, founded less than half a year ago. Our CEO and part of our staff are based in North Carolina, the US, while 15 of the employees are in Israel. We work in a hybrid model: working remotely and coming to the office as needed or when we choose to.

The fact that all aspects of office management and operations are taken care of by Mindspace saves us a lot of hassle, and allows us to concentrate on our work. The office is pleasing to the eye, and I’m certainly glad that somebody else is in charge of this.

Flex is an advantage for us at the moment, as we can scale up according to the company’s needs.  We plan to grow, and fast. Soon we are to move from our private office to a new private suite at Mindspace Yakum.

Why did you specifically choose our workspace in Yakum?

Mostly because of the location, helping many of the employees avoid traffic on their commute. We also like the quiet atmosphere here.

About Viably

Viably is building an all-in-one funding, banking, and financial advising platform – reimagining finances for your growing business.

Managing a Community Outside of the City

We also asked Mor David – formerly a Mindspace Community Manager in Tel Aviv, and now a Senior Community Experience Manager at Herzliya and Yakum – about his transition out of the big city.

How does your experience in Mindspace Yakum differ from your previous role in Tel Aviv?

The intensity and the clutter of the city have been replaced by the green, countryside scenery, with easy access from Tel Aviv. I enjoy the challenge of bringing the Mindspace DNA to a location out of the city.