Member Article

London entrepreneurs enter ‘sharing economy’ with workplace startup

A pair of London-based entrepreneurs have launched Vrumi, a new startup taking a bite out of the ‘sharing economy’ market led by the likes of Airbnb and Uber.

Launched last year by Roddy Campbell and William Sieghart, Vrumi helps hosts to earn money from the spaces that would have otherwise been idle, while guests save money on workspaces.

The duo, who wanted to help to solve the problem for self-employed, freelancers, micro-workers and other professionals to find spaces to work in, in areas they couldn’t previously afford, successfully raised £938,196 on Seedrs, having only set out to raise £400,000.

The idea was conceived by co-founder Roddy Campbell: “20 years ago, I was working from home and the chap next door to me would go out to work for the day and in would come a music teacher and a succession of students. It was infuriating, not for the noise, but the fact that my neighbour was earning money from something so simple. It also stayed with me that the teacher had a business he otherwise wouldn’t have had.”

Fast forward, and Campbell found himself with a broken leg and a physiotherapist treating him in his sitting room. Remembering the music teacher from the 90’s, Campbell asked if the physiotherapist would like to rent his sitting room for the day, rather than an expensive clinic. The physiotherapist jumped at the chance and the very next day Vrumi was born.

Since launching, Vrumi have built up a user base of over 1,600 and over 400 hosts in London have signed up and are earning money by offering their properties as work spaces.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .