CSI's 23-year coworking journey with Tonya Surman

Описание: Host Hector Kolonas interviews Tonya Surman about founding the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) in Toronto in 2004 as a shared space for small nonprofits before the term “coworking” existed, initially offering shared resources and “virtual tenancy.”

Surman recounts CSI’s growth from 14 organizations to hundreds across multiple locations, including buying a 36,000-square-foot building in 2010 using a city loan guarantee and community bonds.

More links and details in the show notes at https://twic.co/23years

She discusses tensions around credit for coworking’s origins, emphasizing CSI’s mission of social impact and relationship-building over branding. Surman details CSI’s financial challenges—rapid expansion, never fully breaking even, COVID member losses, rising interest rates, and selling a building to the City of Toronto for an Indigenous homeless shelter—leading to consolidation, community-financed debt, and finally reaching profitability.

She argues coworking’s enduring value is belonging and relationships, warning that scaling can undermine humanity.

Chapters
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:45 CSI Origins in 2004
04:28 From Shared Space to Growth
06:53 Who Gets Credit for Coworking
10:40 What Changed and What Stayed True
13:53 Niches and Transactional Spaces
16:44 CSI Financial Rollercoaster
24:12 Finding the Sweet Spot
27:34 Future of Coworking
29:53 Closing Thanks