Is this a sustainable business model? Despite a 21-year head start , and having about five times as many locations , IWG ’s valuation is less than a tenth of WeWork ’s . The start - up transformed the industry by creating a community feel at its spaces . Regus , the company from which it grew , applied a utilitarian approach when it came out of bankruptcy after the dot - com bubble burst . Established office supplies retailer Microsoft , which has entered the co - workspace sector , has borrowed the community concept from WeWork and is applying a model that takes traditional practices and makes them better .
Despite a 21-year head start , and having about five times as many locations , IWG ’s valuation is less than a tenth of WeWork ’s . The start - up transformed the industry by creating a community feel at its spaces . Regus , the company from which it grew , applied a utilitarian approach when it came out of bankruptcy after the dot - com bubble burst . Established office supplies retailer Microsoft , which has entered the co - workspace sector , has borrowed the community concept from WeWork and is applying a model that takes traditional practices and makes them better .