Women-Only Co-Working Operator To Expand Internationally
Women-only co-working provider The Wing is taking flight by opening six locations in five new cities.
The startup, which opened its first location in Manhattan's Flatiron neighborhood in 2016, will add spaces in San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Toronto and London, as well as one in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, the New York Post reports.
No specific locations have been released, but the Williamsburg spot is slated for an opening later this year. In addition to Flatiron, the Wing already operates locations — which it calls "covens" — in SoHo and Dumbo in New York, as well as Georgetown in Washington, D.C.
Memberships cost between $215 and $250 per month, and amenities are geared toward women, such as its offering of Chanel-sponsored beauty rooms and feminist guest speaker programming.
In late 2017, the Wing raised $32M in Series B funding led by industry leader WeWork. It is not the sole women-only co-working provider out there, but such backing will allow it to expand to more locations possibly at a faster pace than any of its competitors. That coverage, plus early celebrity endorsements (and memberships) from Lena Dunham and rapper Remy Ma, suggests the Wing is well-positioned to establish itself as the biggest name in a growing field.
Even as it plans to expand, the Wing is under investigation by the New York City Commission for Human Rights for gender discrimination. The city bars any private club from barring potential members from entry based on gender. Despite that, CEO Audrey Gelman remains unconcerned and has said that Mayor Bill de Blasio "fully supports the mission of the Wing."
