'Nerd tribe' multiplies; Innovation Den expands

The Innovation Den in Coeur d’Alene will open a second building on Aug. 1 to meet growing demand.

According to Nick Smoot, founder of the Innovation Collective, the new building will allow the coworking space to engage with more people.

“Adding more space allows us to bring more people into our nerd tribe,” Smoot said. “Our goal is to have this American dream factory, and space is a limiting factor.”

Smoot said the Innovation Den’s 52 office spaces, seven large suites, and three conference rooms have been booked since the building opened last September.

“We have these really long waiting lists, and now this provides us some breathing room,” he said.

The new addition — located directly across from the current building at 418 E. Lakeside Ave. — will feature a 1,200 square foot master suite, eight office spaces, two conference rooms and two common spaces.

Mara Sargent with Prime Real Estate Group said the staff loves the Innovation Den’s energy. Prime is a current tenant and is moving into the new space for the additional room. Led by owner Melissa Murphy, Prime will share the upper floor with Konen Development, said Sargent. Barry Meyers, general manager with Konen Development, said the Innovation Den has been awesome.

“The best part about being in the Den has been the opportunity to network with creative people, to work in an environment and community where people by nature are thinking outside the box,” Meyers said.

Working in an environment that doesn’t necessarily conform to traditional business models has freed Konen Development to think in alternative business models, he said.

Meyers said Konen and Prime will share new space thanks to their collaboration on several projects. One project includes repurposing the 1910 YMCA building in Kellogg for modern, multipurpose uses, said Meyers. He envisions ongoing relationships with Prime as well as with the Innovation Collective.

Mark Olson, co-founder of executive coaching practice M+L Advisors, enjoys the Den because it brings together forward-thinking people.

“A major reason why the Den resonates with this energy is the Innovation Collective, an intentional community that fosters and promotes an ‘innovation economy’ mindset in this area and beyond,” Olson said.

M+L Advisors will stay put in its current Den location, and they’re thankful to be part of the tribe there, he said.

One feature unique to the new design is a kitchen that members can use at any time.

“Having the kitchen, weirdly, does give people the ability to stay on campus,” Smoot said. “If they don’t want to leave, they can bring food from home, warm it up, cook it, leave some dishes here.”

The current building is also home to the University of Idaho robotics department, a drone company, and several e-commerce companies, giving it the feel of a true campus, as Smoot calls it.

“We love it here. It’s nice to have interesting people moving around, and to get to meet our neighbors at fun events,” Sargent said.

“Being surrounded by people that are driven and are creating successful companies and products gives you motivation to keep going,” said Packy Tagliaferro, managing partner of Hopbak.

“Every day seems like a boost of energy when you step through the doors, due in part to the amazing coffee at CDA Coffee Co.,” he added. “But between the great staff, tenants and amazing building it’s hard not to enjoy going to work.”

Smoot said some people pay a membership fee simply for the use of office space and conference rooms, while others join for access to the many people, events, and ideas that inhabit the Den. However, he was quick to note that anyone can visit the Den to work or play at no cost.

“The barber shop and the coffee shop are open to the public, as well as the patio and the fireplaces,” Smoot said. “No one has to pay anything — come grab a cup of water, sit out here and talk, meet, dream about your next big idea.”

That entrepreneurial, laissez-faire attitude is at the heart of the Innovation Collective, Smoot said.

“We want this to be a place where people can live, work, play, learn, and create,” he said. “I jokingly call it the masterfully planned life — it’s kind of a play off masterfully planned communities.”

Speaking of community, Smoot believes that the Den serves as a community in itself, something he said is desperately lacking in society.

“That’s missing in the world,” he said. “We’ve seen the collapse of inclusive and authentic community in our world, which hurts everyone because people feel alone. The former surgeon general [Vivek Murthy] said the worst epidemic in our country is loneliness.”

Once the new building opens, the Den will have more than 40,000 square feet between the two buildings — which house everything from a speakeasy-style basement bar to a robotic bakery.

It also hosts roughly 70 events each year, many featuring executives from SpaceX, Pepsi, Google, and Apple, just to name a few.

Because of that, Smoot sees the Den as a gathering place where entrepreneurs, innovators, and individual citizens can exchange ideas.

“You have these open components where people can come in without paying to be a part of it, and we have our free events,” he said.

“For people who do want to build a business,” Smoot continued, “there’s exponential value not only in the office space, but also it’s a community of people who care and want to help. And some of the greatest minds in the world are coming in and out of here.”

Most of all, Smoot hopes to see the Innovation Collective model replicated elsewhere. The company has already extended its footprint to Sandpoint, Lewiston and Boise.

“I want everyone to think this is normal,” he said, “because then they’re going to go build these kind of things everywhere in the world.”

For more information, visit: innovationcollective.co or innovationden.co