Co-working Operator Bamboo Opens Downtown Royal Oak Location

Bamboo, a co-working space operator and designer, announced the opening of its first expansion outside of Detroit — Bamboo Royal Oak. The development, located in downtown Royal Oak at 220 S. Main St., adds more than 20,000 square feet of workspace across three floors.
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Bamboo Royal Oak
Bamboo Royal Oak has opened and is leasing space. This is the Detroit company’s first location outside of the city of Detroit. // Photograph by Rightsize Facilities

Bamboo, a co-working space operator and designer, announced the opening of its first expansion outside of Detroit — Bamboo Royal Oak. The development, located in downtown Royal Oak at 220 S. Main St., adds more than 20,000 square feet of workspace across three floors.

“Talent lives everywhere in metro Detroit, and it is our mission to support that talent by serving as a connector to promote regionalism across the state,” says Amanda Lewan, co-founder and CEO of Bamboo.

Bamboo launched in Detroit in 2013. It houses startup and innovation ecosystem leaders including New Economy Initiative, Techstars, Todoolie, Rivet Work, AaDya, and more. In addition to offering event space, the co-working space also offers business-class internet, bike storage, dedicated desks, community space, and other modern amenities.

“As entrepreneurs ourselves, it was not enough to just provide the necessary office space,” says Lewan. “We strive to provide ample networking and outreach opportunities for our members, as well as a level of guidance into the ecosystem of support to help our members grow.”

Lewan has spent more than 10 years working at a variety of startups and used the experience she acquired to launch Bamboo alongside co-founder Mike Ferlito. Additionally, the workspace provider maintains continued support from Bamboo’s entrepreneur-in-residence Marc Hudson. Hudson is the former CEO and co-founder of Rocket Fiber, a Detroit internet service provider that was sold to Everstream early last year; the deal closed in April 2020.

“As a founder myself, I understand the need to be around other founders, business owners, creatives, and leaders,” says Hudson. “Bamboo’s environment is the perfect complement to working from home, with many flexible memberships and ways to meet hybrid-style at this brand-new location.”

Leasing opportunities for Bamboo Royal Oak opened Tuesday, with monthly virtual office rates beginning at $60.00 and office pricing varying for the size of a team. Bamboo offers safe, private, and flexible short-term offices.

Bamboo’s spaces offer technology-driven meeting spaces for virtual and hybrid meetings, including a live streaming and recording studio space called Studio 1420.

The facilities host a number of community events, aimed at better connecting startups from across the state to one another, and connecting them with potential investing opportunities. These opportunities include the recent Audio Conference Pivoting Past 2020, virtual pitch nights, and virtual coffee events.

More information on the Royal Oak location is available here.