Now that many people are working from home, they’re starting to realize there are a lot of pros – but also some cons to working at your house. In this episode, I’m interviewing Christelle Rohaut from Codi, a company that connects people with homes to people looking to work from ‘home.’ It’s a really cool concept, and it’s even more important now. We’ll talk about Codi, how she came up with the concept, and the future of remote work.
Announcing: Curbivore! On October 20th & 21st, Curbivore will bring together the world of restaurants & retail, civic tech, and mobility. Dive deep in immersive workshops that will teach you how to ready your business for the new normal of delivery & outdoor dining. Learn more about Curbivore here.
Intro to Christelle Rohaut
- UC Berkeley city planner and environmental engineer from France
- Studied the circular economy
- Founder of Codi, called Airbnb Meets WeWork
- Sharing economy vs. circular economy
What is the Circular Economy?
- More holistic way of looking at the economy
- Hiring local drivers, local driving – it goes beyond ‘just’ the car
- How dollars circulate in the economy, stay in the local community
- Became interested in sustainable communities within cities – create value in your own city
Codi: Airbnb Meets WeWork
- Name – wanted to be able to use it as a verb and a noun
- Customers came up with the description!
- Codi is the first company to offer daytime work spaces in private homes
- Gives the opportunity for people to walk to work from their home, remain in their communities
Response to Codi
- A lot of workers want to stay remote, but want to be connected to community
- Codi provides this option and feedback has been positive
- Opportunity for human interaction, walk around – positive for mental health
Hosting with Codi
- 60% of hosts already work from home, looking for company and to share space
- 40% of hosts work outside the home and have empty space
- Opportunity to earn extra income – hosts are notified when they have a booking and they see the LinkedIn invite
- By locals, for locals
Vetting and Safety
- Background checks, LinkedIn verification
- Not for tourists – it’s for people looking for work space
- Initially reached out to people in coffee shops
Scaling and the Future of Remote Work
- Working with businesses
- Designing the platform in a thoughtful way
- Codi is focused on sparking the ‘walk to work’ movement
Outro
- Thanks to Christelle for coming on the show! COVID has harmed many industries but has also helped grow others
- On a personal and business level, there are some upsides to the changing thoughts around remote work
Show Notes
- Codi.com
- Elpha – “where women in tech talk candidly online.”
- Curbivore Conference
