WeWork CEO Pandwe Gibson talks on what makes a coworking space work

Founder and President of EcoTech Visions, Pandwe Gibson, says the startup is going beyond WeWork

Every day, new horrors unfold in the WeWork drama, from the failed IPO to questionable spending by the company’s ousted Founder and CEO, raising questions and doubt about the need for coworking spaces.

Gibson’s brainchild is EcoTech Visions — one of Miami’s first green incubator and maker space. Here, in a 52,000-square-foot space, she helps entrepreneurs create, plan and launch innovative and green manufacturing businesses in South Florida.

“Entrepreneurs in America don’t just need a WeWork. They don’t just need a desk. Entrepreneurs want to make stuff,” Gibson told Moguldom.

EcoTech Visions has office space, event space, maker space, manufacturing facilities and classroom space to support the development of products made with recycled materials. It offers an intense incubation experience for entrepreneurs.

Gibson’s innovative vision has attracted $3.2 million from public and private partnerships and investment from an angel investor. She has helped to train more than 250 South Floridians and educated more than 400 student interns to work in the area.

Gibson talked with Moguldom about the opposition she encountered trying to open her headquarters in Miami, building a team and how she plans to build talent in the South and Midwest.

We’re in the south where people don’t have a reference point for a young Black woman coming up with a business and scaling it on her own. I learned a quick lesson in Miami about race and politics. Just because you have the money doesn’t mean that they’re going to let you buy on the block.

— Pandwe A. Gibson, CEO of EchoTech Visions

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