In our latest real estate tech entrepreneur interview, we’re speaking with Clark Jacobs from FlexDesk.

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Clark Jacobs and I am the Co-Founder & CEO of FlexDesk, which is a marketplace platform to list and rent short-term workspace. You can think of us as Airbnb for workspace.

Most recently, I was a seed-stage hire for a real estate startup called the Guild, which is essentially WeWork for hotels. During my time at the Guild, I served in a variety of business functions and accrued domain expertise in the PropTech sector. I also gained insight into some of the underlying challenges with asset-heavy business models, which helped shape the vision for FlexDesk. Before the Guild, I spent three years as a management consultant at Bain & Company.

What problem does your product/service solve?

As a two-sided marketplace, FlexDesk solves a problem for Suppliers (office owners w/ unused space) & Users (employees of remote-first companies).

Our Suppliers consistently have furnished, underutilized workspace – FlexDesk equips them to efficiently monetize it by debundling the asset and rent access on a flexible basis. In doing so, they unlock an incremental revenue stream for this unused space. Suppliers can “double-dip” by
simultaneously searching for a long-term tenant while making money through FlexDesk.

In the post-covid world, the average worker desires a hybrid remote/office solution. As many companies shift to a permanent distributed workforce, FlexDesk allows the employees to discover and book a space that meets their individual needs, with no obligation to rent for longer than one day.

What’s are you most excited about right now?

Even amidst the uncertainty in the world, I am excited to see momentum build for a remote-first culture in the post-covid world. I enjoy assessing how FlexDesk can help many employees strike a balance of “working from home” and “working from anywhere”. As the concept of the ‘Nomadic Millennial’ becomes more common, I am excited to see how FlexDesk can equip those employees to remain productive “at the office” while living a fulfilling life of travel outside of work.

What’s next for you?

At the moment, we’re focused on refining our product, aggregating Supply, and acquiring Users in the
Texas region. The tech ecosystem in Texas – in Austin, especially – is a prime territory to gain feedback
and build a playbook for acquiring Suppliers and Users at scale. We are excited to expand nationwide
(and beyond) once we’ve nailed it in Texas.

What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?

I’m passionate about the mission of the Salvation Army to fight homelessness and provide support for recovering addicts. As someone who has family history in alcohol addition, I’ve enjoyed getting involved in a meaningful capacity. I recently served as the Co-President of Echelon in Dallas, which is the Young Adults auxiliary group of the Salvation Army. We exist to raise awareness of the Salvation Army amongst millennials and provide an avenue for volunteering and fundraising.

Thanks to Clark for sharing his story. If you’d like to connect, find him on LinkedIn here.

We’re constantly looking for great real estate tech entrepreneurs to feature. If that’s you, please read this post — then drop me a line (drew @ geekestatelabs dot com).