This is a series of articles aimed at making people aware of the endangered Unicorns that exist among us.
It is not their fault that they are endangered. It’s the price and pride of ownership. So where along the way the decision was made to feed them more than they can consume and that lean was not as import as means.
Some of the unicorns have done well on this diet. Others have not. We don’t pass judgement on the individual unicorns. We just highlight the herd for your awareness.
We will ignore the fact that there were 147 about a month ago and are back to 147 again so lets assume that some funding goals were made which brought the outliers back into the herd.
WeWork
WeWork is the rarest of Unicorns in the fact that it is only one in its space and with its business plan. It maybe that it also is doomed as it tries to build a market for flexible office space by taking on the assets and parsing them out. Unlike Uber and AirBnB, which it gets compared to it has the problem of needing to provide an acceptable work space.
Besides the workspace comes, other dorm like facilities per the journal’s Lindsay Gellman. “Young startup strivers feel at home in WeWork’s sleekly designed spaces in rising urban neighborhoods, with perks ranging from IT support to affordable healthcare to free beer. The Israeli-born Mr. Neumann looks more like one of his startup tenants than a traditional landlord, and is reportedly in the process of expanding his vision. In the works: living space near Washington, D.C.’s city limits that would function as a high-end dorm for 20-something workers, according to people briefed on the company’s plans.”
As of this article is has a $16B valuation on a $5B investment.
So it truly is a unique unicorn.