'Losing co-working space would force me from job'

A regular user of a shared business hub says he will have to quit his job if the co-working space is scrapped.

The Digital Greenhouse project has been running since 2016 supporting start-ups and entrepreneurs with business growth through several schemes, and by providing an alternative to renting an office space.

Now the States-funded project is under review, losing it altogether is not "off the table", the Economic Development Committee President Sasha Kazantseva-Miller has said.

Marko Kennedy, a security architect for UK company Iris Software, said quitting his job would be "a big decision", especially as he is the company's only Guernsey employee.

The Digital Greenhouse currently receives an annual grant of £450,000 from the States of Guernsey.

Mr Kennedy credits the Digital Greenhouse for transforming his life, saying: "I was working at home for quite a few years and it just became rather oppressive, frankly, and this has been a joy."

He said: "I really like my job, and I like what I do.

"I like the employer as well so that wouldn't be ideal for me.

"This would be a big personal decision after 13, 14 years at Iris Software."

Imogen Remfrey has used the Digital Greenhouse as a base since 2022.

"This would end up with a lot of people working from home, which has its benefits, but it can also be lonely as a small company."

She said the hub helps her business with costs: "It's invaluable to have this space especially when rents are so high for a small company."

Kazantseva-Miller said she does have concerns about the Digital Greenhouse.

"It's a big space and costs a lot of money," she said.

"We need to be careful that public-funded services are not seen to be in direct competition with the private sector.

"I think we need to keep an open mind in terms of what physical spaces do we need.

"I don't think anything is off the table," she said.

Kazantseva-Miller said the results of the process will be published in the next 12 months.

The review, being undertaken by the innovation board, is looking into whether the hub is delivering what the economy needs in terms of supporting start-ups and scale-up businesses.

The Digital Greenhouse and Innovate Guernsey Board have said they are unable to comment while the process is underway.

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