// startup autopsy
Spacious
A clever restaurant coworking startup acquired by WeWork in 2019 and shut down in COVID, the ultimate acquirer-dependent casualty.
acquisition gone wrongSudden Collapse
Unexpected shutdown within weeks of a trigger · Fatal mistake: Acquisition Integration
| Founded | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2020 |
| Country | USA |
| Sector | Marketplace |
// the model, blind
Evaluating only Spacious’s profile at its peak — without knowing the outcome — the model ranked Unit economics as the #1 likely cause. Documented cause: Acquisition gone wrong.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
Spacious founded to convert restaurants into daytime coworking spaces during off-peak hours
FUNDING
Spacious raises $8M in Series A funding to expand restaurant-coworking marketplace
ACQUISITION ATTEMPT
WeWork acquires Spacious for undisclosed amount, integrating restaurant locations into its network
REGULATORY ACTION
COVID-19 pandemic triggers restaurant closures and dining collapse, destabilizing Spacious's core business model
SHUTDOWN
WeWork shuts down Spacious as parent company faces existential crisis; restaurant and coworking markets simultaneously collapse