Writer / Kara Reibel
The building where DeveloperTown resides used to be a manufacturing facility. The prior tenant manufactured housing that was built inside and was shipped out. Ironically, with DeveloperTown’s work model, they have manufactured housing built out and shipped in. Each of the 35 employees, and a few other welcomed groups, have their own small yard barns as office space.
“The inspiration for our progressive office design came from Pixar. Only ours have wheels and are mobile,” said DeveloperTown Managing Partner Michael Cloran.
The mobility of these sheds fits perfectly with the practical functionality of DeveloperTown’s needs. Project teams have their mobile sheds clustered in close proximity. Every few months, as projects change and evolve, the offices are moved around and organized by the needs of each team.
These clusters of sheds encircle either a large gathering table, or a ping pong table. Keeping the creativity flowing, ping pong games or impromptu nerf gun wars are a common occurrence.
Even their name “DeveloperTown” is a fun play on the small village concept they have created with their mobile office dwellings. But make no mistake, these tech-savvy men and women bring serious credibility to the table. They provide a one-stop shop for launching a new product of any size of company, whether a newbie entrepreneur or a Fortune 500 company.
DeveloperTown sells two products: A 4-week long start-up design plan, which helps entrepreneurs or large companies launch a new product idea, and their second product is a team for transitioning a product launch.
DeveloperTown shares their building with a few other smaller tenants, one of which is the Speakeasy. A startup incubator focused on tech-only, the Speakeasy is a compliment and strategic ally.
Home to several guest houses, including Verge, IU Kelley School of Business DIVE program and the Indiana Coworking Passport.
“DeveloperTown going as far as they have to support the Indiana CoWorking Passport says a ton about their commitment to Indiana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. They just get it,” said Indiana Coworking Program Co-Founder John Wechsler.
The commitment and respect DeveloperTown shows to their customers, venture community and to their neighborhood make them a standout company.
Situated along the Monon Trail, the access to the local community is close to their front door. Through sponsorships, mentoring, grants and generous donations, DeveloperTown is an asset to many, especially SoBro.
Comments 2
Hi Kara! Thanks for highlighting some of the work of our awesome neighbors at DeveloperTown. Just to clarify, the top picture in your post is actually of a separate business, The Speak Easy. While we share a roof and a wall with DT, we are an entirely different organization that is a membership-based nonprofit and collaborative workspace.