We Work, We Grow Tops $4.4 Billion Investment for education

WeWork is opening an elementary school called WeGrow

And it’s enlisted Bjarke Ingels to design it

BY JENNY XIE  NOV 6, 2017, 1:00PM EST

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WeWork via Bloomberg

WeWork, the coworking behemoth that recently scored a whopping $4.4 billion investment for expansion, is now venturing into education, Bloomberg reports. The company has begun a pilot program for a private elementary school housed near its New York City headquarters.

The initiative, called WeGrow, will focus on “conscious entrepreneurship.” The pilot program has its current roster of seven 5- to-8-year-olds (including one child of WeWork founders Adam and Rebekah Neumann) spending one day at the Neumanns’s 60-acre farm for “hands-on learning” and the rest in a classroom getting lessons in business from WeWork employees and clients.

“In my book, there’s no reason why children in elementary schools can’t be launching their own businesses,” Rebekah Neumann tells Bloomberg.

The Neumanns envision launching WeGrow schools around the world, starting with one slated to open next fall. It would accommodate about 65 students—ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade—and would be built right in WeWork’s Chelsea headquarters and accessed through a separate entrance.

As for the space? Have a look at these renderings from Bjarke Ingels Group, the prolific Danish firmWeWork has enlisted for the project.

WeWork via Bloomberg

 

WeWork via Bloomberg

WeGrow is just one of the company’s brand extensions. Last month, WeWork opened its first wellness gym, called Rise by We and featuring a Roman-inspired salt bath. And don’t forget about WeLive, the coliving arm of the business. The company also just scooped up Lord & Taylor’s landmarked Fifth Avenue flagship for a new headquarters, where the WeGrow school will reportedly relocate to in 2019.

Via: Bloomberg