Members will be able to work in six towns across the state using the plan. AUSTIN, MN (February 11, 2020) – Six coworking spaces across Southern Minnesota announced the “Greater Minnesota Coworking Passport” today. The program will allow members who join to work at any of the coworking spaces that are part of the program. The program came about in a conversation between Mogwai Collaborative in Mankato and Collider Foundation in Rochester, and was organized by Austin Community Growth Ventures. “We’ve been wanting to create a collaborative program like this in our region for a while now, and are thrilled to finally announce it!” said Stephanie Braun of Mogwai Collaborative. “I think it’s an important gesture that we coworking directors come together to collaborate like this – to not only offer our entrepreneurs productive and professional working environments in a number of locations, but to also inspire more collaboration between the entrepreneurs themselves, and help jumpstart our region’s innovations in the process.” Coworking spaces that are already participating in the program include Mogwai Collaborative in Mankato, Launch Coworking Space in Austin, Collider Coworking in Rochester, Pi-Co.Works in Pine Island, Red Wing Ignite in Red Wing, and The Garage Cowork Space in Winona, with more expected to join soon. “In talking with our members, it really drove home that a large percentage of the workforce in Minnesota isn’t stationary in a single town – they work all across the state,” said Jamie Sundsbak of Collider Foundation, which operates Collider Coworking. “Empowering the entrepreneurs in our communities to use all the assets available in Minnesota to make their endeavors easier is why we’re here,” said Sean Williams of Austin Community Growth Ventures, which operates the Launch Coworking Space in Austin. “Joining forces was a no-brainer.” The program has two tiers of membership. Members can purchase a Punch Card Passport for $99 online or at one of the participating coworking spaces, and can redeem it for up to five visits at any of the member spaces. Additionally, a Monthly Passport for $250 gives unlimited access to participating coworking spaces during their posted “drop-in” hours. The passports can be redeemed all at a single location, or at multiple locations across the state – even in a single day. “Southern Minnesota is great at collaborating across community boundaries,” said Adam Gettings of Red Wing Ignite. “This passport program is another perfect example of that.” “We want to eventually create a physical passport book for members to use,” added Sundsbak, “with a prize of some kind for visiting all the participating coworking spaces.” For more information, and to purchase a passport, visit LaunchAustinMN.com/Passport. ABOUT MOGWAI COLLABORATIVE: Mogwai Collaborative opened July 2nd, 2018 as local business in Mankato, MN. Their mission statement is: “We aim to provide an innovative, thriving and collaborative office space environment to meet the needs of the modern entrepreneur in our region.” Mogwai offers both coworking and private office space. It is located inside the Hubbard Building, which runs on rooftop solar panels and features live plant walls inside, and was 2019’s recipient of the City Center Partnership Sustainability Award. ABOUT ACGV: Austin Community Growth Ventures (ACGV) was established in 2015 by the Development Corporation of Austin’s Austin Community Charitable Fund (ACCF) to promote, encourage, and aid in the creation of an innovative ecosystem that supports education, creates quality jobs, and increases the new application of biotechnology, agricultural technology, and food science. ACGV is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization, and operates the Launch Coworking Space and Austin Area Angels programs in Austin, MN. ### PRESS CONTACT: Sean Williams Ecosystem Builder Austin Community Growth Ventures Development Corporation of Austin sewilliams@austindca.org (507) 509-9039 office (310) 936-3210 cell