Knotel Acquires Paris-based Deskeo
KNOTEL
Leading Flexible Workspace Provider
Takes Leadership in Europe
PARIS (January 17, 2019) – Knotel, the leading flexible workspace provider, announced today its expansion in Europe through a strategic acquisition of a majority stake in Deskeo, the largest flexible office operator in France. Knotel’s takeover of Deskeo will more than double the number of its locations in Europe, and positions the company well for continued aggressive growth across the continent following launch in London and a recent acquisition of Ahoy!Berlin.
Deskeo operates over twenty locations in Paris, Europe’s largest office market and one of the fastest growing flexible office markets in the world. Corporate portfolios in particular are moving toward this flexible office model, which is expected to show annual growth upwards of thirty percent for the next several years.
Under the terms of the transaction, Deskeo founders, Frank Zorn and Benjamin Teboul, will head Knotel operations in France. “In partnership with Knotel,” said Zorn, Deskeo CEO, “we can expand faster and provide a better service to our customers. Knotel has achieved tremendous scale and we look forward to leveraging its broad sector expertise, operational efficiency, and access to multinational enterprise accounts.” Companies currently serviced by Deskeo include
Shell, Claranet, Banque Travelex, and President Macron’s En Marche.
“It was important that Knotel creates a strategic presence in Paris, which is our fourth major international city and our seventh overall,” commented Amol Sarva, CEO of Knotel. “We were impressed by what Frank and Ben have achieved in a short period of time and are excited by the opportunity this acquisition presents for our clients. Deskeo shares in our philosophy of providing the best quality office spaces with flexible terms to enterprises of all types, and we look forward to working together in Paris and beyond.”
About Knotel
With over 2.5 million square feet across more than 125 locations in Paris, New York, San Francisco, London, Los Angeles, Berlin and Brazil, Knotel is transforming the way we work with its Agile HQ™ Platform. Making long-term leases a thing of the past, Knotel designs, builds, and operates custom spaces for enterprises, so that business leaders can focus on building the future. Founded in 2016, Knotel has raised $160 million in funding, and was named a Business Insider Top 50 Startup and New York's Hottest New Workspace Model. Knotel’s enterprise customers include companies like Starbucks, Daimler, IBM, and The Body Shop. Visit knotel.com.
About Deskeo
Founded in 2016 by Benjamin Teboul and Frank Zorn, Deskeo provides flexible office space with tailor made services. The start-up has developed a new product combining the best of two worlds: coworking and traditional leases. Deskeo designs and builds offices for its clients which reflect their organizational set up and corporate culture. The offices are equipped and fully managed allowing the tenants to focus on their core business. The terms of Deskeo’s offices are flexible giving companies the opportunity to adapt to a fast changing environment.
Within two years Deskeo has become the largest independent office operator in France with more than 20 locations in Paris and Lyon. Every day, several thousand people are coming to work into one of Deskeo’s operated offices.