Member Spotlight: Brooklyn Bridge Ventures
What makes a coworking space successful is more than aesthetics, amenities, or prime office space. Its Members are what keeps spaces thriving, hosting networking events, and continuing to create an atmosphere where everyone is able to work to their fullest capabilities.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge our own Members. We welcome you to our monthly series, highlighting a Member and/or company that calls PRIMARY coworking home.
Without further ado, we’re kicking this off with Charlie O’Donnell, the founder of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures.
Outside of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, Charlie competes in triathlons and is a member of the Brooklyn Triathlon Club. He also competes with car traffic as a New York City bicycle commuter. He is an 18-year veteran of the same local co-ed softball team, which he captains, and can regularly be found on Prospect Park’s ice rink playing goalie on Friday nights in the winter.
In 2010, after volunteering with the Downtown Boathouse in Lower Manhattan for seven years, Charlie also co-founded the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse to promote human-powered boating in Brooklyn Bridge Park and safe public recreational access to the East River and New York Harbor.
First and foremost, what is Brooklyn Bridge Ventures and how did it come about?
I started the first venture capital fund to be based in Brooklyn. We have funded over 100 local startup companies, while also building a reputation for being the most accessible early-stage investor in New York. About 40% of the companies Brooklyn Bridge Ventures (BBV) has invested in have a female founder, 30% have a BIPOC founder and 9% have a Black founder, reflecting the diversity of the city’s entrepreneurial workforce and the firm’s dedication to inclusivity.
What types of companies do Brooklyn Bridge Ventures cater to?
BBV invests in mostly, but not all, tech startups located in NYC, often times becoming their first investor.
Have you had any notable clients?
Yes! The fund has backed Hungryroot, Petal Card, Brigit, Shortcut, Canary, and Imagen.
When and where was it founded?
We started in 2012, right here in NYC.
When starting to transition to office space, what were some of your non-negotiables?
We were looking for a short commute and a brightly lit space with showers. We can subway in from Park Slope in 22 minutes and bike it in just about the same time. The running stroller takes us about 38 minutes depending on bridge crosswinds.
I live in Park Slope with my wife and one-ish year-old daughter, who frequented PRIMARY often before she became mobile and decided that the Pack and Play in our office was too confining.
How long did it take you to land at PRIMARY?
We actually knew about the space from prior meetings here, so it was the first place I sought out.
What were the key amenities that drew you to the space?
The key amenities that drew us to the space were the showers, windows and location.
What are some of your favorite features of the space?
Besides what I mentioned above, the staff is terrific and super friendly.
Do you think being at a coworking space has opened up more business opportunities for Brooklyn Bridge Ventures vs working from home or having traditional office space?
We've run some events here, which is probably our number one driver of inbound, so definitely. There's no replacement for being able to connect with someone IRL.
What are you looking forward to in 2023, personally or professionally?
Our daughter will be going to a two-year-old program in September, which is hard to believe--so I'm just looking to spend as much time as possible before she stops wanting to hang out with us and instead doesn't want to leave her little school friends.
You can find Charlie and Brooklyn Bridge Ventures at:
Website: https://www.brooklynbridge.vc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceonyc/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brooklyn-bridge-ventures
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