78. Vrumi

Founders: Roddy Campbell, William Sieghart and Sophie Neary
Founded: May 2014 (Launched January 2015)
Website: www.vrumi.com

Roddy Campbell’s journey towards Vrumi started 20 years ago. His neighbour left for work every morning and then a piano teacher would come in and give lessons using his piano. While receiving physiotherapy in his sitting room in 2014, he realised that there were idle tables and sitting rooms all over the country that could be used as workspace.

With the help of William Sieghart and Sophie Neary, he launched Vrumi, an online platform that opens up homes as workspace, enabling householders to earn money from their unused space and guests to meet and work in unique environments. Listing on the site is free, with both hosts and guests paying a commission for each booking. Vrumi currently features 650 spaces across London including houses, flats, work sheds and even boats. Around 40% of guests use the spaces for meetings, with the remaining 60% divided into activities such as photo shoots, therapy, tutoring and other services.

As well as the launch of a new and improved website, the next 12 months will see Vrumi expand across the UK, with an international launch slated for later in 2016. A number of companies have popped up to disrupt the office space market in recent years, such as fellow Startups 100 business HeadBox, but with the appetite for the sharing economy showing no signs of abating, and consumers becoming increasingly aware of alternative venues to book for work and play, Vrumi’s novel take on the market is one with plenty of potential.