SHANGHAI, Nov. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- naked Hub, a Shanghai-based network of co-working spaces, announced the closure of its first tranche B round funding from a fund managed by Gaw Capital Partners today.
naked Group -- a lifestyle and hospitality company -- stormed the co-working market 10 months ago with the naked Hub brand and 8 hubs in prime Shanghai neighborhoods in 2016: Xintiandi, Xuhui (Hunan Lu and Fuxing Lu), shopping area (Nanjing Lu), Financial District (Century Avenue), transportation hub (Hongqiao Hub), Jingan and Gubei.
Gaw Capital Partners is a strategic investment company focusing on real estate markets worldwide. With this expansion funding, naked Hub will not only accelerate its regional expansion, but also enhance its property resources via Gaw Capital Partners. naked Hub aims to add 24-30 new locations (approximately 150,000 square meters and 30,000 members) across mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and other key Southeast Asian cities.
naked Hub, famous for its unique look and feel, has been recognised for its innovative and community-centric design, including: Best Workspace, Best Meet Up, Best Stair, Best Lighting (Uban 2016 Best China Office Award), The 11 Best Coworking Spaces in Asia (Forbes Magazine), Best Innovative Space (Shanghai Home Decor Design Week), Top 10 Design Spaces in Shanghai (Design Week) and Coolest Places to Work in Shanghai (Shanghai WOW). naked Hub is an offline and online platform for freelancers, startups, and SME professionals to collaborate, interact and do business with each other. Even MNCs who desire to keep their fingers on the pulse of the market are attracted to its flexible and communal workspaces. Providing its members -- "Hubbers" -- with a collaborative workspace and a vibrant community, naked Hub is co-working redesigned for China and Asia.
Co-working is booming, growing 71% annually from 2007 to 2015 and projected to grow 68% annually from 2016 to 2018. Asia is only just realising the many advantages of co-working spaces compared to traditional offices. naked's confidence comes from its Chinese roots, with many years of experience building the top luxury resort and lifestyle brand in eastern China, and a loyal customer base that is 92% Chinese. The naked management team is led by proven China market veterans.
"We are delighted to be part of the growing trend in the co-working office market especially with an operator with proven commitment and track record in China. The lifestyle and hospitality approach of naked Group is very similar to Gaw Capital's DNA, passion, responsibility and creativity. The potential synergies between the two groups will further enhance both of our positions as market leaders in the region," said Humbert Pang, Managing Principal Head of China for Gaw Capital Partners.
"The first time you enter a naked Hub is a memorable experience due to the community vibe and design of the Living Room. As our community network scales, our members are already seeing increased business from within the naked Hub community. We're excited to have this additional capital to deliver this service to a much larger number of members in various cities," said Jonathan Seliger, CEO of naked Hub.
"Like a tech company, naked Hub moves fast and innovates in an agile way. I believe we already have the strongest in-house user experience and technology team of any co-working operator in Asia and our innovations in online-and-offline service experience for our members has only just begun," said Dominic Penaloza, CIO of naked Group.
"Beginning with our home base, Shanghai, naked Hub will grow to become a top player in co-working across China and Asia. We now have enough fuel to add 24-30 more hubs in 2017. Very proud of the entire naked team," said Grant Horsfield, Founder of naked Group.
About naked Hub
naked Hub is work redesigned. Our innovative and beautiful workspaces are home to a diverse community of companies and individuals who interact, collaborate, and do business with one another.
Offering unprecedented freedom, financial flexibility, and an invaluable online-to-offline community, naked Hub is a platform designed to help start-ups, SMEs and MNCs across all industries, to increase their success in business.
For more information, visit http://www.nakedhub.cn
About naked Group
naked Group was established in 2007 and is focused on lifestyle and hospitality products. From unique eco-friendly resorts to immersive learning to creative workspaces, naked is rethinking how we connect with people, spaces and ourselves. naked has a big dream in a changing world to make life more fun, healthy and naked for all to enjoy.
The company's foundation is in hospitality, first with naked Home -- a boutique mountain getaway in Moganshan, Zhejiang province -- and later award-winning naked Stables -- the first LEED Platinum certified resort in China. Garnering attention from international and domestic media and earning awards in its industry, naked Stables put Moganshan back on the map of China's must-go destinations. The resort business will expand to include new projects: naked Castle (Moganshan), naked Water (Taihu, Suzhou), naked Spring (Shaoxing), naked Creek (Chengdu), and more.
Over the years, naked Group has launched other businesses -- naked Hub, naked Discovery, naked Things and naked Bite, encompassing co-working, immersive learning, unique branded products and healthy and tasty food. naked Group is a community devoted to inspiring people to live well, live light, live healthy and "live naked".
For more information, visit http://www.livenaked.com
About Gaw Capital Partners
Gaw Capital Partners is a uniquely positioned private equity fund management company that focuses in real estate markets in greater China and other high barrier-to-entry markets globally.
Specialising in adding strategic value to under-utilised real estate through redesign and repositioning, the firm's investments span the entire spectrum of real estate sectors, including residential development, offices, retail malls, hospitality and logistics warehouses.
Gaw Capital Partners runs an integrated business model with its own in-house asset management operating platforms in retail, hospitality and property development.
Gaw Capital Partners currently manages four real estate funds targeting the Greater China and Asia Pacific region. Additionally, the firm manages opportunistic funds in Vietnam and the US along with a hospitality fund targeting the Asia Pacific region. Gaw Capital also provides services for separate account direct investments in the global markets. Since its inception in 2005, Gaw Capital Partners has raised equity of USD6.3 billion and commands assets of USD12.7 billion under management as of the second quarter of 2016.
For more details, please view: http://www.gawcapital.com
Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20161101/0861611474-a
Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20161101/0861611474-b
Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20161101/0861611474-c
Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20161101/0861611474-d
Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20161101/0861611474-e
Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20161101/0861611474-f
