London to see first co-working space dedicated for migrants

The migrant-friendly co-working space, which is yet to be officially opened, will house up to 150 entrepreneurs and provides the necessary tools to run a business successfully.  The fully-furnished mi-HUB will include a variety of facilities including boardrooms, private offices and meeting areas.  Hot desking starts at just £99.00 per month and permanent desks from £329.00 per month.

Situated in Batty Street, close to Aldgate East tube station, mi-HUB offers an affordable starting point for entrepreneurial businesses and provides training through the Migrant Business Accelerator programme.  The course lasts six months and consists of 16 different workshops to help 30 entrepreneurs develop skills in finance and marketing, as well as growing their corporate network.

mi-HUB has been created by London-based entrepreneur Rafael dos Santos who moved to London when he was 21 and worked as a kitchen porter, cleaner, glass collector and waiter to pay his expenses.  He went on to run his own property business and is dedicated to supporting the growth of migrant entrepreneurs.

Rafael’s vision is to help one million migrant entrepreneurs in the next ten years.

Rafael dos Santos said, “Recent research in Stratford, London showed that the three key issues that migrants face when starting or running a business is a lack of network, lack of knowledge and lack of funding.

Costs run from  £99 per month for hot desking and use of facilities to £499 per month for a private office.