The idea for Codi came to co-founder and CEO Christelle Rohaut in 2018, when she was working on her Master’s in City Planning at UC Berkeley. Honored as a Forbes 30 Under 30 winner in 2020, her mission goes far beyond just providing space. In this interview with Christelle, we’ll talk about Codi, how she came up with the brand name, and how COVID-19 has changed the way we work forever.

What is the story behind Codi?

Back in 2018, during my Master’s in City Planning at UC Berkeley, I struggled with the isolation of working from home and decided to try working from friends’ homes. I realized we’re surrounded by underutilized private homes that could become thriving local coworking hubs serving remote professionals.

Today more than 50% of people in the US work from home, 99% do not live within 3 miles of a coworking or office space, and many do not have the appropriate conditions at home to be productive and balanced. 

I created Codi to make their lives better, help them establish a clear line between work and home life. But our mission goes far beyond just providing a workspace – Codi revitalizes residential neighborhoods by developing strong circular economies.

When did you start thinking about your brand name and how did you settle on Codi.com?

The name Codi represents the actual space. It can be used as a name and as a verb. Similar to that of brands including, AirBnb, Uber or Lyft.

The name Codi represents the actual space. It can be used as a name and as a verb. Similar to that of brands including, AirBnb, Uber or Lyft.

Christelle Rohaut

How did you get the domain name Codi.com for your brand?

Through sedo.com, a third party platform where you can buy domains.

Who is your target customer and how is your brand name helping in reaching them?

Companies from 50 to 1000 employees who embrace flexible work are turning to Codi as a valuable employee benefit – offering local workspaces that can help them attract and retain top talent. Often this is part of a broader work-from-home or hybrid work model. Companies can have dedicated Codi workspaces that exclusively serve their teams – allowing small groups of employees to work together, locally but privately.

How do you keep your brand consistent across different channels online and offline?

We plan out our communications ahead in a channel-agnostic way. That way we ensure that Codi has a consistent and distinct language that is easy to recognize. 

Has the pandemic affected your company in any way? What has changed since?

COVID-19 has changed the way we work forever. We just made a leap in the future of 5-10 years. Remote work is exploding: 50 percent of US workers currently work from home, and 72 percent of those people want to stay in a hybrid model. But many people find working from home a challenge due to a shortage of space, roommates, partners, children, and lack of work/life separation.

COVID accelerated our growth with companies. We saw a 29x increase in enterprise partnerships within a few months. With an increasing number of remote workers having less sense of belonging, companies have adopted Codi as the new way to work – offering neighborhood workspaces that help them support, attract, and retain top talent. 

What do you do to make sure your marketing is effective?

We adapt. In this ever-changing environment, it is important to shift between tactics and always be testing. 

What would your advice be to entrepreneurs who are just starting out, in general, and when it comes to branding and naming?

We at Codi, put a lot of energy and effort into crafting a brand story that resonates with our community. That means conducting surveys and interviews and having an open conversation that goes both ways.  

Where do you see your business in the future and how does your brand name fit into that vision?

Codi’s business has been growing month over month as companies move to work-from-home or hybrid work models, and more people seek out neighborhood workspaces they can walk or bike to. We are currently servicing San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area as well as New York City. We will continue to expand nationally to the other major cities in the US throughout 2021 with our enterprise partners.

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We hope the above information will help you in making informed decisions about your brand. If you want to say hi or have any questions about naming, branding, and domain names get in touch, we’re always happy to hear from you.

Find out more about Codi.

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