Workspace Spotlight: Venmo

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Venmo, the free peer-to-peer app that lets you make and share payments with friends.

You probably use it, too. Gone are the days of fishing for cash in your wallet when you owe a friend money or even (gasp) writing a check! These days it’s “I’ll just Venmo you.”

Understandably, this hip young company has a hip office to match. Sitting in the heart of the West Village, their office is a mix of traditional and modern, topped off with stunning views of the Hudson.

We checked in with Craig and Josh at Venmo to hear about their amazing space.

Photographer: Eric Laignel

A Stunning Space at 95 Morton St.

SquareFoot

Describe the layout of your office. How does the office design encourage creativity, productivity, and team happiness?

Venmo

The office offers a little bit of something for everyone. From the weekly workout or yoga classes in our onsite Studio to the many different lounge areas sprinkled throughout the office, everyone can find an area that they enjoy.

Our office also has over 23 conference rooms that can be reserved for collaborative meetings or used as a space for individuals to have a bit of peace and quiet.

Photographer: Mackenzie Stroh

SquareFoot

Stepping in to your office for the first time, what’s the first thing someone would notice? And what does it say about your company culture and values?

Venmo

Right when you step off the elevators, you will see our the Venmo public live feed right from the app on our TV in the front.

It’s a neat little reminder of what we’re doing here each and every day and is a cool way to feel connected with our users.

SquareFoot

What does your space do best?

Venmo

One of the things our space does best is allows our employees endless options on where they feel most comfortable getting their work done. Allowing people to have the necessary space to meet their needs seems to help increase the productivity and creativity of the team.

Most importantly, the kitchen has a large emphasis on the team eating together. We like to encourage people to sit wherever there is an open seat. This enables anyone to jump into a conversation, a discussion, share more openly.

Photographer: Mackenzie Stroh

Photographer: Eric Laignel

SquareFoot

What went into choosing the colors and materials for the office furniture, light fixtures, and other decor?

Venmo

We wanted the furniture, decor and overall appearance of the office to match and reflect the culture and dynamic we’ve created as a company. We wanted the space to be fun and playful, yet relaxed and conducive for a comfortable working environment.

We of course incorporated the Venmo blue throughout the office. We have a lot of wood and modern clashing, but it makes for an interesting mix. We also chose money-themed conference rooms to give off a fun vibe for where your meeting is going to be held.

Photographer: Eric Laignel

Photographer: Eric Laignel

SquareFoot

If you could change something about your workspace, what would it be?

Venmo

We would have more soft seating and hangout areas. Right now we have such growth that we now have more desks, but we miss having more causal hang out areas to do work and relax at the same time.

Photographer: Eric Laignel

Photographer: Mackenzie Stroh

Photographer: Mackenzie Stroh

SquareFoot

How does your space handle the issue of privacy, for those who need it at certain times?

Venmo

With all of the different rooms available in the space, individuals have several places to escape to when they need a bit more privacy than what is offered at their desk. We have private phone rooms for those needing to make important calls, smaller rooms for individuals needing to get some work done alone, and several rooms that are big enough for more than one member of the team to talk or discuss something in private.

Photographer: Eric Laignel

SquareFoot

How long have you been in this space?

Venmo

We’ve been in our area since November 2014. Before that it was Fab.com

SquareFoot

When you found the space, how did you know that it was the right space for your company?

Venmo

We saw several options and narrowed this one down based on the vibe of the West Village, and the ability to create all these options with a blank slate.

Photographer: Eric Laignel

SquareFoot

What’s the best part about the surrounding neighborhood?

Venmo

The West Village neighborhood is a quaint, quiet one with cobblestone roads lined with trees and pretty Brownstones. It has lots of nice little boutiques, bakeries, restaurants and bars and is overall just a very neat area. It feels like a safe area for our team and offers awesome views of the river right from the office.

Photographer: Eric Laignel

SquareFoot

What is the team’s favorite part of the office?

Venmo

The overall vibe and atmosphere of the office is great.

It is also a nice size so no one feels on top of each other, and it has plenty of room for us to grow.

Photographer: Mackenzie Stroh

Photographer: Eric Laignel

Designer: Rapt Studio