Weave is just shy of turning 3. In these last few years we’ve experienced many important milestones, enjoyed incredible highs, shared some low moments but all in all learnt some valuable lessons along the way.
We started with a concept of what city living could be in a vibrant, densely populated and 24/7 city like Hong Kong. It was an experiment in some ways, not knowing what would the community of residents look like? Would our residents enjoy our events? Appreciate our design? These were all uncertainties we were eager to put behind us, and we did that in supreme style. When Weave Studios – Prince Edward opened its doors in August 2018 to fantastic reception, we all breathed a huge sigh of relief and that’s a moment we look back to fondly.
Riding on the wave of our first successful offering, we went into expansion mode to bring more Weave properties to the Hong Kong market and help create a community of residents where they could live, experience and inspire. Around the same time, we achieved a big win when we secured the backing of global private equity giant Warburg Pincus who invested over USD400M into our young company. That paved the way for us to acquire 3 more properties with a combined capacity of 600 beds in just under 3 years in Hong Kong. Our expansion continues as we seek to grow Weave’s brand of city living in this fast paced metropolis.
Another major milestone for us is our recently announced expansion into Singapore. Our residents the global citizens that they are, are eager to expand their footprints. In keeping pace with them, we will be heading to Singapore as the first stop in our Asia-Pacific expansion. We are excited to see the Weave community grow and look forward to sharing more good news on that front!
With these milestones also come the infinite number of lessons we’ve learnt along the way. Some of which we are keeping very close to our hearts as we continue.
Patience.
The right location for our buildings is very important and is something that requires patience, perseverance and a little bit of lady luck! Sometimes, slowing down to evaluate new opportunities is the best form of sustainable growth.
Be adaptable.
A lot of start-ups may adopt a fail-fast approach during their early stages. At Weave, we always think of solutions and no problem is insurmountable, all we need to do is adapt – whether that means reimagining the design, target customer or simply being nimble to deal with the curve balls that COVID-19 has thrown at us. We are nothing, if not adaptable.
Leave a buffer.
Weave has had our fair share of hoops to jump, some more predictable than others. Whether it’s seeking government approvals in a timely manner or a Red Rainstorm signal on our Open Day to a pandemic induced shutdown that delays building materials being delivered. Always have a Plan B, plan ahead and leave a buffer. Things go wrong, but whatever you do, don’t lose heart! The past 3 years have flown by and it’s been humbling to see the progress we’ve made. We’ve moved offices, sourced thousands of surgical masks, knocked down walls and more. But most importantly, we have created a whole new way of city living which is fun, engaging and driven by purpose. We have only just started and we look forward to the next 3 years with great anticipation.
