Five in Five: Maya Delano of NextSpace

By Sarah Vickers-Webb
Director of Production
Santa Cruz Tech Beat

June 19, 2020 — Santa Cruz, CA

NextSpace Senior Community Manager on reopening, creating virtual community, and the future of coworking

I’m going to be totally transparent here— I love NextSpace. It was my introduction to the Santa Cruz tech community, a place of productive solace away from my kids, and a place to collaborate with like-minded individuals.

And Senior Community Manager Maya Delano is the person who has made NextSpace coworking community it is today.

When the shelter in place order was announced, NextSpace Senior Community Manager Maya Delano, along with Community Coordinator Jennifer Hamilton, quickly pivoted to provide an online community to help members stay connected and collaborative.

And now Maya, the subject of this week’s Five in Five, is pleased to announce NextSpace is back open for business.

For many, NextSpace is the heart of the Santa Cruz tech scene, which is why their reopening is kind of a big deal. The co-working space re-opened last week with increased safety measures, including decreased density, social distancing guidelines, arrows indicating how to move about the space and stickers indicating six feet of distance.

“I honestly started analyzing all the different businesses around me, to see what they were doing and take the best of the best from that and tried to create the highest standards, so when people walk in the space, they know exactly what they need to do.” said Maya.

Unlike many other coworking spaces that were forced to close during shelter in place, NextSpace is still in good shape.

“It’s my community, it’s the community it’s our community. Everyone has been so kind and thoughtful,” said Maya. “Because we have built such a strong community, I literally have some of the same members who joined the first day it opened. Having that strong community, people willing to hang in there with you, together we’re all making sure there’s a ‘there there.’

###

Tagged Five in five, Maya Delano, NextSpace