Podio, a Danish software company that makes a "social work platform," sometimes called a "Facebook for businesses," is renting a space on 224 6th St. in San Francisco for the next couple of weeks to launch its U.S. operations and the next version of its software platform. Tommy Ahlers, the CEO of Podio, says that the space cost about $25,000. Since the location opened last Sunday, about 250 to 300 people have come through. Ahlers says that’s a pretty good return on investment so far.
“We’ve never seen anything like this before,” says Ahlers, who says he’s not aware of any other software companies that have launched a pop-up store.
Though most pop-ups are aimed at curious pedestrians and function sort of like a three-dimensional billboard, the idea behind Podio’s is more targeted since the company has used its Twitter feed to draw developers to the store. When it opened on Sunday, some 70 developers showed up for a Hack Day. Since then, there’s been a “working lunch” where businesspeople bring their laptops and have Podio’s developers build an app “that addresses their pain points,” Ahlers says.
The custom development angle is especially important for Podio because the company’s software lets consumers build their own web-based apps even if they don't have any technical knowlege. (The new platform officially launches on Thursday.) In order to cultivate a vibe where such creative types feel welcome, the store drew design inspiration from Apple stores and Ikea, and aims to be minimalist and fun. As this video shows, there are also a bunch of blue ukeleles on the wall for some reason.