Panel Discussion

Before the Tech Stack: How to Design What Your Space Actually Needs

In this session, Graham Nelson, founder of Manifold Coworking in New Zealand, shares how his team approached technology by first understanding what the space, members, and team actually needed. The conversation covers Manifold’s early pen-and-paper setup, the move toward a more scalable tech stack, member onboarding, access control, internal documentation, data, marketing, events, and the practical role of AI in a coworking business. It is a grounded discussion for coworking operators who want to choose tools with more confidence, avoid overcomplicating their setup, and build technology around real member behaviour and daily operational needs.