Our Mission
We strive to be THE premier coworking space in Alaska's most diverse neighborhood!
We invite you to work, network, and build in a space that connects culture and business to promote business development and economic empowerment. We are a community of unique small businesses working to create an inclusive and equitable Anchorage.
Our Vision
We want to provide a safe space for community members to feel empowered and to realize their unique visions to make our small business community more inclusive and diverse in Alaska.
Our Story
Umoja CoWorking & Incubator is a co-working and business services space that empowers underrepresented entrepreneurs by supporting culture, collaboration, community, and events. Umoja is Swahili term which translates to unity and means living in ways which underscore that as people, the BIPOC community are stronger together. Umoja CoWorking & Incubator is the brick and mortar manifestation of this concept, and is where "culture and businesses collide.
We launched in 2020 and offered a coworking space, access to resources and experts who can help grow your business, and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs.
We know what it takes to get a business off the ground and how hard it is to find an entrepreneurial community space centered on grassroots community coordination, culture, and equity. That’s why we are designing a space where you can focus on your next big project while immersing yourself in culture and synergy.
OUR JOURNEY & ROADMAP
November 2021 - March 2022
March 2022 - July 2022
July 2023 - December 2023
Jasmin Smith, the owner of the 3001 Porcupine building, found the building space through connections with community leaders and the Municipality of Anchorage to start the purchasing process. Jasmin presented her vision and purpose for the building to the Anchorage Assembly. Jasmin Smith’s vision was and continues to be to set up a coworking center for the diverse unprivileged community of Mountain View. As the logo states, it collides with business and culture.
Jasmin Smith finalized the purchase of the 3001 Porcupine Drive Building in March and got the keys to the building. The Pacific Community of Alaska and Lechaun Painting Academy were the first tenants in the building. All furniture was repurposed and used to set up Umpja’s offices. Enough PCs were left in the building to set up an entire computer lab.
The start of the remodel and creation of the Umoja Coworking and Incubator building at 3001 Porcupine Drive. Painting the three hallways, each room in a different color on the coworking side of the building, putting carpet donated by Big Bob’s flooring in each room of the coworking side, which will be replaced by permanent flooring at a later date. Each room on the coworking side has different flooring to signify the organization's diversity. Remodeling projects are in full swing by knocking down walls the make the rooms bigger, upgrading the electrical lights and outputs in the rooms, building the doctor’s office, creating the computer lab, setting tables, chairs, and desk stations, volunteers, donations, hiring contractors, minor repairs, major repairs, camera security system and more to come.
Support Umoja by volunteering.
