Startup behind $700-a-month 'pods' wants to put 10,000 more in San Francisco

"All the while, Brownstone has rented beds to a rotating cast of tech startup founders, immigrants and other new-to-the-city characters willing to stay in barely private, 4-foot-tall boxes for $700 a month. And now, CEO James Stallworth is ramping up Brownstone's ambitions. He told SFGATE on Wednesday that the startup is close to leasing a new space not far from Mint Plaza, big enough for 100 pods."

"He told SFGATE on Wednesday that the startup is close to leasing a new space not far from Mint Plaza, big enough for 100 pods. But it would likely be the last building Brownstone runs itself - Stallworth also wants to shift to a franchise model, where San Francisco's landlords would tap into his pool of applicants by converting their offices into space for pod housing. His goal is lofty in the extreme: 10,000 new pods downtown."

Brownstone Shared Housing opened tiny bed pods in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood in 2023 without necessary permits. The 26-to-30-pod complex in Mint Plaza has endured city complaints, escaped threatening fees and recently avoided eviction. The company rents barely private, 4-foot-tall sleeping boxes for $700 a month to a rotating mix of tech founders, immigrants and newcomers. CEO James Stallworth plans expansion, nearing a lease for a 100-pod space and shifting to a franchise model so landlords can convert offices into pod housing. Pods and furniture designed by co-founder Christina Lennox can be installed in weeks, though permitting processes remain much slower.

Read at SFGATE