Celebrating 3 Years of Neighbourgood
As we celebrate our third birthday today, it's a moment to pause, reflect, and acknowledge the incredible journey we've embarked on over the last three years. A journey that's been challenging, rewarding, and full of learning. A journey that's far from over.
Our Humble Beginning
We were all grown up! That’s what we felt when Neighbourgood turned three. Building a startup from scratch is always a challenging venture. To do it at the onset of a global pandemic that would change the world forever was downright insane! Yet, here we are, three years later, heads down, working hard, and creating something truly magnificent. Our co-founder once said, "To achieve something great, we need to embrace the uncertain and navigate through the unknown." And that's exactly what we did.
The Vision That Drives Us
As we embarked on this journey as a small, determined team, we knew we wanted to challenge conventions. We desired to create a company that not only solved problems but also actively contributed to making neighbourhoods better. For GOOD. Today, we stand with a robust team of 100 exceptional individuals, unified in purpose, and transforming our aspirations into reality. In the words of our CEO, "Our aim was to build more than just buildings; we wanted to build communities, nurture relationships and create a lasting impact."
Our Milestones: A Snapshot
In these years, we've reached significant milestones, reflecting our steady progress. These milestones aren't just numbers, but they're a testament to our hard work, resilience, and commitment to our mission. Let's take a walk down memory lane to see how far we've come:
We grew our location-wide revenue from R0 to R100m.
Our portfolio, currently under management, stands at a mighty 1B, of which we own 50%.
We expanded from a single location to 15, averaging five locations per year or one every 2.4 months.
We scaled our unit numbers from 1 to 1000 (inclusive of both living and workspaces).
We played a pivotal role in the repositioning of 11 different buildings across Cape Town, spread across four distinct neighbourhoods, with a constant emphasis on adaptive reuse.
We've generated an average of 30% in value upliftment across all our owned projects.
We've crafted Cape Town's first connected living and workspace product, catering to the evolving needs of digital nomads and remote workers.
We've helped launch four new locally owned and run cafes and restaurants within our spaces.
We've held over 800 events and activations for our community across Cape Town.
We've secured a pipeline of another 750 units to be rolled out over the next 24 months.
We've laid the groundwork for a promising partnership which will see us launch our operations in the US by January 2024.
In an increasingly unpredictable world, we've brought certainty to the built environment by reaffirming the importance of community for a sustainable future.
More Than Bricks: Building a Mindset
The journey of building Neighbourgood has been about challenging norms, asking questions, and daring to do things differently. Bricks are just bricks. They lack soul in isolation. To create something exceptional and change neighbourhoods positively and for the GOOD requires a radical shift in mindset. As our Chief Strategy Officer put it, "We're in the business of building soulful neighbourhoods, not just structures."
Cultivating a Culture of Good
We've cultivated a culture where warmth and kindness are valued. Where leaving people and places better than we found them is not an exception, but the norm. Our mission to bring GOOD to neighbourhoods is a never-ending one and the relentless pursuit of progress will never cease.
Sharing the Journey: The Future of Co-ownership
We've come a long way from our first 14 apartments on the roof of Cape Quarter. As we grow and evolve, we remain true to our core values. Today, with the launch of our co-ownership platform, we're poised to embark on a new journey—one where we can share the ownership with our community. The future indeed looks bright!
A Grateful Note
We are a community of people who think and do things differently. Your continued support fuels our vision and fortifies our determination to build better neighbourhoods. On behalf of the entire Neighbourgood team, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for your trust and confidence in us. We're eternally grateful for being a part of this journey with us.
The journey has only just begun. Let's continue to see and do things differently.