NEW YORK CITY—Rachel Meranus, who brings 20 years of marketing and communications experience from both the startup and established business worlds, joined Knotel as the company's first CMO.
Meranus previously worked as the CMO at Olapic, a visual technology marketer. While she was at the company, it had raised $21 million in Series B funding. After doubling year-over-year revenue, in June 2016, Olapic was acquired by Monotype for $130 million. Previously, Meranus served as the CMO at MediaMath, a digital ad-buying platform that raised more than $175 million and acquired three companies during her tenure. Prior to that job, she was the VP of marketing and communications at PR Newswire.
Amol Sarva, Knotel's cofounder and CEO, says, “Knotel is on a faster trajectory than the market has ever seen, and as forward-thinking companies realize the power of agile workspaces and contracts, Rachel will give us firepower to reach new markets and customers faster.”
“Knotel is knocking down the walls of an age-old industry and solving a real problem for businesses, which is exciting to be a part of,” says Meranus. “I'm also motivated by Knotel's commitment to effecting positive change in the communities it serves. From raising awareness around immigrant rights, to employing formerly incarcerated individuals, Knotel's focus on inclusion and activism is inspiring, and I'm grateful to help move these causes forward.”
Knotel rents flexible workspace to companies. It offers desks, open and private spaces, service floors and buildings. Incorporated in 2015, the company is based in New York. After raising $25 million in February 2017, Knotel reports it has tripled the size of its real estate portfolio to over 800,000 square feet across 45 locations, and has expanded into San Francisco and London.
Earlier this month, Knotel signed a 10-year, 12,683-square-foot lease at 224 West 30th St. in Chelsea. The landlord is a subsidiary of the China-based real estate firm Beijing Shokai Group. Last month, Starbucks took a full floor at Knotel's space at 72 Madison Ave. Both of these transactions were reported in the Commercial Observer.
In September 2017, GlobeSt.com reported on Knotel's signing a 10-year, three-floor lease at 200 W. 41st St., also known as 9 Times Square, with intentions of occupying the entire building by mid-2018.
As noted in GlobeSt.com, CBRE recorded in 2017, shared and serviced office space providers such as Knotel, WeWork, Regus and The Yard leased 1.1 million square feet in New York City. The number of transactions with these types of tenants rose to 38, its highest annual level.
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Betsy Kim
Betsy Kim was the bureau chief, East Coast, and New York City reporter for Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com. As a lawyer and journalist, Betsy has worked as the director of editorial and content for LexisNexis Lawyers.com, a TV/multi-media journalist for NBC and CBS affiliated TV stations in the Midwest, and an associate producer at Court TV.
