Piloto 151 opens 5th location in a historic property in Miramar
Following an investment of $800,000, Puerto Rican coworking company Piloto 151, announced the opening of its fifth location in the heart of Miramar in San Juan, at a historic house built by Architect Antonin Nechodoma in 1910.
Piloto 151 has invested more than $5 million in the established locations and has generated more than 20 direct jobs, company executives said.
Piloto 151 Miramar in Casa Grande is now open to the business community, with Amazon Web Services as its main tenant with the opening of its first office in Puerto Rico.
With this new expansion, Piloto 151, which was recently accepted into the League of Extraordinary Coworking Spaces throughout the world (LExC), expands its footprint to close to 80,000 square feet of managed commercial real estate in San Juan.
Thousands of local and foreign entrepreneurs are part of its physical memberships and virtual offices, enjoy its spaces and services, including its virtual mailboxes for mail handling, supporting business growth in and outside of Puerto Rico.
“Today is a historic day for us at Piloto 151. We’re extremely proud of this accomplishment and continue to be committed to the Island’s business and technology community,” said Sofía Stolberg, co-founder of Piloto 151.
“When we started on this path nine years ago, the term coworking was not known on the island. But today, thanks to our efforts and the development of our entrepreneurial ecosystem, thousands of Puerto Rican and foreign companies reduce their risk, save time and money, and make way for the new remote and hybrid workforce reality because this offer exists in the market,” she said.
“Over the years, we have been promoters and witnesses of the transformation of our business ecosystem,” Stolberg said.
Piloto 151 new location is a property known as Casa Grande, a historical heritage site whose restoration was under the supervision of architects Pablo Ojeda and Sara Baldassi.
The house was restored preserving all its original features, including its embossed aluminum ceilings, while tempering the interiors in the modern style of Piloto 151.
“From the moment we acquired the property as the headquarters of our company, we have taken our responsibility to preserve this historic heritage for future generations very seriously,” said Soraya Sesto, owner of the house and co-founder of Casa Grande Interactive.
“The house was originally designed as the summer residence of the Benítez family, owners of sugar mills in Vieques. Casa Grande restored the house in the early 2000s and now again for the use of Piloto 151,” she said.
Meanwhile, Juan Carlos Stolberg, co-founder of Piloto 151, said, “preserving heritage isn’t incompatible with economic development. Our first space in Old San Juan confirmed that it is possible to create an innovation center in a centennial building.”
“In fact, an important part of attracting local and foreign entrepreneurs to do their best work from Piloto is due to the restoration of unique properties that inspire and motivate all those who work there,” he said.
Piloto 151 has locations in Old San Juan, two in Santurce, the Milla de Oro, and now in Miramar.
