After Loosecubes’ sudden demise last November, I wasn’t sure anyone would step in and attempt to take a crack at the office sharing space. But into the picture steps Breather, which is launching in San Francisco and New York. From reports I’ve seen, it’ll do an a la carte pricing model at $20 an hour and focus on private rooms. It’s innovation comes down to mobile technology and the fact that an office space can be found and the door to the office can be unlocked all on one’s mobile phone. This discovery and security innovation was very helpful with peer-to-peer car sharing. With city focused share economy startups where geography and entry are critical aspects of the user experience, having every step take place on one’s mobile phone is important.

I’ve written about the challenges of building a business model around office sharing, and I will be curious to see how effective Breather is at putting supply in the system, finding office owners willing and interested in putting their office up for some extra cash. The company will also face competition from startups with a couple year head start, like Liquidspace. Perhaps equally important is that the a la carte pricing model can be tricky for freelancers in justifying the $20 purchase decision every time they need an office space. I tend to have more faith in subscription models in office sharing. But that said, if Breather is going to make it, it’ll be because of simplicity. Simple pricing across cities and offices. Easy discovery. Seamless entry. All on your phone.