Niclas Söör really got the most out of his student life at LiU. That’s what shaped his career. It was here that he got the idea for Dospace, a kind of office hotel with close to 1,400 members at eleven locations in Sweden.
Niclas Söör talking to Viola Svedberg, site manager at Dospace Stora Torget, Linköping. Photographer: Charlotte Perhammar
We meet in the late 19th century building in Stora Torget in Linköping. Third floor. 800 square metres of state-of-the-art office space – yet signalling the feeling of a well-equipped home office.
“My departure point is the personality of the room and I think: What would a person living here want it to look like? At first I did a lot of decorating myself, but now we get some help with that.” Photographer: Charlotte Perhammar
In 2016 he was on his last semester on the Industrial Management programme at Linköping, with a master’s in strategy and management. That same year, he registered his company, Dospace.
“There was a need for a place for individual entrepreneurs, business travellers or others who just want good office space, and there was no coworking concept in Linköping.”
As a student, he also had a side job at Linköping Science Park. When he explained his idea to its CEO Lena Miranda, she replied along the lines of:
“If you really feel that you want to buy something that isn’t out there, now’s the time to create it yourself.”
And that is what happened. Through the municipality’s real estate company, he rented premises in Mjärdevi Center. There was just one problem: not enough customers.
“No, it didn’t really work out. The premises were nice and looked like a modern café. But the customers wanted office space in the city centre and more single offices.”
You can safely say that Niclas Söör made the most of every minute of student life. But it wasn’t the partying that attracted him the most. He was more interested in organising things, engaging in various causes and getting things done.
“It started with us organising parties. I sat on different boards and discovered that I liked it. I became chair of the student union LinTek; it’s a full-time one-year commitment. And that shaped what I do today.”
The question is, how did he have time to get his degree in engineering? Niclas Söör was LiU’s coordinator for the Närcon event two years running, and sat on the board of the students’ bookshop, Bokab. Through LinTek, he got assignments in Kårservice, the student union service, as project manager for the development of Nationernas Hus in the centre of Linköping – which laid the foundation for what is today the student union building Kårhuset Kollektivet. He also participated in a preliminary study for the conversion of ‘Herrgårn’ in Ryd, an 18th century manor house turned student club, and was in a reference group for the large campus environment study, which included the new library and Studenthuset, with study places and spaces for lots of students.
“It was in the Student Union that I discovered my interest in interior design, architecture and physical environments. I can associate that directly with Dospace,” he says.
Niclas Söör has not severed the bonds completely. He is now a member of the Kårservice board.
How do you get things done?
“I think I have a knack for details and communication. For these particular assignments, the important thing has been understanding the context and who the stakeholders are and then being able to navigate this. The university world is quite complex. Visiting Herrgårn, Kårhuset Kollektivet and Studenthuset is an experience. When we build a new Dospace office, it’s always about creating that feeling.”
Nine years later, the first Dospace office is still in Mjärdevi Center, but in a different location. Things moved slowly at first, but he continued to expand the business. Dospace now has 30 employees, and some 1,400 members. There are four offices in Linköping, two in Norrköping, two in Gävle and Jönköping and one in Örebro.
“So far, we’ve stayed out of the big cities. It also hinges on whether the property owners believe in our concept, because they are responsible for the rather large conversion into offices.”
What are the future challenges for the company?
“Dospace is still a growth company, we are going to expand with a concept in a market that’s not fully mature. And competition is now more fierce. The plan was not to make a profit until in 2026. But in the 2023 financial statements we were able to show a small profit. And after the pandemic, we got a new type of customer. Slightly larger companies that want to conduct some of their operations from our premises instead.”
How did you end up in Linköping?
“I compared different programmes meticulously. I wanted to study in Stockholm at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology. At that time, I was really into equestrian sports and wanted to be close to the stable. But I wasn’t accepted so I went for my second choice. I’ve not regretted it since.”
His heart seems to now beat even stronger for the university.
“Over time, I’ve become more proud to have studied here. You want to shine in the glory of success. When I meet customers, I can tell them that LiU has one of the most powerful computers in Northern Europe. Or that LiU is leading one of Sweden’s largest research initiatives, WASP.”
But as an entrepreneur, he sees an intrinsic value in that as well:
“What’s good for LiU is good for the whole region and therefore also for me. It’s only natural that I want to contribute to that,” says Niclas Söör
