Federico founded Crane, a social space and community for lifelong learning built for those who want to gather for fitness, wellness, workshops, lifestyle, and co-working. One of his latest projects is Crane radio, which was created to empower podcast newbies to start their own podcast. Email [email protected] for more info.
Community members can ask Federico questions here.
Federico Folcia, founder and CEO of Crane
KrASIA (Kr): Can you tell us about the inspiration behind creating an open community with Crane? I see the space as being geared towards lifelong learners.
Federico Folcia (FF): I have been in the community building space for 12, 13 years prior to working on this project. I used to run a company called Roomorama, which was pretty much the alter ego to Airbnb today. This is a big aspect of what Crane is all about.
I started Crane three years ago, out of observation and frustration when I saw how my parents’ generation have the desire to share their skills, experiences, and passions, but very often there is a disconnect in terms of how this is possible in the real world. There’s no real platform to do that. So I thought this could be another chapter in the sharing economy that could be explored, tapping into people and experiences of any generation.
The other one is frustration. I am Italian, I’ve been out of my country for 20 years. I’ve been feeling guilty more, because I’ve never gone home, and I’ve seen my parents aging. I’ve always wished that I could impact my parents’ [quality of life] positively on an ongoing basis, as opposed to just as a one-off thing. You meet your parents occasionally, bring them out for dinner and go on vacation, but how do you actually impact their quality of living on a daily basis? That’s the inception of the idea. I felt frustrated seeing people like my mother, who’s very extroverted and likes to go dancing, [thinking they’re too old for that by the age of 50]. Why don’t you do it again? This is something you have passion for, you should keep on doing it.
Crane was really about creating this ecosystem, a collage of different tools that allows people to stay relevant, thrive, and engage with others socially, and maybe even professionally. Over time, that concept has evolved. Nowadays, Crane is a multi-generational ecosystem. So we’re not just targeting a more mature demographic, but pretty much trying to appeal and be aspirational to everyone.
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