EBRD: Building N’Zon Space

By the end of 2024, N’Zon already had a working website, a basic management system, and a small but growing community of members. What we still needed was a better way for members and new visitors to interact with the space directly, in real time, and from their phones. The next logical step was a hybrid digital platform: a web application and a mobile app working together, with reservations and payments built directly into the experience. That step became possible with co-funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), known locally as BERZH, through its Advice for Small Businesses programme. The programme has been active in Albania since 1996, supporting more than 810 enterprises through consulting projects co-financed together with participating companies, with funding from the European Union, Italy, Luxembourg, Sweden, and EBRD’s own funds. Its model is simple: share the cost of targeted projects that can help small businesses improve areas such as digital transformation, marketing, and operations. For N’Zon, that project was N’Zon Space. The project ran from December 2024 to April 2025 and covered the full development cycle: UI/UX design, frontend and backend development, system testing, staff training, and implementation into our daily operations. The result was a hybrid platform available both on the web and as a mobile application, built around the functions our members use most: booking spaces and services, managing reservations, making online payments at a foundational level, and communicating directly with our team through a simple chat system. For our members, this means having the coworking experience directly in their pocket. They can browse available desks, private offices, and meeting rooms, check availability, book from their phone, make payments, and contact our team if needed — without the back-and-forth communication that previously took place through direct messages. A first-time visitor can now discover N’Zon, reserve a day pass, and walk through the door without needing to send a single message beforehand. For our team, the impact has been equally important. Processes that previously required several conversations and manual spreadsheet entries can now be handled in just a few clicks. The time saved can instead be dedicated to community activities, member support, and the kind of personal experience that defines N’Zon. N’Zon Space was never intended to be the final version of the platform. The current system was deliberately designed as a functional and flexible starting point: a strong digital foundation that can evolve together with the coworking space itself. There is still plenty of room for new features, improvements, and integrations as N’Zon continues to grow, and that flexibility was part of the project from the beginning. The project also sits within a wider context. EBRD’s mandate is to support the development of market economies through investment in initiatives that encourage sustainable growth and innovation. In Albania, the bank has committed more than €1.9 billion across different programmes, including initiatives supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. For N’Zon, being selected for co-funding meant becoming part of that broader framework — as a locally rooted business contributing, in its own way, to the digitalisation and modernisation of Albania’s creative and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Our thanks go to EBRD for recognising the potential of the project and for supporting us at an important stage in N’Zon’s development.