One of the first customers of the recently opened Venture X shared workspace in Harlingen was a Dallas production company that needed a place to make an advertising pitch to South Texas H-E-B executives. The company had made arrangements for a space in the Los Fresnos area, but discovered internet connectivity problems in advance of the meeting. So they contacted Venture X and rented a 10-person meeting room equipped with a large-screen television to display the advertising campaign presentation.

The Harlingen Venture X opened in March, followed by a Brownsville location in May. Another is planned for McAllen next year. Venture X is a franchise owned and operated in South Texas by Brownsville-based Varco Franchise. The investment group opened its first Venture X in San Antonio last year.

“You can get high-tech amenities at a fraction of the cost of doing it yourself,” Community Manager Cooper Elliff said. “We have that right here at your fingertips.” Five clients came on board during the first month and proposals have been made to more than 30 other prospective customers. “We pulled stats from San Antonio at this point and it is comparable. To have five locked in during the first month is excellent.”

Venture X is described as a shared workspace and community for entrepreneurs, established businesses, start-ups and other ventures that need office space. The 10,000-square-foot Harlingen location is fully wired for internet access and features a lounge area, kitchen and meeting rooms for groups ranging from four to 10 people. Large windows offer ample natural light in the shared spaces as well as the larger private offices and meeting rooms.

Monthly membership plans are offered for shared community space, virtual offices, shared desks, dedicated desks and private offices. One of the early clients in Harlingen is the Rio Grande Valley affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, where the executive director has a private office space. A lawyer and a financial advisor have moved from home offices to Venture X. “You see the interest from mom-and-pops just getting started all the way to big companies that need a field office,” Elliff said.

A sense of community is another goal of Venture X, where professionals from different fields have the opportunity to network and share ideas. “San Antonio has a very eclectic group and I think that’s what you will see here,” Elliff said.

The company boasts month-to-month agreements for space, with no leases or long-term contracts. Clients are given individual mailing addresses and the benefit of a shared receptionist. All utilities, cleaning, pest control and technology infrastructure maintenance come as part of the package for clients. “We just take that all on and alleviate those worries for the customers,” Elliff said.

Venture X in the Valley is the latest franchise of Varco, which owns and operates three Russo’s New York Pizzerias and four Tropical Smoothie Cafes at locations from South Padre Island to Harlingen, all of which have opened since 2015.

And there are plans for additional locations and possibly new franchise brands as Varco Group looks to the future with an aggressive strategy, marketing director Luis Gutierrez said. “We plan to keep on growing. That’s where the growth is going to be, on the leading edge. And there are other places beyond the Valley we are looking at.”