ISO Spaces - Popups made from Recycled Shipping Containers

by Startacus Admin
ISO Spaces - Popups made from Recycled Shipping Containers...
There are few things which are more well suited, or have been more eagerly embraced by the popup phenomenon, than the humble shipping container.
We could ramble on all day about how much we love to see these unsightly, rusted heaps of metal transformed into sleek and stunning urban spaces - it just makes us smile.
Aside from the obvious green benefits of recycling something that would probably have ended up in landfill, shipping containers are structurally sound, easy to transport (well duh), light weight, compact … in fact all the things you could ask for in a popup space. The movement has now become so popular and widespread that it has even coined a new word to describe what it’s all about...cargotecture
A few weeks ago as part of our ongoing series about setting up a popup shop, we talked you through the specifics of selecting and securing a pop up location, and had we stumbled upon ISO Spaces earlier they would have certainly be included in our discussion, but as they say better late than never!
From the very bottom of England (lovely Cornwall to be precise) comes a company which is resolved to turn these urban eyesores into all manner of pretty popups. From modular offices to stylish restaurants, ISO Spaces is taking a no-holds-barred approach to their creative constructions and aiming to ply their trade on the international stage.
As yet they are still a fledgeling company but their innovation and potential is already being recognised, not only through an incredible response across social media platforms but also within the local business community. In fact ISO Spaces has had the honour of being shortlisted as one of 8 finalists bidding for the Ignite 2013 competition, which is one of Europe’s largest such schemes with a huge £120K prize fund up for grabs.
It’s no surprise that they have been shortlisted as their ultra stylish popup spaces provide a brilliant custom designed solution to self contained spaces at festivals, exhibitions, fairs and pretty much anywhere else you can think of! They can be created in as little as two weeks and shipped internationally (a convenient throwback to their original purpose) and so are primed and ready to grow on the UK export market.
We talked to ISO Spaces co-founder Gregg Curtis about the exciting developments that are happening within the company and their plans for the future.
“Being shortlisted for Ignite is a massive compliment for us. We have been working closely with Oxford Innovation in preparing our entry and they have been fantastic. We have put a huge amount of work into the new business so fingers crossed the judges see as much potential In our concept as we do!
If everything goes well in the future we hope to be building more and more interesting spaces on a bigger and bigger scale. So far we have built bars, retail units, home offices, catering and restaurant spaces and we have been asked to design containers ranging from observatories to portable golf simulators. I feel that's the tip of the iceberg of what's possible. The Cargotecture movement has really inspired us to think about the possibilities of modular space and I think a lot of businesses and individuals could benefit from thinking ‘inside the box’"
We think that ISO Spaces is a great startup and we wish them every success as they continue to grow and bring ever more innovative shipping container popups to an expanding range of locations. Do check out this rather fab promo video below that highlights, well pretty much all of the above...
If you like what you see here on Startacus, why not become a member of our growing community? It's free! And you'll get all this - exclusive access to our Business Toolkit, discounts and offers galore for your business via our member only business deals, the chance to network and connect with loads of fellow self-starters, and maybe even become our celebrated 'Self-Starter of the Week' and tell the world your startup tale! Join right here for free...
ISO SPACES
pop up whatever!
Lovingly penned on recycled paper by Eoin O’Hara
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Cambridge-based startup, CardiaTec Biosciences raises investment to support further development of its mission to develop the next generation of cardiovascular disease targets.

Raise Ventures on a mission to empower the next generation of business leaders and founders with the launch of their pioneering Emerging Leaders Summer School.

The recipients of the 2022 Ulster Bank Enterprise Fund are announced, each aiming to promote and encourage entrepreneurship amongst underrepresented groups.

Leading disability-focused organisations join forces to launch the #Access2Funding campaign - calling on the VC and investment community to improve the representation, opportunities presented to and experience of disabled founders.

WeWALK, RNIB, and ICL consortium secures UKRI funding to improve mobility for visually impaired and elderly.

The lowdown on Studeo, the edtech startup that has created a video learning app in order to democratise elite tutoring.

The impact of standards, ethics and conduct on business success and profits - Work.Life has some interesting insights...

The lowdown on Space32 - the startup that wants to help hybrid-working businesses find the working space and solution that's right for them.

Global Tech for Good initiative seeks innovative startups and scaleups that are creating positive social impact and enhancing people's lives through tech.

The lowdown on Bidnamic, the startup that's combining advance machine learning with human expertise to help retailers to maximise revenue and profitability from Google Shopping.
Published on: 5th November 2013
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- CardiaTec Biosciences Secures £1.4m to combat cardiovascular diseases using Artificial Intelligence 6th Jul 2022 Cambridge-based startup, CardiaTec Biosciences raises investment to support further development of its mission to develop the next generation of cardiovascular disease targets.
- Raise Ventures pioneer an Emerging Leaders Summer School 6th Jul 2022 Raise Ventures on a mission to empower the next generation of business leaders and founders with the launch of their pioneering Emerging Leaders Summer School.
- Ulster Bank Funds Diverse Entrepreneurship 5th Jul 2022 The recipients of the 2022 Ulster Bank Enterprise Fund are announced, each aiming to promote and encourage entrepreneurship amongst underrepresented groups.
- New campaign launches to address disproportionate lack of support for disabled entrepreneurs. 5th Jul 2022 Leading disability-focused organisations join forces to launch the #Access2Funding campaign - calling on the VC and investment community to improve the representation, opportunities presented to and experience of disabled founders.