????“創業者之家”（General Assembly，簡稱GA）主要為紐約市高科技行業的創業菜鳥們提供工作場所和培訓機會。日前，這家公司獲得了一批全明星投資者的青睞：霍華德?舒爾茨旗下的Maveron基金、俄羅斯DST Global投資集團的尤里?米爾納，以及杰夫?貝佐斯的投資公司Bezos Expeditions。這家初露頭角的公司到底有什么東西吸引了他們的注意？雖然提供共享工作空間和Wi-Fi無線網絡的孵化器已不是什么新鮮事，但除此之外，GA還提供高級商務與培訓課程，改變了傳統創業孵化基地的模式。上個月，GA接待了沃頓商學院（University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School）的MBA新生，而且公司新的合作伙伴通用（General Electric）也將派遣約100名員工參加為期一周的數字化新人訓練營。

????八月的一天晚上，在GA位于紐約市的園區，十幾位學員正在蘋果筆記本和iPad上做著筆記，偶爾會向講師提出一些非常尖銳的問題，并且打破沙鍋問到底。GA許多課程的老師都是本地的成功企業家，有時也會請來一些重量級的“大人物”進行“爐邊談話”或專題研討會，比如紅杉資本（Sequoia Capital）合伙人魯洛夫?博塔。然而，GA非常謹慎，避免這個工作場所受到風投公司的直接影響。

????這些創業者大多是年輕人，他們在下班之后來到這里，利用晚上的時間思考創業計劃，這一點未免令人意外。他們都希望能提升自己的關鍵技能——或者所謂的“必殺技”，但同時也包括產品設計、市場營銷、文案、天使投資指南，以及其他一些重要的商務主題。他們只是GA的一小部分會員。GA目前大約有一百名會員，不論什么時候，他們都在進行編程訓練、開展頭腦風暴。雖然GA也提供高速網絡和咖啡，以及共享工作空間，但它并不以孵化器自居。GA廣泛關注應用教育與社區，因此它對自己的定位是一種新型城市網絡校園。

????GA并未接受風投公司提供的種子基金。盡管如此， GA僅僅依靠紐約市政府的200,000美元撥款，Skype等贊助商提供的工作場所，以及付費會員及時支付的會費，就從今年1月份起順利運營至今。GA會員的收費標準為每人每月300美元，可無條件使用休閑空間和會議室，還可以享受課程優惠（提供專用辦公桌的會員資格需繳納600美元）。7月底，GA主辦了一場名為“改造紐約市政府網站”（Reinvent NYC.gov）的黑客馬拉松競賽，程序員要經過36個小時的編程，重新設計紐約市政府的網站。紐約市市長布隆伯格接見了獲勝者，并按預定計劃共進了早餐——其中一位獲勝者希望能先讓他們洗個澡。

????8月，賓夕法尼亞大學沃頓商學院派新生到GA接受為期一天的創業理念速成培訓。GA的四位創始人之一杰克?施瓦茲稱：“我告訴他們，對于他們的MBA學習過程，最重要的一點就是竭盡全力。”公司創始人的“潮人范”掩蓋了他們常春藤盟校（Ivy League）的背景：聯合創始人布拉德?哈格里夫斯與馬修?布萊墨是耶魯大學（Yale）同學；施瓦茲在紐黑文度過一段艱難的日子之后，也前往沃頓商學院就讀；而亞當?普利茨克則曾就讀于哥倫比亞大學（Columbia University）。

????公司四位創始人憑借不懈的努力，最終與通用電氣建立了合作伙伴關系。明年，將有一百多位通用員工在GA參加為期一周的數字化新人訓練營。施瓦茲表示，在這里，通用的員工將熟悉并了解從組織架構到社交媒體的各個方面。他補充說：“這是對現代初創企業的一次全面總結。”這次合作關系的額外獎勵是：如果GA的畢業生們愿意，他們可以參加通用的面試，并有機會獲得相關項目中的工作和實習機會，比如數字化營銷項目等。

????有了新的投資者加盟，GA便可以在全球市場和網絡世界大展拳腳。米爾納的DST公司可以幫助創業者進軍海外市場，而亞馬遜公司（Amazon.com）的貝佐斯對于規模化經營輕車熟路。領投投資公司Maveron主要投資教育項目，它認為GA在提供在線課程方面大有潛力可挖。

????與此同時，大批創業者正等著參加GA的課程。參加課程非常簡單——GA的首要任務是要進行在線擴張，所以，普利茨克自己也需要“充充電”，因此他正計劃參加GA關于前端網頁開發的60小時強化課程。

????翻譯：劉進龍/汪皓

????General Assembly, which provides workspace and training for budding, high-tech entrepreneurs in New York City, has just attracted an all-star list of investors: Howard Schultz's Maveron fund, Yuri Milner of DST Global, and Jeff Bezos's Bezos Expeditions. What do they see in this fledgling company? Incubators that offer shared workspace and Wi-Fi are nothing new, but GA has morphed that model by offering sophisticated courses in business and design. Last month GA hosted Wharton's incoming MBAs, and its new partner GE will send about 100 employees for weeklong digital boot camps.

????At GA's New York City campus one night in August, a dozen students took notes on Macbooks and iPads, while occasionally asking their instructor incisive and persistent questions. GA uses successful, local entrepreneurs to teach many of the classes, but also brings in heavy-hitters such as Sequoia Capital partner Roelof Botha for "fireside chats" and workshops. GA is careful, however, to provide a workspace insulated from direct venture capital influence.

????These mostly young entrepreneurs have come here from work and, considering the evening hour, their focus might seem surprising. Yet all are eager to hone their critical skills -- "Closing Tactics" in this case, but also product design, marketing, copywriting, a guide to angel investing and other crucial business topics. They are just a few of the one hundred or so GA members coding and brainstorming away at any given time. Even though GA provides the high-speed connection and coffee expected of a shared workspace, it doesn't see itself as an incubator. Because of its broader focus on applied education and community, GA sees itself more as a new kind of urban networking campus.

????Eschewing seed money from venture capital, GA has operated since January on the strength of a $200,000 grant from the city, sponsors such as Skype for its workspace, and an immediate, paying member base -- $300 per person, per month gets you unlimited use of the lounge spaces, conference rooms, and discounts on classes (a membership providing your own work desk costs $600). At the end of July, GA hosted a hackathon competition called Reinvent NYC.gov, where programmers competed in a 36-hour programming binge to redesign the city government's website. Mayor Bloomberg met with the winners for a planning breakfast -- one hopes after they'd gotten a shower.

????In August, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School sent its incoming class on a daylong crash course in entrepreneurial concepts. "I told them hustle is the most important thing they can bring to their MBA experience," says Jake Schwarz, one of four co-founders of GA. The founders' downtown, vaguely hipster vibe belies their Ivy League background: co-founders Brad Hargreaves and Matthew Brimer were classmates at Yale; Schwartz also did hard time in New Haven before attending Wharton for business school; Adam Pritzker attended Columbia.

????The foursome's own hustle helped land a partnership with General Electric (GE). More than one hundred GE employees will spend a week at GA over the next year in a sort of digital boot camp. Schwartz says the GE employees will get up to speed on everything from organizational structures to social media. "It's really an overview survey of the modern startup," he adds. A bonus of the partnership: GA grads get to interview with GE, should they choose, for jobs and internships in programs such as digital marketing.

????With its new investors, GA has the backing to expand globally and online. Milner's DST can help with reaching entrepreneurs outside the U.S., while Amazon.com's (AMZN) Bezos knows a thing or two about scale. Lead investor Maveron, which invests in education projects, says it sees great potential in GA offering online programs.

????In the meantime, there's a long waitlist to get space at GA. Classes are easier to join -- and with online expansion first on the to-do list, Pritzker has his own brushing up to do, and plans to take GA's 60-hour intensive program in front-end web development.