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Some members join for a season. Others become part of the building’s story.
Robert Nelson, co-founder of Soto Digital, is one of the latter. He was here when the downtown space was still under construction, helped hack on the original Coco board, grew one agency out of Coco, and—after a detour—came back with a new company and a fresh take on what makes this community work.
This is how his team uses the space, what Soto Digital actually does, and why Coco is still their home base.
Meet Soto Digital
Soto Digital is a boutique digital product agency. In Robert’s words, they “build products for people.”
Soto is intentionally small and focused. Years ago, Robert learned that healthy boutique B2B agencies top out at 8–12 active clients, and he has largely stuck to that philosophy. He prioritizes deep, long-term relationships over volume. Today, Soto is a tight team working on a handful of complex, high-impact projects at any given time.
The team is highly technical but technology-agnostic, ready to build almost anything a client needs.
From the First Days to Coming Back
Robert’s history with Coco goes back to the very beginning of the downtown space. He was one of the first members back in 2010, showing up to work while crews were still drilling and building out what would become the familiar trading floor.
From there, he founded Foundry, a design agency that grew to around 16 people before eventually moving into its own office. But after exiting Foundry and taking a few months to ski and reset, Robert and his friend Nick decided to start something new in 2023: Soto Digital.
When it came time to find a home base, they didn’t just default to Coco. They toured “every single coworking space in Minneapolis,” from large chains to small, private-office-focused spaces. They concluded that most options offered little more than “a little dumpy private office and a shared kitchen.”
What they were really looking for was community. The idea of just two people sitting alone in a room felt “so sad.” They shortlisted a couple of places with a similar ethos but ultimately came back to Coco. As Robert puts it, “At least while we’re small, being in a community matters more than closing a door.”
How Soto Uses Coco Day-to-Day
Robert works here five days a week, preferring the energy of the space to working from home.
The team now has a 12‑desk pod that gives them room to focus, host collaborators, and grow into the space over time, if needed. That extra capacity also means there are often other builders and technologists nearby, which adds to the daily buzz.
Tuesdays are official team days. The whole Soto team comes in to work side‑by‑side, grab lunch, and collaborate in person. Without fail, they name Tuesday as their favorite day of the week. Other weekdays are a mix of client work, solo focus time, and impromptu collaboration with the people around them.
Clients come to Coco, too. Some love getting out of their own offices and into a space that feels energetic but not chaotic. For Soto, Coco is a flexible, credible base for whatever the workday requires.
Why Community Is Greater Than Coworking
Robert is clear-eyed about what makes Coco unique. For him, the value isn’t the coworking model in isolation; it’s the community and the density of interesting people in one room.
“The secret sauce of Coco is not the coworking part of it. It’s the community part,” he says. “You’re all sitting in a big room, and you actually get to know people.”
This shows up in small ways, like bumping into other founders and engineers or the ambient accountability of being around others who are building things. It also connects to bigger-picture thinking. Robert remembers when Coco was the gravitational center of the Minneapolis startup scene. Between 2012 and 2016, he recalls, “Every single startup I knew started on that trading floor.”
He’d like to see that spirit return, not by copying competitors, but by doubling down on what Coco does best: supporting early-stage teams and builders. He believes that if you “use startups as the lure,” then small agencies and shops like his will follow. “We have budgets. We sign year-long contracts. And we want to.”
The Case for Getting Out of the House
A thread that runs through Robert’s story is his firm belief in showing up in person. He’s watched as remote work became the default, meetings multiplied, and serendipity declined. He feels that work has shifted from a natural flow—where you might overhear a problem and jump in to help—to something that is 100% transactional.
His own team feels the difference on Tuesdays. They consistently report it’s their favorite day: more fun, more creative, and more connected. For them, Coco is the antidote to the monotony of all-remote work. It’s a place where work feels less like a string of scheduled calls and more like a shared endeavor.
“Of course, you’re sad if you never leave your house,” Robert says directly. “I like my home. But spending every minute of the week there sounds horrible to me.”
What Robert’s Story Says About Coco
Robert’s perspective gives us a useful mirror. We are at our best when we are a community, not just a collection of desks. We create real value when people can see and bump into each other—startups, agencies, product teams, and solo engineers. We matter most when we’re a physical center of gravity for the people building what’s next in the Twin Cities.
That’s the direction we’re leaning back into—more member-driven stories, more density of makers and builders, and more of the day-to-day serendipity you can’t get from a calendar invite.
Curious About Working Like This?
If Robert’s approach resonates with you, we’d love for you to experience it firsthand.
- Bring your laptop on a Tuesday and feel what a full, shared workday can be.
- Ask the front desk about dedicated desks or small team pods if you’re a boutique agency, product team, or startup.
- Or stop by for a tour, walk the floor, and imagine you and/or your team in the mix.
We’ll make the space. You bring the work—and maybe, like Robert, a few future neighbors, too.