Services

From co-working spaces to homes: Wao is banking on flexible rentals

The company was founded in 2023 and now offers co-working services to businesses, organises events and operates in the catering sector

by Gianluca Brazzioli

20 September 2026

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3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Renting out a flat for one night, for a few months, or for up to a year. This is the business sector that Wao – We Are Open (part of the OneDay group) is entering in order to double its turnover. The company was founded in 2023 and currently offers co-working services to businesses, organises events and operates in the catering sector. Revenue for the first half of 2026 is up 28.7 per cent to €2.3 million, but ‘we expect to more than double our turnover next year, exceeding €10 million’, says CEO and co-founder Massimiliano Zampini.

The projected growth depends on the company’s entry into the residential sector with 187 flats in Milan Certosa, in a former office building. The opening is scheduled for 1 January 2027 and is expected to transform the company: “It’s not a hotel; it’s a safety net for many people who are struggling to get a foot in the door of the Milanese rental market.”

The project covers 13,000 square metres at 6 Via Barrella, and marks the first step in a growth strategy that is set to make residential property the company’s core business, having previously focused on co-working spaces. “The initial idea was co-living,” says Zampini. “That will be the driving force behind Wao’s future.”

The flexible living market

Wao’s target customer is the young professional: those who find work in Milan and need to find somewhere to live, or those arriving on a business trip and looking for a flat with shared facilities and spaces: ‘We’re aimed primarily at those moving to the city’. Zampini talks about ‘flexible living’, a concept that helps distinguish the project from the various models grouped under the umbrella term ‘co-living’.

Around 70 per cent of the flats will be allocated for stays ranging from a single night up to a month; the remaining 30 per cent for longer stays, of up to a year. For longer stays, Wao is working on agreements with companies, which could offer accommodation to newly transferred employees: ‘It can become a welfare tool to give someone a place to live when they arrive,’ continues Zampini.

A new investment in a growing market

Meanwhile, the property market is attracting capital: according to Colliers, in the first half of 2026, investment in the Italian residential sector (buildings intended for residential use) reached 560 million euros, 36 per cent more than in the same period of 2025; Milan is at the heart of this growth, accounting for 320 million, or 57 per cent of the national total.

The building, which is due to open shortly, is the result of an investment by RealStep, which is committed to transforming the neighbourhood in the north-west of Milan: ‘It’s a joint effort,’ explains Zampini. “They provided the capital for the property, whilst we handled the design and fit-out, which in any case earned us an investment of two million.”

Doubling within two years

Today, Wao has around 850 workstations across Romolo, Isola and Via Ugo Bassi, with an occupancy rate exceeding 99 per cent. The latest opening, which has been operational since January 2026 in the Bassi Business Park, has added 196 workstations, with the two office floors already allocated before the launch, but the aim is to ‘double the number of workstations over the next two years’. In the first half of 2026, the company recorded €2.3 million in revenue, up 28.7 per cent, and €522,000 in EBITDA, up 27.6 per cent, with a team of 16 people. The new premises in Certosa should enable a significant increase in turnover, and “next year we aim to have around twenty staff members”.

Following the first residential complex, the company is targeting two further openings in Milan between late 2027 and 2029: “Here we have a very specific clientele, made up of digital and innovation start-ups,” says Zampini. “It’s a unique mix that exists in Milan.” However, interest also extends to other cities, Turin and Padua in particular. “We’re also interested in Verona, Bologna and Florence, although my main priority remains opening a branch in Rome as soon as possible.” In these other cities, Wao is looking for buildings capable of combining apartments, co-working spaces, catering facilities and event venues, with the aim of attracting businesses and professionals to the area.

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