Michael Tavani is the CEO and Founder of Switchyards, a fast-growing “neighborhood work club” concept redefining how people work outside the home. Based in Atlanta (woahhhh, what???) Michael has spent his career building consumer-focused startups at the intersection of design, brand, and real-world experiences, one of the toughest corners of startup land.

What?! Someone From Atlanta on our NC Founder Pod!?

We don’t break the NC-only rule often but when we do, there’s a good reason. Switchyards isn’t just an Atlanta story anymore. It is expanding into Raleigh and already operating in Durham, so Michael Tovani is building right here in the Triangle. That makes this one very much a local story.

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A sneak peak inside Raleigh’s Switchyard

Listen/Watch Our Interview:

In this episode, Michael unpacks the story behind Switchyards. We dive into why Michael chose one of the hardest startup paths (consumer + physical), how he built a moat through difficulty, and why investors had to physically visit a club before writing a check.

With Switchyards expanding into Raleigh, this conversation is especially relevant for founders thinking about category creation, brand, and building in the real world.

Highlights Covered

Why “coworking” is the wrong label: Switchyards positions itself as a consumer product, not office space, a “neighborhood work club” designed for flexibility, not full-time desks.
The hardest startup combo: consumer + physical: Michael intentionally chose a path with high barriers to entry, creating long-term defensibility once scaled.
Work is becoming a consumer decision: The shift from assigned offices to choice-driven environments was clear even pre-COVID and Switchyards was built around that insight.
The “third place” opportunity: Not home, not office, Switchyards fills the gap as a social, productive environment people actually want to use.
Fundraising lesson: make investors feel it: Switchyards requires in-person experience—every serious investor had to visit a location before investing.
From unfocused to obsessed: Early versions of the business tried to do too much. Growth came from narrowing down to one clear concept and executing relentlessly.

Switchyards is a reminder that some of the biggest opportunities are in rethinking the physical world, one neighborhood at a time.

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Michael Tovani, CEO of Switchyards With a Big…

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