When serial-entrepreneur Jason Widen, alongside three cofounders, opened what was then “HQ Raleigh’s” first location on Hillsborough Street, their goal was clear: to build a space that gave back to entrepreneurs in the shape of a community where genuine partnership thrived. 

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In 2023, Widen stepped back from HQ Raleigh (now named Founded Communities) – but his passion for supporting entrepreneurs remained, shifting to meet the needs of primarily e-commerce and service-based companies through his newest endeavor, Blue Co Warehousing. 

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“I questioned why [...] plumbers, electricians, moving vans, those types of companies, didn’t have the same type of community that we had at Founded,” said Widen of the inspiration behind Blue Co. 

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The company's three current locations, now at approximately 85% occupancy, offer shared equipment and supplies, including forklifts, flexible storage unit space in customizable sizes, and the necessary tools to facilitate easy fulfillment. This includes their team, which helps with receiving large deliveries to the warehouse for its tenants. 

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The main priorities of Widen’s customer base might have changed from Founded – think a little less fancy office space and a little more accessible loading docks and dirt-paved parking lots for fleet vehicles – but the heart of serving small businesses continued. 

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Still, some things were different this time around: For one, Widen stood alone at the helm of his most recent foray into founding. And while the founders of Founded Communities bootstrapped their company, Blue Co Warehousing announced its first community investment round

 on January 30th. 

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A long-time fan of investment crowdfunding, Widen is collaborating with Incolo, founded by William McGuire, to make funding and building companies easier for entrepreneurs. Those familiar with investment crowdfunding acknowledge that it isn’t quite as mainstream as more traditional avenues for raising capital. Still, McGuire notes that its popularity is rising and is accepted by many top VCs. 

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“Larger VC’s [venture capitalists] have [...] participated in it. A16z, CRV, Sapphire Ventures – they’ve all invested in companies and then let those founders utilize regulation crowdfunding – that doesn’t mean they endorse any particular offering, but it shows how mainstream the method is becoming.” 

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For Widen, it was an easy choice. 

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“I like to build collaborative communities, and in doing so, naturally, I want to be able to share those opportunities with others. [Investment] crowdfunding fits who I am as an entrepreneur [...] opening up opportunities for other people to join the journey.”

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Currently on that journey alongside Widen and his team are various high-profile Triangle-based advisors, including Jesse Lipson (Share File, Raleigh Founded, Levitate), Scot Wingo (ReFi Buy, Spiffy, Triangle Tweener Fund), and Mark Saad (Sherpa Collaborative, Feel Goodz). 

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The Triangle Tweener Fund, which has invested in Blue Co., cites changes in the job market, including an increase in blue-collar jobs, as one reason, among many, for its confidence in its investment. 

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“Educational trends and AI are driving what we believe will be multi-decade-long growth in the need for flex space and services like that which Blue Co Warehousing provides." 

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Investors and the Blue Co. team also expect that the convenience economy and the increasing popularity of unattended retail (companies like smart vending machines and micro markets) will funnel customers in need of warehousing space into their customer base. 

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Widen and team plan to open three more locations in 2026, and four to five locations every year thereafter until they’ve expanded across the Carolinas. 

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“The way I’m building Blue Co. is definitely to scale. We’re going to be going pretty quickly here. We’re excited to invite our broader community to follow the journey.” 

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Blue Co is currently raising capital through investment crowdfunding. You can read more about their business and offering at wefunder.com/blueco.

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Disclosures and Disclaimers: This is not a solicitation to invest and is meant for educational purposes only. Investing in early-stage companies is highly risky, and unlike a company on the stock market, there is no immediate market to sell your investment. Never invest more than you are willing to lose. Raleigh Founded has 100,000 shares of Class A Common Stock in Blue Co Warehousing Inc. and 100,000 Class A Common Units in Blue Co Warehousing Properties LLC at the time of this blog post.

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