My startup worked out of 5 different spaces in a year. Here's how we found our dream office.

Petra Labs cofounder Sami Akkawi detailed how the startup found its SoHo office.

Sami Akkawi Sami Akkawi's startup began in his cofounder's apartment lounge.

In one year, Petra Labs jumped to another apartment lounge, a San Francisco VC office, and a WeWork.

The startup ultimately landed in a SoHo office space.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sami Akkawi, the 26-year-old cofounder of Petra Labs.

He lives in New York.

It's been edited for length and clarity.

I used to work through consulting, where I interviewed close to 1,000 heads of marketing and CMOs.

It became really clear that they didn't have great solutions for defining how much revenue was coming from AI search.

So, I cofounded Petra Labs.

My team and I have outgrown five offices in the last year.

From apartment lounges to a full floor in SoHo, here's how we found our dream spot.

Office #1: Akkawi's cofounder's Dumbo apartment lounge The first workspace had uncomfortable chairs.

Sami Akkawi There was a pool table, which was amazing.