After we closed our $1.1 million round, I did what every founder does. I started looking for a small office.
I figured it would take a week. It didn’t. The demand for small spaces in Chicago was off the charts.
So we got scrappy and set up in an empty unit of a three-flat. Not glamorous. But we’re in a room together, and for a team of four that matters more than the address. When we outgrow it - and I plan to - we’ll find a proper office.
That’s the story I told Crain’s Chicago Business for their piece on Chicago startups heading back to the office.
In October 2026 Crain's Chicago Business featured Elanor Labs, a four-person Chicago startup that builds AI sales-coaching software, in a story on startups returning to the office; founder Elan Yudkowsky said real human connection is hard to build behind a screen and that people aren't wired to work remotely full time.
What Crain’s covered
Crain’s looked at a shift in Chicago: newer, venture-backed startups choosing to work in person, even as the downtown office market sits near record vacancy. Founders and real estate people described startups taking more space and signing longer leases again, and a research economist explained why companies building a culture from scratch benefit most from being together.
My part was the small-company version of that story: we raised, went looking for space, found it was harder than expected, and chose to be together anyway. Read the full article on Crain’s.
Why I believe in building in person
I worked from home for most of the last five years. I know the upside. But here’s my honest take: it’s really hard to build real human connection when you’re behind a computer screen all day.
Three things I’ve seen in person that I never got over Zoom:
- FASTER DECISIONS - a two-minute conversation at someone’s desk beats a day of Slack threads.
- BETTER COACHING - you learn the most by overhearing how the best person in the room handles a hard moment.
- REAL TRUST - people go to bat for teammates they actually know.
Isn’t that ironic for a company that scores video calls?
A little. I’ll own it.
But it’s actually the same belief. Most selling now happens on Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, and the human connection that used to happen across a desk now has to happen through a screen. That makes it harder, not less important. The reps who win are the ones who still build real rapport and trust on a video call.
That’s what Elanor measures. She scores every recorded call on the behaviors that create or destroy revenue, so reps and managers can see who’s actually connecting with buyers, and coach the moments where they aren’t. We call it Revenue Behavioral Intelligence™, and here’s how it works.
No one wants to be sold to. People buy from people they trust. That’s true in an office, and it’s true on a call.
Want to see your team’s calls scored? Reach out. Book a demo.
Frequently asked questions
Sources: Crain’s Chicago Business, Oct 2026: Chicago tech startups are heading back to the office; Chicago Business Journal, Oct 20, 2026