The people
What they build
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Working at Breather
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On the TechTO stage
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About
Breather launched in Montreal in November 2012 and grew into one of Canada's better-known scale-ups, signing hundreds of leases and reselling the space in short bookings. Caterina Rizzi, who came to it from fashion with no startup background, co-founded it with Julien Smith and left in 2017. Smith stepped down as CEO in January 2019 and was replaced by former eBay executive Bryan Murphy. In December 2020 the US and UK subsidiaries filed for insolvency to exit more than 355 office leases, and in May 2021 Industrious acquired the listings platform, leaving Breather as a marketplace rather than a leaseholder. The breather.com brand is still live today, but bookings run through Deskpass.
Backers
Raised across five-plus rounds through 2018, with Menlo Ventures and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec among the later investors. Reported totals conflict across sources (figures from $113M to $122.5M) — treat the total as unconfirmed.
Quick answers
What was Breather?
A Montreal company renting private workspace by the hour or the day — meeting rooms and small offices booked from an app. It leased space directly and resold it in short bookings across North America and the UK.
Who founded Breather?
Julien Smith and Caterina Rizzi, in November 2012 in Montreal. Rizzi left in 2017; Smith stepped down as CEO in January 2019.
What happened to Breather?
The leaseholding model did not survive 2020. The US and UK subsidiaries filed for insolvency that December to exit more than 355 leases, and Industrious acquired the listings platform in May 2021. The brand still exists, with bookings running through Deskpass.