India's Most Fascinating Co-Working Spaces to watch

2020 | Volume-04 | Issue-04

COMPANY OF THE MONTH

Manav Mukul

Co-founder, Head of Sales & Operations Pannal

Vishwas Mudagal Co-founder and CEO

INDIA’S MOST FASCINATING

CO-WORKING SPACES TO WATCH

GoodWorks

Editor’s Note COWORKING SPACE: AN ARENA FOR TOMORROW’S WORKFORCE

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t was going to be an important meeting, one could say, it was a meeting of a lifetime. After the failure of Burbn, its founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger were in tough situations.

The app that was built with features like check-ins, making future, hanging out with friends, etc. were not the ones that most people were seeking. Hence, both the founders locked themselves in a conference room and after hours of discussion and several application tests decided to develop the app which would completely focus on the photo-sharing feature with an intuitive experience. Today, that app is known as Instagram. But did you know the office, where this multi-billion dollar idea was conceived, was located at a coworking space? Did you also know that when the times were tough for the pioneers, co-working communities helped them in their hour of need?

Co-working has come a long way, since the concept was derived. Originally the idea was for a physical space for independent workers to come and work together to avoid loneliness. However, today it has become a germinating ground for tomorrow's disruptive companies. Alongside Instagram, Uber, Spotify, Ziprecuiter, Dailyhunt, and many such

Vishal Muktewar

innovative companies have transformed themselves from a mere startup to multi-million and billion dollar entities.

All of the immense success of these companies is possible because of Co-working’s most important aspect i.e. establishing a community. In co-working spaces, management practices are closer to that of a cooperative, including a focus on community rather than profit. It is an arrangement where several companies of diverse industries rent spaces that allows them to use Avante-Garde infrastructure and conduct their respective business in a social, collaborative and informal way. Such aspects, combined with the delightful interior, and opportunities to connect with energetic, like-minded people, make co-working spaces a perfect place for building's tomorrow' nextbig-thing.

Witnessing these shared offices many advantages and how they have transformed the landscape of the Indian real estate market, we, at Insights Success, have come up with ‘India’s Most Fascinating Coworking Spaces to Watch'. This magazine edition enlists some of the emerging and established Co-working space providers that provide an employee-friendly ambiance and act as a catalyst where pioneering ideas thrive.

On the Cover, we have GoodWorks CoWork, which pioneers in providing the Workspace-as-a-Service model and creates the custom layout, interiors,

branding, and lockable entrance. The company offers beautifully designed and ergonomically functioning workspaces where vibrant communities are formed. It strives to provide a workplace where 'experience' is everything.

For the ‘Company of the Month’, we have featured Pannal (Chrysler Tech Center), which offers high quality and affordable office spaces that cater to businesses of all sizes. Its vibrant spaces are uniquely designed to provide hassle-free workflows and foster productivity in the workspace.

Alongside the above, we have featured: WorkDen, which ensures to create spaces that are warm, simple and exceeds clients' expectations and an interview with GNMV Spaces, which aims to provide an economical and effective working environment for MMEs and SMEs in Mumbai.

We are also honored to bring an Interview with Chulamas Jitpatima, Director,Whizdom Club- MQDC’s (Magnolia Quality Development Corporation).

While flipping through the pages, don’t skip the CXO ‘Future of Co-Working Space’ penned down by Mr. Umang Sood, Co-Founder and Director of Of10, who shares his valuable views on the Co-Working Space industry.

Have an exciting read ahead!

Cover Story

CONT 10

GoodWorks Developing Workspaces where Ideas thrive

CXO

Article

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CXO Standpoint

Boosting Startup Ecosystem This is Why Startup Business Flourishes in Co-working Spaces

Future of Co-Working Space

TENTS Interview with Insights Success

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Company Of The Month Pannal (Chrysler Tech Centre): Diverse Services Under One Roof

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WorkDen Workspaces that Amplify Your Success

GNMV Enabling OfďŹ ce Spaces in a Dynamic Way

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Magnolia Quality Development Corporation (MQDC) Workspaces where Innovation Thrives

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Managing Editor Vishal Muktewar

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GoodWorks

Developing Workspaces where Ideas thrive

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GoodWorks has today become a de-facto standard for Fortune 500 & SMEs to take up customized managed office spaces

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Cover Story

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Vishwas Mudagal Co-founder and CEO

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Our awardwinning architects will design your uber-cool dedicated office.

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oday, coworking has become a booming industry which is growing larger every year. As advancements in technology have mobilized the workforce, working remotely in one’s own comfort has become more common. Organizations are realizing that providing a flexible work environment for employees promotes innovation, greater collaboration and allows them to let their creative juices flow. These attributes empower employees, help them become more productive and fuel their desire to deliver more than expected.

Organizations across India are seeking to find companies that provide personalized co-working spaces, promote growth and enhance their work culture. We at Insights Success, while seeking the best co-working

spaces for today's fast-paced companies, have come across GoodWorks .

In 2017, what started as a 50-seater pilot project at Whitefield, Bengaluru, has today become one of the largest coworking and managed office spaces players in India. Committed to follow the best industry practices, GoodWorks operates out of OC compliant commercial Grade-A properties in upscale locations in Bangalore.

By offering beautifully designed and ergonomically functioning workspaces, the brand enjoys the positioning of a premium workspace provider in the market. It has helped to build a vibrant community, host events and deploy tech-driven facility management. It provides a workplace where ‘experience’ is everything.

Delivering a Customized Ambience GoodWorks’ brand DNA is built with beauty, scalability, agility, and innovation at its core. The brand focuses on building communities and enables positive workplace experiences. It finds value in creating beautiful products that are innovative and scalable with an agile workforce.

Below is the list of facilities that GoodWorks offers: • Dedicated Desks: Ideal for 1-20 seats, these desks are reserved and provide storage units for individuals and teams.

• Hot Desks: These are Flexible floating desks with pay per hour/day/month options and ideal for people with no fixed schedules.

• Private Offices: Dedicated glassenclosed studio offices for a team of 2 to 30 seaters.

• Virtual Offices: It provides flexible plans with virtual office, mailbox and registered address options.

• Conference rooms: Companies can redefine their meetings by booking plush meeting and conference rooms. It comes with a flexible plan to book per hour/day.

• Event Space: This allows companies to conduct events at GoodWorks’ upscale event spaces that are provided by AI-driven technology and hospitality services.

• Custom dedicated Offices: GoodWorks designs beautiful custom-made dedicated office spaces ideal for teams of 30 to 600.

• Shared Managed Offices: The brand manages all the end-to-end operations for the organization that allow companies to focus on growing business. It is ideal for 30 to 1000 seats.

The brand pioneers in providing the Workspace-as-a-Service model and creates a custom layout, interiors, branding, and lockable office entrance. It delivers services like housekeeping, security, internet, power backup, and much more.

Exhibiting Distinction GoodWorks’ mission is to lead good to great by taking away all the complexities of managing a workspace for organizations. It is the brand’s sheer commitment, perseverance and consistency that helps GoodWorks

abide by its mission day-in and dayout. It has helped the brand to not only sustain but also prosper in the competitive environment. Below are some of the characteristics that help the brand to sustain in the intense competition: • B2B Approach: GoodWorks is a pioneer in the Enterprise CoWorking segment. The brand has shattered the norms in enterprise design by saying NO to ‘Boring’.

Along with creating workspaces that are highly functional, GoodWorks brings in coolness and vibrancy of a co-working space that corporations desire.

• Design and Space: To stand out from the crowd, GoodWorks has developed its own unique style which has been admired by its

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We intend to establish ourselves as a top premium coworking and managed offices player with a nation-wide presence

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INDIA’S

MOST FASCINATING

CO- WORKING SPACES TO WATCH

customers. Its designs bring a homely feel to the interiors. The brand achieves this with the choice of material, lighting, colors, use of wood, artwork, etc.

Every GoodWorks co-working space revolves around a central courtyard or an amphitheater or a large collaborative area. These areas are used by coworkers for coffee/food breaks, meetings, events, recreation, fitness, wellness, & so on.

GoodWorks ensures coworkers unwind as much as they toil. Its amenities help them to relax, focus on their work and happily spend long hours.

• Technology: GoodWorks being a tech-driven community, helps its clients manage their booking, networking, facility management, etc. using the brand's own GoodWorks HQ app.

• The GoodWorks Promise: As a concept, the brand was built on the premise of community and ecosystem coming together to help one another succeed. It provides start-up occupants with mentorship from industry experts who have chalked out the blueprint to success.

GoodWorks also helps them with initiatives and events such as: Angel Investment Platform, Freelancer Program, Meet Your Mentor Round Table, AskVishwas Events, Start-up Matchmaking Platform, and GoodWorks Advantage Platform.

• Space: As the brand operates in larger spaces, it enables GoodWorks to provide best-in-class amenities including amphitheater, cafes, restaurants, creche, gym, recreational areas, etc. Also, it provides the most spacious workspaces in the segment with 6575 sq. ft. per seat, which is highest in the industry.

A Zestful Personality GoodWorks is a brainchild of Vishwas Mudagal, Co-Founder and CEO, and Sonia Sharma, Co-Founder and Managing Director of GoodWorks, who initially started a tech company called GoodWorksLab. As an experiment, the duo created GoodWorks to engage with the thriving startup-up ecosystem in India. Under Mr. Mudagal’s exemplary leadership, the experiment became successful and turned GoodWorks into a major brand that is profitable for everyone in the ecosystem.

Mr. Mudagal is a celebrity entrepreneur, best-selling author, social media influencer, motivational speaker, and an angel investor.

Being a serial entrepreneur and a CEO with expertise in technology, he has an eye for detail and innovation. He also has a proven record of building brands and products and a history of creating sustainable companies. Mr. Mudagal has over a decade of diverse experience across entrepreneurial and corporate spheres – in the Internet, Mobile, Telecom, Education and Legal domains. With his industry expertise, he assists global companies build strategies and enter new markets, build innovative products, and set up and scale software centers/R&D centers/offshore development centers globally.

Achieving Milestones GoodWorks has seen tremendous growth since its inception in 2017. The pilot project that started with 50 seats has today made up of 8000+ seats and has been growing at an exceptional rate of 2000%. The line-up of Fortune 500 clientele is yet another milestone for the brand. It is proud to host corporate biggies like BMW, Tesco, CSS, South Indian Bank, etc. at its office spaces.

Some of the major awards received by GoodWorks are: • Vishwas Mudagal, CEO, GoodWorks has been honored with ET Now Business Leader of the Year 2020 • ET Now awarded GoodWorks with ‘Best Coworking Space Design of the Year’ award 2020 • GoodWorks awarded as the ‘Coworking start-up of the Year’ by Realty+ Coworking Excellence Awards • The brand has been ranked No.1 Coworking space in Bangalore by Coworker.com in 2018 and 2019.

Building Spaces of the Future GoodWorks strives to develop workspaces that bring the communities together by providing space solutions that are beautiful, scalable, agile, and innovative. Hence, in the near future, the brand aims to be at the gold standard and achieve 20,000 seats in the coming year. It intends to expand to 5 million sq. ft. across India in the next 3 years. It envisions a future to convert large spaces and tech parks to personalized workstations and keep on bringing a diverse group of people together and thrive in a vibrant environment.

“GoodWorks is the perfect coworking space with access to all the services to develop your business”

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here is an upward trend in the number of organizations choosing co-working spaces or shared office spaces. Some reasons for its popularity include the fact that they offer flexibility in terms of commitment, foster entrepreneurship, bring together professionals, help expand network, nurture creativity, and exchange of ideas. This opens doors to possibilities and exposure to a vast network of professionals, start-ups, and entrepreneurs.

Pannal is an umbrella entity offering a community of resources under one roof for all business needs. It has evolved as a unique business unit of shared services including managed office spaces, business support (CXO & BPO), legal services and IT/ITES support and solutions, to incubate and help businesses grow.

In an interview with Insights Success, the team at Pannal’s Chrysler Tech Centre, shares insightful perspectives and opinions about the platform, its key aspects, and how it strives towards a better tomorrow.

Below are the highlights of the interview: What are the values, vision, and mission of your company?

We provide high quality and affordable office spaces that cater to businesses of all sizes, whether you are a freelancer, startup, SME or a larger organisation. Our vibrant spaces are uniquely designed to provide hassle free workflows to our members and foster productivity in the workspace.

Further, our incubation solutions have been developed by an expert team and network of professionals who have had many years of experience in different areas and industries.

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Some key values of Pannal include: • A One-stop shop for multiple solutions • Access to a range of specialised professional services needed to develop and grow your business • Strong leadership team to oversee the progress of deliverables and other issues related to the overall performance, productivity, commitment and behaviour of resources • Strong and growing mentor network, to allow startups reduce their management gap in knowledge and experience • Cost reduction for our members through a shared services model through lowered overheads and operational costs • Scalability and growth with relatively lower incremental costs Kindly describe about the types of facilities you offer within your co-working space?

Our workspaces are vibrantly designed with various space configurations, to suit all kinds of business needs, enhance productivity and for our members to think creatively.

Our office space solutions include individual and multiple open workstations in a shared ecosystem, private offices for teams of all sizes and large corporate offices.

Some facilities include: • Shared resources such as meeting rooms, conference room, interview/ telephone booths, event spaces and much more • Integrated IT bundle with an onsite IT support team to take care of IT needs and disruptions • F&B facilities round the clock

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• Breakout lounges, cafeteria and green spaces to take a break, unwind and collaborate with your team • Uninterrupted internet connectivity • Effective power-backup system • Housekeeping and Maintenance team • Administrative Support Our Co-working space in Dehradun is also in a safe and green building, equipped with VRV air-conditioning, sewage treatment plant, rain-water harvesting, garbage disposal, LED lighting and much more. In order to ensure safety of our members, our space is built on a complete steel structure, is earthquake resistant, and with fire-fighting systems.

How has your company sustained its market competency? What are the characteristics that set it apart?

Chrysler Tech Centre in a novel concept in a city like Dehradun, where we offer a high quality workplace that is affordable and uniquely designed to cater to business needs of start-up’s and SMEs. Coupled with that, our members value our incubation support and value-added services such as hosting facilities, F&B facilities, IT support, recruitment, payroll management and CXO support, amongst other services. This ecosystem of essential services under one roof allows Chrysler Tech Centre to be a unique incubation centre that allow our members to grow their business.

Share your views on the latest trends in the Coworking space industry. How are you keeping up with its dynamics?

Co-working trends are constantly evolving in India. The trends are further not consistent as between Tier-I cities vis-à-vis Tier-II or Tier-III cities, as the level of services, expectations and market needs are different.

Accordingly, as we evolve, we are learning more about subtle nuances in the Co-working and managed office spaces industry with regard to different locations, target audiences in those locations and market needs of different types of consumers, and developing our services accordingly.

Furthermore, an important trend we have noticed is that

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our members value shared resources such as meeting rooms, break-out lounges, cafeteria etc. in addition to just their workstations, and want to use them as and when needed without committing to long-term arrangements for such spaces. However, when it comes to workstations, they prefer lockable private offices, even if it is for 3-4 people sized teams, as opposed to traditional open co-working spaces in a shared atmosphere. Accordingly, our spaces have been altered to accommodate this need where we have private offices for teams of all sizes, whether for 3-4 people teams or 50100 people teams.

Describe the experiences, achievements or lessons learned, that have influenced the journey of the company.

As we started interacting with our co-working members in both Dehradun and Delhi, we realised that there is a wide gap that exists between the demand for high quality management services by growing companies and the inadequate supply of such services at the right level of cost, ownership, quality and timelines.

Accordingly, in addition to just providing workspace, we have evolved as an incubation centre with the aim to

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enhance the limited management bandwidth of businesses, and increase the amount of time and resources their management spend to focus on their core business activities, while we take care of the day-to-day operational tasks and back-office business processes

angel investor, and a professional mentor. He brings in more than 29 years of general management experience, P&L management, business strategy & planning, evolving new business models. He has global experience across India, South-East Asia, Europe, and UAE.

What are your future plans for the company? Where do you see the company in the years to come?

He has led different portfolios including finance, accounting, tax, HR, IT, Procurement, Infrastructure Development, Corporate Simplification, BCP & Security, CSR, Sustainability, adherence to carbon footprint, and other cross functional business operations.

While our aim is to expand to more locations in both Tier-I and Tier-II cities, we want to grow organically and in a phased manner, so that the intimacy our members currently share with our senior management and mentors is not diluted and we can continue offering high quality services to each member as we scale.

We also intend to keep adding to our partner and mentor network, so that the Pannal umbrella keeps growing. An important vertical we plan to expand into is seed-stage funding and alternative funding options for start-up’s and SMEs About the Leaders The founding and senior management team at Pannal has a professional background with decades of experience in startups, SMEs and large MNC conglomerates.

Manav Mukul is the Co-founder, Head of Sales and Operations at Pannal, with a focus on leveraging his experience to provide the best customer experience to its members. He holds a Bachelor Degree in International Hotel Management from Les Roches, Switzerland in addition to an MBA in leadership & finance from Glion Institute of Higher Education, Switzerland.

He is also an alumni of the British School, New Delhi.

Before Co-founding Pannal, he worked with established hotel conglomerates such as the Westin, Taj Palace and Lemon Tree. His efforts are targeted to create the most conducive environment at Pannal’s workspaces where freelancers, startups and SMEs can incubate, scale and grow. He adds value to the community at Pannal through his global education and industry experience in hospitality.

He has also managed legal & statutory compliances, being part of management committees, arbitrations and employee litigations. Combining his business and management expertise, he has focused on providing strategic and operational support to startups in their evolution process as their virtual COO/ CEO/ CFO. Shafali Agarwal is the Co-founder and Senior Partner at Pannal. Her experience is a blend of over more than 25 years in direct industry as well as advisory. She brings with her a rich experience in providing support to different operational verticals including finance, accounting, HR, Facility, Administration and Legal compliances.

She has worked in various Indian and foreign organizations across India and UAE. Her core expertise is to be able to act as a business partner to the core management team, bringing in-depth experience of various industries and integrating different organizational verticals.

Shantanu Mukul is the Co-founder and Legal at Pannal. He holds law degrees from Durham University in England and National Law University, Delhi. He is also an alumni of the British School, New Delhi. He has gained legal experience in corporate laws, M&A, competition law, constitutional law, litigation, direct & indirect taxes. An active member at Pannal, his efforts are targeted to manage the legal framework, design and develop the infrastructure, drive the marketing drive, ensure client satisfaction and provide operational support to the entire team.

Mukul Agarwal is the Co-founder and Senior Partner at Pannal. He is a business leader, disruptor, Founder,

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Wor Den Workspaces that Amplify Your Success s the startup atmosphere in India blossoms, more and more entrepreneurs are seeking spaces for their diverse workforce. They desire an ambiance where their workforce can be productive and enjoy a homely experience. They are seeking spaces where the experience which they and their employees receive, is much more personalized.

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from IID, Italy; Sanjay Samuel, CFO, an aeronautical engineer by qualification with a degree in business; and Ambika Nulkar, COO, who has a background in audiovisual communications. United by the goal to disrupt the coworking space market, these spearheads have been developing remarkably cozy spaces for all of the clients.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

Co-working spaces across India are designing and developing spaces to not only match their clients’ expectations but also exceed them. Among them, WorkDen has risen to offer one of the most fascinating co-working spaces across the nation.

WorkDen continuously strives to develop spaces that provide clients the necessary requirements they seek. From ergonomic chairs to modular furniture, recreational zones, private discussion rooms, phone booths to community events and networking opportunities, they take care of all its clients’ necessities. They plan, design and manage spaces that best suit their member's productivity and enables them to do their best work.

Established in the year 2016, WorkDen is a chain of boutique co-working spaces. Started with a 3000 sq. ft. in Domlur, they expanded to 32000 sq. ft. space across Bangalore within 3 years.

The company was founded by three visionaries, Kunal Nulkar, CEO, an architect and designer who graduated

At WorkDen, there are cases where the company not only found an ideal office space for clients in their preferred locations, but also designed, customized and managed it for them. Sufficient phone booths, apps to manage bookings, networking events, and rooms, all have become a prerequisite that are ensured to be a part of WorkDen’s curated work-spaces.

A Conducive Environment

(L) Sanjay Samuel, CFO , (C)Ambika Nulkar, COO , (R)Kunal Nulkar, CEO

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The team at WorkDen comprises of people who possess a background in architecture and design, which helps them to understand and design exceptional spaces. As one tends to spend a considerable amount of time at their desk in the office, WorkDen ensures to create spaces that are warm, simple and most importantly, comfortable. Once receiving the required inputs from clients, the team immediately develops and implements the concept.

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INDIA’S

MOST FASCINATING

CO- WORKING SPACES TO WATCH

“WorkDen spaces are a perfect blend of creative yet professional environments that are ideal for creators, professionals and entrepreneurs of all kinds to grow their business” Without much hassle the team is able to find and integrate solutions after receiving feedback from their clients – since service is the key at WorkDen. The company strives to ensure that their clients are satisfied with their workspace and services that are offered to them.

Ensuring a Hospitable Environment When asked about how WorkDen is consistently outperforming other industry leaders, Mr. Kunal said, "As co-founders we have realized that this is a 24×7 job. One has to be as thorough in operations and management as it would be in the hospitality industry. And as operators we cannot take the service aspect of this field lightly.

Our biggest achievements come in the form of client feedback.

We have had many companies that have grown with us and chose to stick with us while scaling their team sizes. We feel that we have also managed to build a community of members who have benefited from one another and are building great businesses.”

Crafting Spaces of the Future WorkDen is proud to build creative and inspiring spaces.

Witnessing the startup companies accommodating their many spaces, growing at an exponential pace, is one of the key factors that keeps the WorkDen team driven. The company desires to continue this journey with their existing and prospective clients and move to larger spaces.

WorkDen aspires to create their own ecosystem and venture into different cities across India and overseas to develop spaces that will continue to foster a productive environment and a vibrant community.

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Deep Malhotra, Founder

INTERVIEW

WITH INSIGHTS SUCCESS

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GNMV Enabling Office Spaces in a Dynamic Way

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GNMV today offers various facilities and services for startups like a co-working space, an incubation center, and meeting rooms, etc., to provide a holistic growth environment conducive to startups

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MAGNOLIA QUALITY

DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (MQDC) Workspaces where Innovation Thrives

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n recent times, co-working sector in India has witnessed a paradigm shift towards sustainable and green spaces.

Organizations across India now understand the positive impact sustainable spaces have on employees’ overall productivity, thereby acting as a catalyst for fueling innovation and creativity, which in turn leads to brighter, better tomorrows. Hence, spaces such as Whizdom Club by MQDC, that work around its vision of ‘For All Well – Being’ ensure treated fresh air, ergonomic steelcase furniture, retractable roof to allow for ample natural light, vertical garden and no duct no carpet interiors that reduce dust, are hygienic and offer more than ample space between work stations are a preferred choice.

Launched in August 2019, Whizdom Club is MQDC’s (Magnolia Quality Development Corporation) first project in India, drawn by the country’s youthful demographic and strong startup culture. The flagship club offers world-class infrastructure along with wellness, mentorship and incubation support. Whizdom Club is dedicated to creativity and sustainability for socially interactive and dynamic young people.

In an interview with Insights Success, Chulamas Jitpatima (Amy), Director, MQDC India explains how Whizdom Club is transforming India’s co-working segment with its avantgarde facilities and services for students, young professionals, enterprises, and startupreneurs.

• What are the values, vision, and mission of your company?

Established in 2006, MQDC is a global property developer headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, with offices in Shanghai, China and New Delhi, India.

Driven by its core philosophy ‘For All Well-Being’, MQDC is known for its commitment to innovation, wellness and sustainability. The idea is to play an integral role in enabling people innovate better in an environment that is conducive to creativity and in the process carve a better tomorrow. With a strong emphasis on the overall well-being of our members as well as a focused approach towards sustainability, we seek to create a positive change in the environment and among people.

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MQDC is a house of brands that has successfully developed several international projects including quality residential housing, condominium, and luxury mixed-use developments.

Recently, it has launched multiple projects in Bangkok, in line with the company’s mission. With every project that we take on, our constant endeavor is to work towards a goal of healthier lifestyles and an all-embracing growth and development agenda.

• Kindly describe about the types of facilities you offer within your co-working space.

While we believe that it is the people that make the space, it is important to supplement their passion with a range of services and amenities aimed at catalyzing innovation and collaboration. In line with that, Whizdom Club Delhi offers its members a range of facilities and amenities which include: • Whiz Café – The club has a special and vibrant space for good ideas and even better coffee to brew, in the form of Whiz Café which functions as an apt gateway between members and non-members. From delicious multi cuisine food to a host of refreshing beverages, there is something for everyone at Whiz Café. The space and menu are designed in a manner that makes the café a place to work as well as unwind. Located at the heart of New Delhi, with the Cinemas right by its side, the Café draws an eclectic mix of people from students to working professionals. The Café will soon be introducing a new delivery/ take away menu with immunity boosting dishes keeping in mind the current health situation • Various Kinds of Workstation Options – Different seating arrangements catering to various work styles and requirements – Hot Desks, Dedicated Desks and Private Cabins.

• VC and Meeting Rooms – The club also offers fullyequipped meeting and VC rooms. The rooms are available for daily bookings by non-members as well.

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Backed by more than 15 years’ experience with large Thai conglomerates and multinationals, Ms Chulamas Jitpatima (Amy), Director, MQDC India Real Estate Private Limited has imparted a dynamic approach in launching the company in India. Deploying the same dynamism in setting up MQDC’s first initiative, Whizdom Club in India, Amy is crafting the Club’s distinctive ethos and character that can act as a catalyst in attracting young professionals and entrepreneurs. She believes Whizdom Club can play a pivotal role in startupreneurs building new connections, gathering inspiration and discovering missing elements that can add momentum to their business strategies in addressing global competition.

Amy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (International Business) from the esteemed Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. Amy’s primary interest is travel – reflecting the globetrotter, who grew up in several countries having-being born in a diplomatic family.

Amy began her career as a Senior Analyst at Accenture, and spent her years there building strategies and improving processes across various leading companies, including Siam Cement Group and PTT Public Company Limited.

Before joining MQDC in October 2017, Amy was the Managing Director and Co-founder of Idea360 – a research and branding powerhouse she helped establish in 2007. The agency assisted a myriad of brands in comprehending consumers’ subliminal beliefs.

INTERVIEW WITH INSIGHTS SUCCESS

About the Leader

In this enterprise, Amy worked closely with the world-renowned experimental psychologist, Dr. Howard Moskowitz, in launching Mind Genomics as the leading consumer research tool in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Idea360’s clients extended across automotive, banking, construction & real estate, FMCG, petrochemicals, hospitals, food & beverages, electronics, retail and government sector.

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• Whiz Around – Whizdom Club has a dedicated brainstorming and ideation Lab featuring a digital flip board and movable furniture to ensure that ideas flow freely and inspiration strikes you when it counts.

• Whiz Kid – In-house recreational lounge, competent with monkey bars and a pool table, and many more.

• Whiz Live – A Multipurpose Area facilitating added level of interaction and conversations among its clients. It can host events and workshops and is open for bookings • Spacious Terrace – An open Terrace filled with greenery. It is aesthetically pleasing and provides a peaceful and calm area for short breaks between when one needs a little breather amidst all the deadlines, meetings, and general chaos, our open terrace will be your perfect solace work.

The terrace is also equipped to host specific events/activities.

Furthermore, Whizdom Club provides avenues for both professional and personal growth through all its offerings.

• Startup Incubation and mentorship – A mentorship program ensuring professional growth and supporting budding entrepreneurs right from the stage of ideation to execution.

• Focus on work-life balance and wellbeing – Whizdom Club is a lifestyle space, through a range of recreational/hobby workshops and events offered on a regular basis for both members and non-members. Inkeeping with our vision of For all well-being, we have created a recreational space which we call Whiz Kid, for the adults who would want some play time in between their busy schedule, • Gourmet Food experience in a vibrant collaborative environment –Whiz Café is open to both members and nonmembers. In addition to providing delicious food and beverages, it is also a space for collaboration and exchange of ideas.

For more details, kindly log on to - https://whizdomindia.com/ • How has your company sustained its market competency? What are the characteristics that set it apart?

MQDC has forayed into the Indian real estate market with Whizdom Club which truly reflects the company’s vision and brand ethos through its unique offerings. The global property developer brings to India its legacy and global standards and best practices.

Whizdom Club is not just a co-working space but also an inspiration hub. The club have partnerships with VCs and startup mentors to guide the entrepreneurs and young professionals to excel in their respective field. Regular events such as the ‘Start-Up Series’ is hosted at the club targeting young entrepreneurs and students. Recently, we have been conducting the start-up series webinars to keep in touch with our community and ensure that learning never stops. Keeping students, young professionals and entrepreneurs in mind, the Club plans to make its space inspirational and conducive to growth. Further, the space is design to help improve efficiency and look out for the well-being of its members. Complete with a world class treated fresh air facility, ergonomic Steelcase furniture, retractable roof for ample natural light, vertical garden and it’s not duct no carpet interiors that reduce dust, Whizdom Club offers it all.

What adds to its merit is that the Club is strategically located in the heart of South Delhi with the nearest metro station being a stone’s throw away. With its strategic location, State-of -theArt Infrastructure and a wide range of amenities, Whizdom Club aims to be the preferred choice of Enterprise Clients.

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• Describe the experiences, achievements or lessons learned, that have influenced the journey of the company.

Since the opening of the Whizdom Club in August 2019, there have been several notable milestones and achievements. We won the "Co-Working Amenities of the Year" Award at Realty+ Co-Working Summit & Excellence Awards 2020 held in Mumbai. We have also forged valuable strategic industry partnerships. TiE Delhi is our ecosystem partners and several of their events are hosted in our club. The Club has been actively involved in their flagship events such as the TiE Global Summit and the Start-up Expo. Additionally, we have hosted several pitching sessions with our investment partner Venture Catalysts.

Furthermore, several events at Whizdom Club have been in collaboration with independent organizations and student bodies such as MindHerBiz, Bennett University, Skill Circle and Ventures. Whizdom Club was also the title sponsor of the Asian Designer Week held in Gurgaon.

• What are the future plans of the company? Where do you see the company in the years to come?

We intend to expand in the Indian market with projects featuring new concepts based on demand and in-depth analysis of the catchment area. We will soon announce the details of our upcoming projects.

To know more about the company, visit: https://whizdomindia.com/

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THIS IS WHY

Startup

Business Flourishes

IN CO-WORKING SPACES

W

hen Brad Neuberg; credited for opening first co-working space coined the term, 'Co-working space' in 2005, no one had thought it would change the face of 'the office'. The emerging co-working space dominance has shaken the era of cubicles in office culture. In the initial days, co-working spaces were populated by tech startups and were generally thought of as a trend that would lose its popularity. However; just the opposite seems to be happening.

With over 35,000 flexible workspaces in the world at present, all sizes and types of businesses prefer the co-working space model over the traditional office status quo.

Businesses today are becoming alarmingly concerned to meet the needs of the customers. Hence, industrialists are changing office environments that will ease the working of the workforce meeting the priority list in real-time.

Entrepreneurs are also looking for a work culture that will incorporate

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both creativity and competitiveness.

They are tech-savvy, and hence, they want the changes in the environment that will help them to work effectively.

It is this popularity of co-working spaces that persuaded aspiring entrepreneurs to switch to unconventional work culture and has been even flourishing ever since.

However, what exactly are the advantages co-working space offers?

Flexible and Affordable Office Space The initial attraction of co-working spaces for startup founders is the greater affordability and flexible pricing options. Renting a co-working space is much cheaper than renting a conventional office space. Also, while choosing traditional office space, expense does not stop with just the rents, it also includes a whole lot of extras such as internet services and access to conference rooms. Renting a co-working space takes care of such expenses and also the banal additions like office furniture,

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Boosting Startup Ecosystem

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computers, laptops, or any other necessities.

Another flexible feature of co-working space is that entrepreneurs are not tied into a long contract. It means unlike with a traditional office, co-working spaces can usually be rented by the month, week, or even day. This allows much greater flexibility to change quickly according to the needs of a developing business.

A Space Initiating Growth The startups mostly begin at home; the stereotype of an entrepreneur creating a successful business from his or her garage has now become folklore. However, as business improves gradually, there comes a stage where this kind of setup is no longer suitable.

Gradually startup owners started preferring coffee shops or restaurants to meet with clients However, it does not replicate the same scenario as discussing in a well functional office. This is where co-working spaces come to the rescue. Considering how first impressions are vital, co-working spaces provide a much more professional setting to discuss products or services with clients.

Embraced By Innovators Startup founders who choose to move to co-working spaces come from intangibles, and one of the most important of these is the opportunity to network with other like-minded and driven individuals, making it the greatest advantage of co-working space. Some of the coworking spaces even take breaks during working days and use the time to meet fellow entrepreneurs and discuss various innovative ideas, plausible solutions, and what not.

A Constant Source of Motivation We already established how co-working spaces help in developing meaningful and insightful network. This indirectly acts as a source of motivation and this is another intangible advantage of opting to work at a coworking space. Startup founders suffer from a lack of routine and find it difficult to shut out the multitude of distractions that come from working at home and hence, in such situations, a certain amount of structure can be invaluable.

office while also offering much of the flexibility of working from home. Also, the fact of being surrounded by other successful or motivated and driven people every day cannot be overlooked either. This way a Co-working space offers the best of both worlds.

Politics Free Zone Co-working space is an accumulator of like-minded people, yes. But, not everyone choosing to work in a coworking space belongs to the same industry. It might or not might include professionals working for different organizations on a variety of projects. Hence, there are very fewer chances of competition or interpersonal rivalry.

Also, give that co-working spaces are cultivated by growth-driven people everyone is working to be the best in their terms. It also means that at co-working spaces, the traditional office politics where people are constantly trying to outdo their colleagues or impress the boss is not developed. Rather, such an environment allows workers to be themselves than developing an 'office persona'.

Seamless Access to Talent Pool Co-working spaces do not just attract aspiring entrepreneurs it also attracts freelancers. And thus, at one point, when entrepreneurs will need to scale up the business and hire new talents, they can look for freelancers who are inhibited at the Co-working space.

This process of hiring can also save time, and as startup founders already have some informal experience of working with that person, it decides to hire less risky.

Not Far Behind While individuals and small businesses preferred to work in flexible, shared spaces where collaboration, productivity and networking are standard fare, the established companies are using Co-working spaces for their remote teams and as satellite offices. They no longer do prefer to shell out an exorbitant amount of money to build or lease regional offices. These companies are now finding ways to incorporate the flexible workspace culture into the conventional office environments. Likely, cubicle-free environments will no longer be a far-fetched dream but a soon turning reality.

Co-working environment can offer the advantages of having a daily routine similar to that of working in an

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CXO Standpoint

B

usiness fairs open doors for people to build strong rela onships. Presently, coworking spaces in Mumbai give the exact same opportunity. Just that this can happen 24*7 It is typical for a start-up to frequently discover a content creator in the same working space. They can likewise team up together on a venture. Freelancers regularly get work from businesses in their shared office space. This happens par cularly a er one prescribes the business to others. This is the manner in which the work culture has changed. Individuals are presently working in a well-networked community. They share assets and there are open doors for the development of all. These are the reasons that make coworking the ul mate future reality.

Hosted Events: Imagine you have bagged a big deal or launched a brand new product. At that point, you can host a small party in the bistro or the lounge room and welcome different individuals from your mutual office. Acquaint yourself with them and discover what they do.

Discussion about business pa erns, experiences or whatever else. The least that could happen is you make new buddies.

Free Promo ons: Frequently, coworking in Mumbai will give you a chance to showcase your work. If you are an ar st, pin up a por on of your work on the no ce board. If you are in FnB (Food and Beverage), put your products out in the pantry and see how people respond to it or print a few

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le erheads, sta onery, mugs. Put them around your work area consistently for individuals to take note. This will help you gain visibility and that may come as an advantage later on.

Casual Conversa on: The idea of discussions by the water cooler is rarely old. On the off chance that you are a member of coworking spaces in Mumbai, you will undoubtedly meet new individuals all over. In the cafeteria, the li , the entryway, the lobby and so forth. This is the place where your casual conversa ons start. How you take it forward and transform it into your advantage is totally upto you.

Trade of Services: Coworking spaces in Mumbai will likewise allow you to make "b2b" associa ons. It is very common for businesses working under the same roof to collaborate. Frequently customers prescribe outside the space, giving you chances to extend your business. In a startup work culture, everybody is searching for effec ve and "jugaadu" methods for taking care of their business. Working with similarly invested individuals in a similar office is the substance of collabora ng. It is ideal for the development and extension of new opportuni es.

blend with others at work, makes coworking even more desirable.

Mentorship: When you've just started your business, having somebody to guide you and resolve your doubts is a gi .

In a coworking space, you find a good mix of individuals coming from different industries. This lets you gain from the experiences of different originators and specialists.

A pool of Thoughts: Coworking spaces are beyond just a workspace! They are amazingly imagina ve spaces where numerous new thoughts are sustained, paving the way for the advancement of new pursuits.

Work and Joy: Coworking today is a perfect blend of work and joy, fun and collabora on, crea ng a culture that is alluring for all the dynamic businesses. Hos ng events, workshops, par es, and seminars at a coworking space is a common scenario.

State-of-the-Art Infrastructure:

Flexible Working:

A workspace that looks like it has come straight out of your dreams, having bespoke interiors that soothe your soul. One can focus on significant things here, as opposed to stressing over the terrible web!

People working in shared spaces can work at any hour of the day and are not limited to single desk areas like one would generally expect from a customary office. The flexible work hours, the opportunity to talk and

Progressively the business land space is tending towards complete service, adaptable and mul -u litarian spaces.

Coworking, is simply a step 1, of a lot bigger development, shaking the real estate industry.

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