Bangalore-based co-working space operator Cowrks which claims a 250% growth in less than 2 years, is looking to establish 23 operational centers across 2.5 million sq. ft. by the end of 2018. They also plans to expand the CoWrks community by 25,000 members across locations in major cities - including new proposed launches in Delhi–NCR, Pune and Hyderabad. By 2022, they aim to expand their footprint across 20 million square feet nationwide.
“Encouraged by the immense success in India, we now plan to create a global presence and set up over 300 centres across the world,” said CEO Sidharth Menda.
Their larger vision for the company is to establish themselves as the authority on all things coworking, by strengthening their growing community and providing them with a superlative, unparalleled coworking experience. With an emphasis on groundbreaking technology and a passion for nurturing and supporting entrepreneurs, they want to be on the frontier of the workspace revolution.
CoWrks began as India’s answer to modern millennials who were confined to their uninspiring, traditional office spaces. Addressing the need for revolutionary, cross-collaborative workspaces, they have created & designed unique spaces that cater to a diverse community, who can build business relationships, but also connect on a personal and social level.
What distinguishes them from their competitors is their solid foundation on technology, added Sidharth. CoWrks is built on data-rich analytics and intelligence. In everything from their sophisticated visitor management systems to digital meeting room bookings and a private social networking app, cutting-edge tech is seamlessly integrated, to empower the community and offer them an efficient and dynamic working experience.
CoWrks, a community of over 10,000 creative, innovative individuals support each other every step of the way. They are strong believers in creating a culture of collaboration as they uplift each other and work together to build an increasingly cohesive, dynamic workforce.
“We are passionate about solidifying the startup industry and have developed an unconventional accelerator program - The CoWrks Foundry, to invest in brilliant ideas and integrate resilience into businesses. Over the course of a meticulously designed 24 week rigorous regime, The CoWrks Foundry will equip high potential entrepreneurs with in-depth industry knowledge, targeted coaching and the tools they need to achieve lasting success,” mentioned Sidharth.
CoWrks have successfully added more than 10,000 members comprising of freelancers, startups, entrepreneurs, small businesses and Fortune 500 enterprises to their extensive client list. They currently operate out of nine fully operational centers across the nation, including Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurgaon and Mumbai, and plan to rapidly expand over the next few years.
With an increasingly independent and cross-functional workforce, the demand for inspiring, collaborative spaces are on the rise. The coworking movement is taking the world by storm, and reinventing workplace culture appears to be the way forward. Young millennials derive greater value from workspaces that provide improved efficiency, connectivity and opportunities for networking and community building. As the industry grows and evolves, shared office space operators are finding new and advanced methods to meet the needs of its members. Founder and CEO, Sidharth Menda acknowledges that entry barriers to the industry are low, but remains confident of CoWrks’ eminence in the market. He believes that over a period of time, location, quality and service will speak for itself, and it will lead to a shake-out, separating the wheat from the chaff.
The other players operating in the co-working industry are Innov8, 91springboard, Awfis, WeWork India, BHIVE Workspace, InstaOffice, GoWork, Garage by JetSynthesys, Unigrowth Centre by White Unicorn Ventures, Bangalore Alpha Lab, Investopad and FundTonic Co-Works among others.