The Future of Work Spaces: A Look At India's Rising Coworking Spaces India is now brimming with a multitude of coworking spaces, which were unheard of a few years ago. Here's the lowdown on India's top 10 coworking spaces, which truly portray a unique value proposition.

Gone are the days of traditional office spaces — coffee shops are now doubling up as office spaces, office spaces are coming up at shopping malls, and one can rent a centrally-located space in a metropolitan city without burning a hole in one's pocket. The game has changed and that compelled us to examine what exactly these coworking spaces have on offer. And we came back with some interesting findings.

With the onslaught of coworking spaces, all of them have been selling spaces with almost the same approach. The community is no more the differentiating factor. Here's a look at some of the best coworking spaces in the country, which truly portray a unique value proposition.

Entrepreneur India

World’s Largest Coworking Space

GOWORK

Millennial workers prefer to live, work and play at the same place. To that end, GoWork organizes special workshops, hackathons, and pitching sessions for its start-up clients. About the value proposition it offers, Sudeep Singh, Chief Evangelist and CEO, GoWork, says, "We strive to make GoWork a collaborative space for millennials with varied attitudes and ever-changing lifestyle needs. We cater to these needs with innovative offerings like gyms, spas, fun zones, cafes, bars, vegan food, herbal waters, nutritionist support, sleeping pods and crèche facility." It hosts events such as workshops, hackathons, the art of living sessions, bring your pet to work days and reading sessions to create engaging peer communities. It also hosts a lot of post-work activities such as beer pong, stand-up comedy sessions and group vacations that act as stress-busters. The cowork is in talks with PE investors and plan to raise $200 million through its next funding round.

(RE)DEFINING THE CUBICLE
Specialty
GoWork is the world's largest coworking space and Asia's first collaborative campus to have internet speeds up to 1 GHZ in partnership with Spectra.
Annual member fees
Day Tripper: Rs 350 per day
Tourists: Rs 3,750 for ten days
Resident: Rs 6,500 per month
Citizens: Rs. 8,250 per month
Virtual Office: Rs 2,500
Amenities
World art café, gym, spa, food court, frustration zone, brewery, crèche, urban sleeping pods with TVs, gaming zone, Basket Ball and Badminton Courts, Island Bar, live kitchen and shuttle facility

No. of locations and cities Two locations in Gurugram

Occupancy rate
45 percent

Operational Since
2017

Entrepreneur India

Creating a Hub for Business

Innov8
Being a homegrown brand, Innov8 has a better understanding of the local market's needs and a strong logistical advantage. Beginning with design and built, it pays special attention to the environment of each city. Moreover, its centres are located at central locations. It is a hub for businesses, entrepreneurship and creative collaboration in every city it is present. It supports the growth of businesses by providing them with space, right knowledge, and expert advice. Dr Ritesh Malik, Co-founder, Innov8 says, "We believe that more than office spaces, what companies need is the community, mentorship and access to networks or ecosystem. We help them build networks by creating a fertile ground of idea pollination and thought leadership." Various means of intra-Innov8 communication are available to the coworkers.

(RE)DEFINING THE CUBICLE
Specialty
Providing contemporary design and infrastructure
Annual member fees
Rs 8,000 to Rs 20,000 per month
Amenities
Cafeteria with hot coffee, cold coffee, fruit infused water, Lounge area, ideation room, meeting room, conference room, nap room, Xbox Gaming zone, Ping pong table, foosball, library, rooftop area etc.
No. of locations and cities
Nine live centres in Delhi
Occupancy rate 90 percent
Operational Since 2015 November
Total area 3,00,000 sq ft

Entrepreneur India

The 24 hour Office Space

91springboard

At 91springboard the member base is a mix of entrepreneurs, freelancers, corporates and international companies. Talking about creating an impact Pranay Gupta, Cofounder, 91Springboard says, "We organize events geared towards networking and gaining knowledge. One of our most popular events is mentor hours, where we have a large list of industry experts who generously give their time to mentor entrepreneurs across verticals. We also organize meetups, workshops and seminars that address a variety of business needs of these entrepreneurs. Everything from workshops on advanced Powerpoint and Excel, to digital and content marketing, and even 3D printing and public speaking."

Quite a lot of these sessions are designed not just keeping the founders in mind but also how the people who work for them can do better in their roles. 91springboard has plans for part-time (flexible timing), Batman (night hours), Student (for 3 months), Day Pass (any desk for 8 hours), etc. Coworking is a profitable business across hubs as well as an entity as a whole. Its locations typically fill up in a six to eight month period after opening up and turns profitable. It raised two rounds of funding: first in 2016 and then in 2017.

(RE)DEFINING THE CUBICLE
Specialty
>>Mentor sessions
>>WE League (focused- community and networking events for women)
>>91outdoors

Annual member fees
>>Private is Rs 8999 per person per month
>>Open dedicated Rs 7999 per person every month
>>Open Flexi Rs 6499 per person every month
>>Part-Time Rs. 5499 per person every month

Amenities
Open 24/7 with professional security, 24/7 power backup, Receive mail c/o 91springboard, comfortable workstations, photocopy & printing, phone booths, free or discounted access to events, housekeeping service, company registration documentation, access to a curated list of service providers, tea and coffee, cafe, lounge and games entities, high speed wifi, etc.

No. of locations and cities
18 Locations in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Goa, Pune, Navi Mumbai

Operational Since: 2013

Entrepreneur India

Using Technology to Transform Coworking

Cowrks

With the help of an in-house team of experts, Cowrks curates and analyses data across multiple demographics within cities across the country. This helps it strategize expansion. The team collects data from the use of space during peak and non-peak hours as well as during events. This information is further analyzed to understand how a given space is being used. This allows for the creation of floor plans and designs that are not just cost-effective but provide a greater possibility of revenue generation. Each of its nine centers is unique and is a reflection of the character of the city. The larger vision for CoWrks is to establish itself as the authority on all things coworking. With 10,000 plus members, it aims to be on the frontier of the workspace revolution. Its community is a mix of start-ups, entrepreneurs, freelancers and Fortune 500 companies (which account for 51 percent of clientele). Sidharth Menda, CEO, CoWrks, says, "We handpick our members to suit each other's needs as more than 30 percent of companies owned by our members are doing business with each other. All our members are interconnected across centers via the CoWrks Connect app, which becomes a platform for our members to identify those who share their skills and interests, showcase their brand, and engage in networking and knowledge sharing." It also launched "The CoWrks Foundry', a well-architected 24-week programme to provide unparalleled supervision and support to the early-stage start-ups. The start-ups also leverage the CoWrks Community to refine and fortify their strategy. And its app "CoWrks Connect' enables members to connect with the global CoWrks community. It also helps members access amenities and services right in the palm of their hand. The members have the freedom to log-in at whatever time they want since it is operational 24x7. With the occupancy and demand over-exceeding the supply, the bootstrapped venture is already profitable.

(RE)DEFINING THE CUBICLE
Specialty
In everything right from 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.

Annual member fees
Every center is unique in its own ways and its priced according to the amenities and the location.

Amenities
Access to the fuel bar, infinity pool, entertainment unit, virtual assistant, phone and discussion booths, wifi, parking facilities, event space, community lounges, etc.

No. of locations and cities
A total of 9 centers spread across Bengaluru (4), Gurugram (2), Mumbai (1) and Chennai (2)

Operational since 2016

Total area 1.5 million sq ft

Entrepreneur India

The Go-to Coworking Place in Gurgaon

ALTF Coworking
The two-year-old company right now has a major focus on the tier I cities. Based out of Gurgaon, the company's first target market was Gurgaon, it expanded in Delhi-NCR only. Its three cities of expansion are Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad for the upcoming year. Talking about its vision, Sarthak Chhabra, CEO & Director, says, "For the start, we are targeting 2000 seats in each city and then would be expanding each city in parallel to more cities coming in and taking this number to 4000 seats per city in the future for tier I cities." Its major focus is on being the first private coworking space, where every team gets their own space and privacy for their work yet in a coworking environment. It will soon launch the community portal for easy connect among the members. Being a bootstrapped start-up, its growth has been fast but hasn't been very much intensive. It claims to be operationally profitable at the individual property level as well as company level from the start. The design is built on the theme, which brings people closer to nature. Hence, the spaces have relief zones such as pool areas, beach area, desert zones, and music stations etc. Most of its spaces have open rejuvenating terrace gardens to help people unwind during the breaks and to fight stress during the day.

(RE)DEFINING THE CUBICLE
Specialty
Private team offices
Annual member fees
8,000 to 12,000 per month
No. of locations and cities
10 locations in Delhi-NCR
Companies they have partnered with UrbanLadder, Runnr, ex-Zostel's cofounders, a start-up by ex-MD of Jabong and many other small and medium businesses
Occupancy rate
About 95 percent
Operational Since: 2016
Total area (in sq.ft.): Would be operating about 1.5 Lac Sq ft by the end of this FY.
Clientele
>>60 percent SMEs & corporate
>>30 percent start-ups
>>5 percent freelancers

Entrepreneur India

Offering an Eclectic Community

AWFIS

Awfis is a leading player in the coworking industry — India's largest shared workspace provider with a nation-wide network of 55 centers with 25000+ seats in nine cities and 45 micro markets. It has a strong community of 15,000+ professionals from the country's coolest start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Around 20 percent of its client base comprises start-ups, entrepreneurs, and freelancers while 40 percent are SMEs and 40 percent are corporates. This also creates business opportunities and allows facilitation of commerce within the same ecosystem. It provides access to over 500+ exclusive events and experiences every year for its community members. Awfis Rewards Program is a bouquet of 100+ strategic partnerships that provide its community members seamless access to leading service providers in the fields of accounting, legal, recruitment, payments, web services, mail management, healthcare and insurance etc. The company encourages collaboration through fun events like birthday celebrations, festival celebrations, musical fests, stand-up comedy, special breakfast and lunch events as well as bespoke trips and group expeditions to unique locations. Amit Ramani, Founder & CEO, Awfis says, "We have in-house technology systems that help us manage attendance tracking and access control for members. Members consume the space as per their work requirement and schedule. Our centers are open from 8am to 8pm and see the inflow of members coming in and going out." Awfis is eyeing company level profitability this month onward.

(RE)DEFINING THE CUBICLE
Annual member fees
>>Rs 4,500 per flexi seat per month, Rs 13,000 for a private cabin seat per month. Daily pricing starts at Rs -300 per day
>>National pass at Rs 1,000 per month providing access to all locations multiple times a month
No. of locations and cities
9 cities with 55 centers
Occupancy rate Average 90 percent occupancy within six months after the center is operational
Operational Since: April, 2015
Total area (in sq.ft.):1.5 mn

Entrepreneur India

Reimagining Workspaces

Wework India

WeWork's focus is on metro cities due to the emergence of many enterprises, SME's and start-ups that are growing at a rapid pace. It also plans to expand to Chennai, Pune, and Hyderabad by the next year. Karan Virwani, CEO, WeWork India, says, "While we're a global company, we operate with a local playbook. Whenever we enter a new market, we work together with key partners and experts to help create the WeWork experience in that region." It offers its enterprise members the flexibility around work and an environment that caters to improving work-life balance, employee productivity, and talent retention. A very important aspect of WeWork India's growth story is that 50 percent of its members are large enterprises. With that sort of balance in terms of enterprises, SME's and start-ups, it has become a hub of innovation where its members belonging to different walks of life collaborate as well as network with a global team of over 2,83,000 members virtually and in person. WeWork's focus is to provide the best experience to its members in terms of space, community, and services. It also provides a range of services like healthcare, IT, payroll and legal support for our members, if needed. Also, organizes events to give its members a holistic experience, which is key to doing what one loves and creating one's life's work.

(RE)DEFINING THE CUBICLE
Amenities
Provides aesthetics and functional basics such as wi-fi, printing, cleaning services, Its offerings extend beyond spaces to honesty markets (paid F&B section), nooks (casual meeting spaces), phone booths (private calling stations), wellness & quiet rooms, beer on tap and a pet-friendly space.
No. of locations and cities
Four locations in Mumbai and Bengaluru, and one in New Delhi
Occupancy rate
90 percent
Operational Since
July 2017
No. of Co-working Members
Over 10,000

Entrepreneur India

Building the Bengaluru Network

BHIVE

BHIVE has a good mix of large-sized organizations, start-ups and freelancers working across all seven locations. It has a well-knit community consisting of more than 300 plus start-ups, freelancers and large-sized companies operating across locations. Since inception, it has hosted more than 600 events, bringing in industry thought leaders to share their knowledge. It also leverages Workplace by Facebook to drive interaction among its members. BHIVE provides round the clock access to its centers for all its members. In addition, members can work out of any of the other centers for a limited period during the month. Ravindra MK, Co-founder, Bhive says, "Though the peak timings remain 9am to 6am, we have quite a few teams working at different shifts. This ranges from companies who work in the US/UK shift, start-ups and freelancers who prefer to work during off-peak hours as well as flexi seat members who use the space as per their specific needs. In addition, we have special offers for corporate employees who use our space instead of working from home." BHIVE was the first coworking space to raise professional VC funding. It has raised a total of three rounds of funding. It achieves break-even at each of our centers with a few months of operation. BHIVE at its core is more of a hospitality company driven by innovative technologies.

(RE)DEFINING THE CUBICLE
Annual member feesRs 5,000 per desk per month (prices vary based on location and product offering)
Amenities:
Wifi, 24x7 access to all office spaces, conference room facilities, work table with writable laminate with ergonomic seating, electricity with UPS backup, fire safety equipment, cafeteria and pantry facilities, lounge and terrace garden
No. of locations and cities
Operating 7 centers in Bengaluru
Occupancy rate
85 percent
Operational Since:
November 2014
Total area 1.2 lakh sq ft

Entrepreneur India

Going Beyond Bombay

Redbrick Offices
Redbrick offices had quite a city-centric start when it was known as Bombay Connect. After Mumbai, its first choice was Bengaluru. But after several trips there, it was found that the market was overly price sensitive, over-saturated and the city was suffering from crumbling infrastructure and crippling traffic. It, therefore, decided to look at Hyderabad, and Pune where it expanded four and two centers respectively. 30 percent of its client base comprises entrepreneurs, freelancers or small businesses. These are the most active and engaged members, who take part and also organize events, mingle with the other community members, which adds a lot of community value to the company. A lot of its corporate clients also have young and enterprising employees, who also exhibit similar characteristics. The environment helps people to break-out-of-their shell, leave the desk and connect, mingle and be part of the community. After 10 years of experience, it has built a nice legacy community of old and new members. Around 60 percent of its clientele is corporate. Typically, the company reaches break-even within four months after its centre goes live.

(RE)DEFINING THE CUBICLE

Specialty
They have recording studios, training rooms, labs, diagnostic centres, design studios, data centers and more.

Amenities
Premium tea, coffee, fruit/ herb infused water, cleaning, maintenance, printing, scanning, copying, dedicated internet to all clients, security, 24x7 access, stationery, pantry, canteen, cafe, meeting rooms, conference halls, reception service, mail handling

No. of locations and cities
Three cities, 13 Locations

Expansion plans
To double over the next 12 months.

Occupancy rate
85 to 95 percent on an average

Operational Since 2008

Total area 500,000 sq ft

Entrepreneur India

Putting a Techy Foot Forward

Smartworks
Smartworks has a presence in nine locations in both tier I and tier II cities. It looks at its prospects along with the demand for commercial leasing. Recently, it launched its first facility in Hyderabad, which is a growing business hub in India. Going forward, it is bullish about expanding in many other cities along with the ones it already has a presence in -- Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata. More than 90 percent of its clientele consists of enterprises. Some of the large corporates that workout of its centers are Tata Communications, Microsoft, Arcelor Mittal, Amazon, Carrier, Otis, Daikin, Lenovo, Bacardi, and OLX. They conduct various activities to ensure high community engagement within its facilities, including in-house F&B services, live bands, Djembe classes etc. It has launched Smart Weekends to boost employee productivity.The bootstrapped venture has already reached operational break-even at all its centers.

(RE)DEFINING THE CUBICLE
Specialty
Deployed 'Made in India' robot 'Mitra' at our offices. The humanoid streamlines the visitor management system at Smartworks.
Annual member fees
Rs 11,000 per member per month and Rs 1.34 lac per an annum
Amenities
Complete office management which includes IT support, infrastructure, community engagement, cafeteria, skill building activities to name a few
No. of locations and cities
22 locations across 9 cities
Occupancy rate
An average occupancy rate of 85 percent
Operational Since
April 2016
Total area 2.5 million sq ft