All in the network: The rise of collaborative workspaces

If you’re an entrepreneur or have your own start-up, working from home may seem like the most viable option, considering rising rates of real estate and maintenance costs. But wouldn’t you rather work at a place that’s, both, affordable and gives you access to a network of like-minded people, mentors and potential funders? That’s where collaborative workspaces comes in.

A trend that’s picking up in the city among Hyderabad’s start-up industry, these spaces are essentially places that allow you and your company to grow and expand until you’re big enough to scale to your own offices.

Vivek Sampara, who owns the recently opened OurHub in Madhapur, says that his own experiences at a start-up founder led him to begin operations in this space. “You get a space for rent that falls under the ‘luxury category’,”  he explains, “It’s like taking a room in a hotel: You take a space for yourself for a month and everything else is taken care of. We provide you with an office, all you need to get is your own laptop.”

But more than being just a workspace, Vivek explains, is what makes collaborative spaces valuable for start-ups. “People also look for events, which is why we have a community manager to make sure that the place is run actively,” he says, “It’s not a box with people who just sit and work.”

Vineel R. Pindi, whose workspace Collab House has been up and running for over a year now, agrees and adds that building a vibrant network is what attracts start-ups to workspaces. “A lot of people think that they don’t need it, or it’s not something for me,” he explains, “The idea was to learn what people were looking for first, so we organised stand-up comedy shows, hackathons, talks by CEOs and founders. People then just came to us and asked to join us full-time.”

And it’s not just tech start-ups. Swetha Akhnoor, whose social enterprise-focused workspace The Do-Gooders Hub will be starting by the end of this month, says that collaborative environments also help people working in the impact space. “It doesn’t cost a lot of money, since you’re just essentially paying for electricity and internet,” she says, “But at the same time you’re getting together this group of people who either collectively on individually create a lot of impact.”

Vivek agrees, saying, “People primarily want a collaborative place for people to be around. Secondary would be budget, and third would be making sure there’s high speed internet and a good enough power backup. They also look for events, which is why we have a community manager to make sure that the place is run actively. It’s not just a box with people who only sit and work.”