With the number of entrepreneurs and freelancers growing by leaps and bounds in Bangalore, mundane startup office stations are making way for cool working hangouts, from where entrepreneurs can not just work, but also enjoy a drink and music.
In contrast to the cubicle-boardroom feel of typical workspaces, platforms are opening up, which provide a working environment, but in a casual manner with music playing in the background, wooden chairs and tables, jugs and mugs lining the walls.
Just like the cubicle-boardroom workspaces, these casual workstations also provide facilities like high-speed internet, printers, lockers, stationery, meeting rooms etc; "but the overall ambiance is a lot relaxed and casual," says entrepreneur Vijay N, who quit his job in the financial services sector to start an e-commerce portal.
Vijay now works out of Church Street Social, a cafe-cum-workstation which started in March, and looks at providing entrepreneurs a " work platform in a social environment."
While the ground floor consists of a cafe where people walk in for breakfast or brunch; the first floor is set aside (till 5pm) mainly for entrepreneurs, freelancers, web designers, graphic designers, app developers, copywriters, content writers, photographers and anyone with his or her own little venture looking for office space.
"It is not a formal work space where you have to be suited and booted. The atmosphere is relaxed. You can not just work independently, but also have meetings with partners, vendors," says Vinay J, who works with an e-learning startup that operates out of Church Street Social.
So amidst a hard day charting out business plans, entrepreneurs can also simultaneously fancy grabbing a bite or sipping a drink. According to Riyaaz Amlani, founder of Church Street Social, and CEO of Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality, the intention is to create a startup ecosystem where professionals can not just work in a relaxed environment from morning 9 to evening 5, "but socialise with each other, network, collaborate and work together."
At Rs5,000 per month per head, which can get adjusted against the food and drinks ordered at the cafe, around 12 professionals are currently working out of Church Street Social. From about 200 applications, these 12, including Vijay and Vinay were selected based on their profiles, the work they were doing, and their expertise.
Entrepreneurs in Bangalore have always cribbed about high office rentals, difficulty in finding appropriate workspace and office infrastructure. Although startups warehouses have come up of late, they are mainly targeted towards the tech startups.
"We used to earlier work from home. But now, we find it easier to meet at this cafe-cum-workspace, brainstorm and chalk out our future plans," says Vinay.
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