Co-working spaces, a not-so-new concept in Goa, helps many who do not wish to invest in a full-fledged office. These spaces offer all the facilities and amenities that an office is equipped with, with no stress of maintenance. The Goan explores how co-working spaces are preferred to ‘work from home?
Co-working spaces are not a new concept in India. These spaces are a boon to those who don’t have an office of their own or who don’t want to invest in an office for multiple reasons. The concept, already popular in the metros, is rapidly spreading wings now in smaller towns and cities. Goa is no longer looked upon as a place only for holidaying with idle evening strolls on the beaches or for enjoying sumptuous Goan fish-curry-rice meals. The State has become a favourite workstation too – for those who want to work as well as enjoy a break.
Many come to Goa to be away from their busy work schedules in metros, but these workaholics want to finish their office chores too. They tend to set up a temporary office here, while they relax and work simultaneously. “Co-working spaces serve our purpose. Without investing into an office space, we get an entire set-up with telephone, internet, workstation, conference room, printers, scanners, even housekeeping and pantry,” shares a writer from Delhi who comes to Goa for completing his writing assignments and books a desk at a co-working space on the outskirts of Margao. “I book either online or in person, once I reach here,” he says.
91Springboard, one of the earliest co-working spaces in Goa is housed in Shanta building at St Inez Panaji. Sameer Singh, COO at 91Springboard shares, “We have always believed that the future of work lies in anticipating customer needs and embedding design thinking into workspace solutions. When we launched our Goa hub in December 2017, we did not just see Goa as a scenic destination. The city offered excellent connectivity, robust infrastructure, and most importantly, a unique work-life balance that today’s professionals deeply value.”
Singh explains, “We’ve seen strong interest from freelancers, startups, and enterprises who prefer the flexibility of a plug-and-play workspace over setting up their own office. 91Springboard has become the perfect middle ground, a professional environment with all the amenities and support of a larger office, combined with the openness and energy of a thriving community.”
In Panaji ‘Old Quater’ a hostel in Fontainhas area, with a cafe doubles up as a co-working space with per day charge, offering good WiFi and tea, coffee and other light refreshments. Timebox Goa branch at Patto provides a fully furnished co-working space for working professionals and entrepreneurs who do not have any hurdles while at work.
Outside Panaji there are few places in the coastal area. The ‘Noname Coworking Rooftop’ at Arambol offers a perfect place for people to share and work together with a diverse, engaged group of like-minded people. Similarly at Anjuna, ‘Clay – The Coworking Cafe’ is housed in a Portuguese villa remoulded into a contemporary co-working cafe.
When did this concept take off in Goa and how does it work? Goa’s initial co-working spaces started around a decade ago, on a low profile basis. CoLabr started in 2016 at Dempo Trade Centre at Patto Plaza in Panaji. The founder Vaikunth Subhash Sinai Dempo should be considered the pioneer in introducing the concept of co-working spaces in Goa. Sharing about this experience of bringing the concept to his home State, Vaikunth recalls how he had seen this co-working space culture thriving in London during his University days.
“I had been to London for post-graduation in Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne after completing my Bachelors in Computer Application and Computer Science from Pune University. Seeing how people shared spaces and worked together, I thought of implementing the same concept back home in Goa after completing my Masters’ degree,” shares Vaikunth who was probably the pioneer to import the concept to Goa.
“It was a small 25-seater space, with one hall where 20 persons could sit together. Companies, digital nomads, writers, individuals or people from bigger companies from other cities used the space in 2016. People either paid Rs 4000 per month or hired it for a day for Rs 340. We offered internet and one tea/coffee free to each of them,” shares Vaikunth who had to close CoLabr after Covid lockdown and venture into a brand Aurawell Essentials that deals in products using the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda and modern day technological innovation for a better living.
BIZ Nest (www.biznest.co.in), a co-working platform which also has a joint venture brand Mewo, one of the fastest growing and the largest co-working brand in Goa, is playing a key role in shaping Goa’s evolving co-working landscape.
Headquartered at Patto in Panaji, they cater to hundreds of customers and dozens of corporates. They have also funded start-ups such as Naukri.com, Zomato, Times Pro, 99 Acers and many more such brands working under their co-working roof at Panaji and they have been consistently growing since they activated the co-working model since 2019 and boast to be one of the oldest and largest co-working operators currently in Goa.
“Our focus since the time of our inception has been to grow the Goan ecosystem and activate as many new corporates and start-ups in Goa since 2019. Our offerings go beyond co-working as we also specialise in renting of meeting rooms, corporate workstations, integrating mentorship, networking events and other value-added services that empower businesses to thrive in a dynamic environment such as Goa. Our efforts to promote Goa as a destination to work and live since the past 6-7 years has started making Goa a more attractive hub for national start-ups and corporates along with global nomads,” stated the co-founder and COO of BIZ Nest, Kashif Shaikh.
The concept is clear – co-working space is where one or more persons or a team of workers can sit together and work – though none of them owns the place. The space is being available on rental basis – from hours, days, weeks or months, depending upon the requirement. None of those who sit and work here have to bother about the maintenance or paying of electricity bills, cleaning etc.
These co-working spaces offer anything and everything including an office space, furniture, light and water, restrooms, telephone, high speed internet facility and much more.
‘Fika’ in Minimalist, a cosy place on a busy street at Campal, offers the comfort of sipping a coffee while sitting and working on a project or preparing for a presentation. Designed to offer an open ambience to sit and finish the deadlines, have a business meeting or chat to complete a deal, ‘Fika’ is complete in itself. “It’s a combo – work and chill, with good food to go with and sit back for a moment after completing a tedious task,” quips a law student who often walks in to work on her assignments.
Amit Pandey, GM at ‘Fika’ is prompt in sharing that the place hosts a variety of events and activities, providing a platform for local artists, musicians and entrepreneurs to showcase their talent. “Inaugurated on May 1, 2024, we are open from 8 am to 12 am (midnight). The experience this minimalist haven offers is sure to leave a lasting imprint on your mind,” he adds.
