A co-working space is no longer just about having a desk and an internet connection in a shared space. Service providers are throwing in a body massage, evening concerts and skill development talks.

Companies such as Mosaic, Awfis, IShareSpace and Creator’s Gurukul are providing value-added services from restaurant discounts to priority access to start-up events and even shared accountants and human resource managers. This, they hope, will create ‘stickiness’ among members and help early-stage start-ups and SMEs create a collaborative ecosytem.

According to Gokul Das, founder and CEO of Mumbai-based Mosaic, there is a lot of emphasis on networking among the entities sharing the office space.

Networking app

The company is also launching a networking app for members. Mosaic, which has one co-working space with 200 desks, plans to open one more in Mumbai soon and expand into Bengaluru, Delhi and Chennai.

“It is like taking a membership, for which we offer bundled services,” said Das. Mosaic charges about ₹7,500 per executive per month and has over 60 per cent occupancy rate.

The company also has a Chief Fun Officer and provides zumba and yoga training on its premises.

Likewise, InstaOffice and IShareSpace have tie-ups with food chains to provide discounts for members.

IShareSpace has freelancers, entrepreneurs, start-ups, small and medium businesses and MNCs among its clients. The company, founded by Priyanka Krishnan and Aayush Maheshwari, offers legal, accounting and website development services.

“This way, our customers avoid the hassle of finding different vendors for different needs It saves them time, effort and money; they get a discount on these services,” Maheshwari said.

Creator’s Gurukul, another co-working space, offers entrepreneurs an assortment of services they require while starting up. It provides Alpha cards to a few start-ups, which provide priority access to start-up events and free entry to co-working spaces around the world.

Co-working spaces are the rage not only among start-ups, but also among established companies that want to cut costs.

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