The Hindu Business Line : New office in a jiffy

We don’t interact with companies on their businesses, nor do we take any interest in them financially or otherwise. We only provide the infrastructure and other facilities required for new companies,” says Ashok Vohra, who runs a company called Evoma Business Incubation Facilities. “You can set up your office and start work within 24 hours.”

Being an NRI himself, Vohra is no stranger to the problems foreign companies, especially small and medium businesses, face when attempting to set up shop in India.

The company recently launched its pilot facility in Bangalore with an investment of about $12 million. and it has roped in Featherlite as its local partner.

Companies that set up shop in the Evoma campus need not worry about legal services, company registration, chartered accountants, payroll services, HR and recruitment, secretarial services, travel desk and back-office services. Besides 80 serviced offices (which can house about 400 people), the campus also offers facilities for training programmes, meetings and conferences, plus 24-hour broadband Internet connection, fax and telephone services and wi-fi connection. Of course, all these come for a fee, “which is very nominal,” says Vohra.

Clarifying that it is not a realty company, Vohra says Evoma creates optimum business environments — business biospheres, as he calls them — that are fully equipped to sustain and grow the company in its early days in a new soil. “We want to also help Indian companies penetrate nationally with ease,” he says.

The 66 serviced suites or rooms in the campus offer a “zero commute” advantage for clients until they can find a place of their own in the city. The facilities include a bar, café, restaurant and barbeque.

“Evoma’s virtual office environment is perfect for a company that doesn’t require a fulltime premises, but wants to create the right impression for prospective clients — you pay only for what you need, when you need it,” says the company brochure.

“Just like a college, where students are encouraged to leave after they graduate, we encourage companies that set up shop here to leave after they grow to a considerable size,” says Vohra.

In the next phase of growth, the company plans to provide Indian companies a platform to start offices in Japan, Singapore, Korea, China and other ASEAN countries. “Problems in these countries are as large as they are here. For example, China is as difficult to penetrate as India,” says Vohra. “We are also working on building relationship with Japanese companies to give them a landing spot in Karnataka,” he adds.

Besides Bangalore, Mysore and Sakleshpur in Karnataka, Evoma plans operations at Chennai and Coimbatore in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

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