Co-working spaces going beyond traditional barriers in Trichy

Capitalising on the demand for office space from investors, startups which provide co-working space have been gaining ground in the city. Besides the affordable shared office space, what lures entry-level IT companies to the facility is the financial and technical support they get from the entrepreneurial ecosystem on offer. Trichy has about 68 companies in the IT and ITES sector, many of them with clients abroad but running offices in the city by employing locals. So far, conventional entrepreneurs in Trichy have been heavily dependant on institutes like Bhel, but now diversification of investments is happening with entrepreneurs eyeing startups in IT and ITES sector as a lucrative venture. However, finding an affordable office space and managing the infrastructure will be a burden for startups which operate with minimal workforce. It is in this context that co-working concept, introduced in Trichy city in 2018, is finding a lot of takers, mostly startups. The most recent firm to offer such an office environment in the city is ‘Seed Spaces’. If the conventional startups offered only office space and amenities for a price per seat, Thillai Nagar-based Seed Spaces is touted to serve as a coworking space-cum-incubation centre for startups. Spread over 5,000 square feet, Seed Spaces, a startup from Web Ventures India, has a 50-seater shared office space.