Picking your Startup Office

Amit Prabhu
Aug 23, 2017 · 4 min read
Confused how to pick your startup office ?

Picking up your Startup Office in Bangalore

Starting up is challenging — small team, smaller budget coupled with big ideas and even bigger dreams. Where do you start, who do trust and how do you get your product out in the market? Every day you are challenging yourself and building on your thoughts but very rarely do you get someone who can help you. Add to that, you no longer have a fully functional office and must spend lot of time doing administrative work that you never thought of. Waste of time, indeed.

In the first 6 months, you want to put in your everything and make sure that you have something to showcase to potential customers and investors. A great co-working space can really help you deal with some of these issues. And a little more — co-working spaces also provide other support that can be helpful in the startup process, and here is how you can choose based on what is important to you.

1. Networking and More

A great community:

A great co-working space has a diverse set of people working with them and can create a cohesive and effective community of users. Normally, the users are not only able help each other develop their products, but also act as potential customers. People from varied backgrounds can be of great help to offset any blind spots in your idea and provide frank and constructive feedback. Not to miss the point, a robust community can generate good business if you are a service provider and help you connect to many more. If you are looking for access to freelancers and staff-on-rent, they may just be on the floor above! Communities in these co-working spaces have been helpful to startups. Try them!

Mentorship, Investors & Networking

Incubators and Accelerators, in addition to the workspace also provide access to mentors and potential investors. However, startups need to be invited by these incubators and the entry is thereby controlled, and may not be available to you when you still building the prototype. Co-working spaces also tie up with prominent investors and have mentors and advisors linked to it who can be consulted from time to time. Though the engagements are normally not as formal as is with an Incubator, and much of the networking happens through events and seminars, it is still an effective way to get started and get feedback on your ideas. Check out these spaces that help you get connected.

2. Product Development

Working on creating a new device? Unlike a software, this requires a specialized space where you have the machinery and equipment to create your prototype. Maker spaces normally house mechanical workshop with all the DIY gear, carpentry studios, metal workshop, 3D printers and more. So, whether it’s an IoT device or a wearable or the drone that you are creating to deliver food, step in to a maker space and build it. Some of them also incubate startups focused on creating physical and mechanical products and provide funding and mentorship to eligible ones. Click here to find interesting maker spaces.

3. Privacy (Shhhhh !!!)

It’s all about your idea — and you want it to be confidential. An open office is great to work from, but you still need your privacy. The first few days is all about charting out the process, building your business plan and creating the path to developing your prototype. A private office is what you really want, a white board to track progress, a meeting room to brainstorm and lots of space outside the workspace to think when the office feels stuffy. You need and office that is truly inspiring and at the same time gives you the privacy, and yes, at an affordable price. A great design, wonderful ambience and some good coffee can help you regain your mojo when the chips are down — just think of it as one lesser problem to deal with.

Check out these spaces that will help you keep things really hush hush!

The type of workspace you choose can accelerate the pace at which your ideas take shape and is ready to be taken to the users. The co-working space can also help find your first set of users or help expand your team and drive it forward, so think hard about where you want to start, the cheapest one may just cost you the additional benefits. Give us a shout out if you are still confused.

)
Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade