[Founders] Ministry of New, 2nd most beautiful coworking space in the world.
Ministry of New is a name we heard quite while preparing our coworking expedition in India. Ranked #2 most beautiful coworking in the world says it all, it’s absolutely stunning! Aside from the interior design, the space attracts a very diverse and inspiring crowd. We chatted about it all, together with Marlies and Natascha, the Founders.
Hello Natascha and thanks for giving us a bit of your time! Could you please tell us a bit of the background story of Ministry of New?
The brand Ministry of New started back in 2013, when Marlies (who was an Art Director at the time) decided to revamp an old factory in Lalbaug, Mumbai and create a shared photo studio / work / event space. She called it “Ministry of New” and it organically grew into one of the first collaborative workspaces in Mumbai.
I formally joined her in 2015 as her business partner (I had done a shoot in the first space before and had also become a member meanwhile) and we started the Ministry of New that exists today in Fort, together. As 2 creatives (I am a journalist / copywriter / comedian and Marlies is a graphic designer / art director), we both felt that the city needed more inspiring spaces to work and create.
How would you define coworking in your own words?
For me, coworking is not only about sharing resources or real estate. It is very much about building a community and helping to support the growth of one another’s business through knowledge and network sharing. So many amazing accomplishments (both professionally and personally) have occurred at Ministry of New. It’s a space that makes magic happen for people in their business but also in their own growth. We’ve noticed people gaining confidence and “coming into their own” at our space due to an environment that is positive and encouraging of success and innovation. In short, it’s supporting people to get the best out of themselves and each other.
How did you decide to build your space the way it is now?
Being two Dutch women, we wanted a space that was open and transparent without too much of slogan shouting or “in your face” primary colours. We wanted to create an oasis of calm and creativity so this is why we’ve used a lot of blues and greens.
We call ourselves “Your Professional Oasis” and we really intend for people to make “Ministry of New” their own.
We also wanted to include a lot of natural fabrics and plenty of plants to give a relaxed, organic feel that is not too forced or too “overly designed for the sake of design”. We both are strong believers in “form meets function”. There are plenty of lovely spaces for people to concentrated / introspect and get their work done. If they are tired of sitting at their desk, they move into the courtyard, have a go on our swing or simply stare out the large windows at some of the beautiful heritage sights that surround us. In short, there is plenty of inspiration to go around! And mixing up your environment gives a sense of freedom which allows people to keep tapping into their creativity.
What were the challenges you encountered while building up your space?
One challenge was to give the kind of international level quality of space and service that doesn’t only let Ministry of New compete in India but to be a global player in the coworking field. This requires constant monitoring to ensure standards are maintained.
Let’s talk about your community. How would you describe it?
The community is what we value most in our space. The type of people who have been attracted here are of such diverse backgrounds — from the highly technical to the extremely creative — that it has been inspiring to know these people, see their work and watch as connections are formed. We have some fantastic teams as well including The Financial Times, Pavitra Rajaram’s team (who design for Good Earth and Nicobar) as well as several rapidly growing social enterprises. We even have a senior scientist who consults for NASA and worked on the New Horizon mission to Pluto! Every day is in the space analyzing the rings of Saturn… but he’ll also bring his telescope to work and show other members the Sun, up close and personal. We also have people in our space from many different nationalities. That is another aspect which distinguishes us from most other coworking spaces in India. Plus, many of our members come in with an impressive network already, being established experts in their chosen fields. We also have one of the highest ratios of women working here.
How do you create a sense of togetherness inside the space?
We organise weekly talks where members can share something about their work in our library. We also do a monthly potluck brunch in which new people are introduced, issues are discussed etc. and we all play football together every fortnight. For the rest, we organise evening drinks, movie nights, board game nights, brand sponsored talks, tours, yoga and many more exciting things.
What is the thing you hear the most when people come to Ministry of New for the first time?
They love the sense of calm and space that they usually don’t get the chance to encounter in a chaotic and crowded city like Mumbai. They also love the design which is eclectic, homey and subtle with a few eye catchers in place to surprise you when you’re not expecting it. Many people also report that the space has a very global yet personal feel to it.
Any future upcoming plans for MoN that you can talk about?
At the moment, we are looking into a few different options but nothing concrete to be shared as yet….
One thing we can share though is the cool selfie we did with Jaosh while we visited the space!
📨 Subscribe to our once a month newsletter to follow our startup project and meet the awesome people we encounter along the way in the coworking spaces of the world.What’s your story? Tell us on Twitter @COWORKIES.
