Coworking Spaces in Chennai

Chennai, in the past few years, has emerged as a hotspot for start-ups, with many entrepreneurial minds crediting the city as their work land. Today, the city is full of SaaS-based (Software as a Service) start-ups, helping it move towards a more technologically advanced sphere. As entrepreneurial endeavours are making rapid progress in Chennai, the need for a skilled employee base and a self-sufficient work environment has become paramount. To address this issue, the city has shifted to a more accepting attitude towards shared office spaces.  If you are looking for a coworking space in Chennai, here’s all you need to know about the city and its business scene.

What is the work culture in Chennai?

In the past few years, Chennai’s transformation into becoming an IT hub has contributed significantly to the work culture of the city. While the early years of development cast the same shadow on the work settings as the rest of India, the entry of top organisations and global practices has had a positive influence on the professional scenario.

In fact, owing to the employment scene across the country, the city has also warmed up to the concept of gig economy. Today, organisations of all scales do not shy away from hiring freelancers and contractual employees, especially if they possess the right skill-set and the qualities required for a role.

What is the approach of Chennai towards coworking spaces?

In the present day, individuals under the umbrella of gig economy have become more entwined with the daily operations of organisations. Hence, it was only natural for Chennai to willingly welcome the concept of coworking. Today, the city is credited with some of the finest shared office spaces, designed to cater to the growing needs of the start-up era. From incubators to accelerators, Chennai has everything to offer and more.

Why are coworking spaces right for you?

Whether you are a freelancer or a start-up owner, the creative type or a techie – finding the ideal place to conduct business with nothing to interrupt your day but smouldering cups of coffee can be a tedious task. With coworking spaces, you can work in a relaxed environment without having to worry about burning a hole in your pocket. Here’s why coworking spaces can be the right way ahead for you!

• No more 9 to 5: Maintaining a fixed schedule might not be everyone’s cup of tea, especially if you work for an international clientele. Coworking spaces, generally, have a 24X7 schedule, allowing you to access the centres as per your convenience and availability. Furthermore, there are no tabs on how much time you spend at work. You can come as you wish and choose to leave as soon as your work is done. Flexibility has been a big issue among organisations and shared office spaces have brought this culture to the heart of the business world.
   
• The opportunity to network: Networking skills are quintessential when it comes to the business world. Your success in your career path depends largely on how well you can network and how strong your professional network is. What if you had a space where you can work and network, all at the same time? Well, that’s what coworking spaces offer you – a platform to network with a community of like-minded professionals and use the insight to improve business practices.
   
• Save money: Renting an entire office space early on in your start-up journey or working out of a coffee shop can be an expensive affair. Coworking spaces offer you high-quality amenities at cheap rates, allowing you to invest your financial resources. In fact, certain coworking spaces also offer discounts to female members and have the provision for daily pass. The flexible plans offered by shared office spaces allow you the liberty to spend as and when you want to.

Best coworking spaces in Chennai

The coworking spaces in Chennai are conveniently set up in central locations, taking the proximity to public transportation into consideration. Areas such as Anna Nagar, Guindy, Vadapalani, Nungambakkam, Perungudi, Alwarpet, Velachery, Ashok Nagar and T Nagar have some of the cheapest coworking spaces in the city. If you are an entrepreneur or a freelancer and are looking for an infrastructure-rich coworking space to work out of, here are five options that could be your ideal bet.

• @Works

With the aim of empowering enthusiasts and ambitious professionals, @Works has established four centres across Chennai in areas such as OMR (Perungudi), Alwarpet, Kilpauk and Nungambakkam. This establishment offers plans for duration ranging from one day to one month, depending on your needs. While a one-day past at the OMR centre will cost your Rs. 370, the monthly price at these establishments for a standard coworking can be anywhere between Rs. 5,500 and Rs. 6,000. @Works is one of the most affordable shared office spaces in Chennai and offers various amenities including unlimited WiFi for two devices, three-hour access to conference rooms, a breakbar, laser printing services and more.

• Workafella

Workfella entered the coworking sphere with the jest of creating an adaptable workspace for start-ups, freelancers, small businesses and large corporates. Today, it has 5 centres spread across the city of Chennai, located in areas such as Teynampet, Nungambakkam, Shollinganallur, Perungudi and Alwarpet. Workafella offer five office types – private office, custom-built office, dedicated desks, office desks and virtual office, which are designed to cater to the needs of the modern-day professional. The amenities offered by this business centre includes 24X7 access, unlimited high-speed Internet, unlimited supply of coffee and tea, whiteboards for brainstorming sessions, food court, concierge, valet parking, shower and mini-fridge. The pricing of the products is not available for public use, however, Workafella is always open to inquiries.

• Spaces

Incepted in the city of Amsterdam, Spaces is a global coworking space with centres in 250 locations across the world. With the motto of “success breeds more success”, Spaces has established two centres in Chennai at Guindy and Royapettah. The products offered by Spaces at their Chennai centres include dedicated desks, office spaces and coworking membership. While a coworking membership starts from Rs. 11,310 per month, the price of an office can be anywhere between Rs. 17,700 and Rs. 21,400 per month. Spaces is flexible in terms of the dedicated desk provision and can help you find the right plan that falls in line with your requirement. Among the services offered, some are high-speed WiFi service, networking events, fully-serviced office space, meeting rooms as well as entrepreneurial community.

• Doxa Business Centre

Located at the centre of Chennai’s IT corridor, Doxa Business Centre is spread across three major areas, namely, Teynampet, Perungudi and Thoraipakkam. This coworking space offers products such as serviced private offices, virtual offices, instant offices, meeting and conference rooms and customised offices. The virtual offices start at Rs. 1,500 per month and the coworking plans start at Rs. 6,999. The coworking plans allow members to access an office space that offers services such as 24X7 access, dedicated desks, dedicated phone number, unlimited caffeine supply, mail handling and a prominent business address.

• The Executive Zone

The Executive Zone offers luxury offices to the professionals of today, to help them comfortably work out of a coworking space. The products offered by the Executive Zone include dedicated offices, open workspace, graveyard shift and virtual offices. Conveniently located at Anna Salai, this shared office space provider also offers meeting rooms, event spaces and business lounges for its members. The Executive Zone boasts of offering a long list of high-quality amenities such as seamless and secure Internet services, 24X7 access, concierge services, cafeteria and a community of professionals from diverse backgrounds and the opportunity to network with them. While the pricing of the products is not available for public viewing, you can always contact them to know more about their offerings.