Smartworks is reinventing the Indian business environment by fusing design, ambiance, hospitality, and technology to create the most agile workspaces feasibly. The two-and-a-half-yearold start-up is now addressing a two-pronged, unmet demand of delivering cost-effective and hassle-free workplaces while improving productivity via employee satisfaction — in keeping with its slogan of “Workspaces that work for you.”
Meet Neetish Sarda, the innovative creator, and CEO of Smartworks
Neetish Sarda holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management and a master’s degree in business administration from the Singapore Institute of Management (UniSIM, Singapore). His career began in his family’s manufacturing, real estate, and information technology firm, which employs 50,000 people. Before starting his own business, he worked for two real estate developers, Space Group and PS Group, as well as Vision Comptech Integrators (part of the Sarda Group).
Instead of taking over the family business, Sarda wanted to start his own firm and leave his imprint. When he first began out, he was inspired by how global behemoths like Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, and Facebook established and operated their offices, emphasizing the significance of people assets above real estate and other infrastructure.
According to Sarda, each person works for 8–10 hours every
day. The workplace atmosphere must be accommodating to the requirements of someone who spends a significant portion of his time there. He says, “The office needs to be more productive than just being real estate.”
Creating Smartworks
Neetish Sarda was influenced by his father.”One of the greatest lessons I learned from my father was to follow your dream, no matter what obstacles came in the way. He taught me not to be afraid of taking risks, staying relevant and current, and ensuring a healthy work-life balance, and today, as I lead Smartworks towards newer avenues, I understand the value of each one of those lessons,” he says.
Thus began his journey by founding Smartworks Coworking Spaces Private Limited (Smartworks) in April 2016. Smartworks has amassed an outstanding presence of 2.1
million sq. ft. across 9 important locations in less than two years, thanks to its capable leadership/guidance and vision. Smartworks is honored to provide office solutions to over 30,000 employees that represent big corporations, SMEs, and start-ups, with a strong focus on technology, creative design, and service offerings.
Furthermore, Smartworks’ ‘Smartweekenday’ programs offer a variety of networking and cooperation possibilities, including pet therapy, indoor games and tournaments, stand-up comedy, and more.
Achieving Milestones
Smartworks now has 23 locations in nine cities, with a total of 43,000 workstations distributed across 2.3 million square feet, serving over 400 businesses. Amazon Web Services, Bacardi Limited, DHL, Ernst & Young, Hitachi, Jaguar Land Rover
Automotive PLC, Microsoft Corporation, PETRONAS, Red Hat, Ricoh, Samsung, and others have praised the firm for its worldclass service. The company runs coworking spaces that provide individuals with not just a pleasant place to work, but also additional services and amenities such as a creche, laundry service, groceries, and gyms, among other things.
Due to lower costs, the coworking industry is anticipated to grow at a rapid rate to 13.5 million users by 2020, with half of them coming from businesses, which would occupy 10.3 million seats.
It intends to grow its presence to 20 million square feet in the next five years and supply office space to over 200,000 working professionals in the locations where it now operates. It also plans to expand into tier-2 cities in the future with small-format facilities.“Additionally, we see a lot of growth coming from Tier II markets as well,” Neetish says.