As you enter the gate of the little white building, the first thing that strikes you are two tall trees that flank the main gate — one a fragrant eucalyptus and the other a lush mango. They’re also what give the place its name: TwoTrees, one of the newest coworking spaces in town. On the ground floor of the barely week-old venue is a bistro, The Summer House Eatery, busy dishing out chicken wings, pasta and sandwiches, while a flight of stairs dotted with origami birds leads up to the first floor that houses the coworking space.
Each room opens onto spacious balconies that overlook the garden filled with birdsong: quite unlike any office space in the city. Potted plants by Harith-Tharang fill every nook and cranny and are up for sale. “Our way of promoting sustainability and conscious gifting,” says Priya Goutham, co-founder, TwoTrees.
“The three of us — Keerthana Chandrasekaran, Kanakadhara Srinivasan and me — come from diverse backgrounds, and have all held corporate jobs abroad, before we decided to call it quits and head back to India in 2015. When we were looking for an office space to set up our consulting firm, we didn’t really find a place that we liked all that much. So early last year, we came across this property and that got us thinking. One thing led to another and the idea of starting a coworking space took root.”
Work began in September 2017, and the space has been functional since January, though the formal launch took place last week. “TwoTrees is our way of addressing issues that we faced during our hunt for a space. We are basically looking to create an ecosystem for early companies and entrepreneurs,” says Srinivasan, as Chandrasekaran adds, “It is not just a space to work out of. We help them by connecting them to others. We plan to conduct regular events, where we get people from the industry, also events that break away from the routine, such as laughter therapy, among others.”
“We have faced situations where you can sit at a coffee shop only for as long as you place an order. We wanted to do away with that,” says Goutham, adding, “for the regular members, we also offer home-style food.”
The first floor has both private offices and hot desks, and also offers the option of hiring a virtual office. The lobby features a cosy nook with cushions, that overlooks a garden through a large picture window. “Perfect to put up your feet and grab a coffee or read a book in between a hectic work day,” explains Goutham.
The founders are keen on tying up with companies that are into creating a social impact. “That would be in line with our own policy; such companies can also avail a discount,” says Goutham, adding that they’re also trying to stay flexible when it comes to the packages offered. “So people can also choose to rent out just the conference room if they wish — for a workshop, class session or meetings. Our pricing is pretty competitive as well, beginning at ₹8,000 and going up to ₹12,000 per month, per seat.”
The trio aims to set up more spaces across the city in the coming months. “Our focus is on residential areas; areas away from the usual IT hubs,” signs off Goutham.
