As you enter the spanking new premises in Adyar, you’re struck by an explosion of pink. Muted white desks have translucent pink partitions and the walls are covered in the same colour as well.
The lounge, with its casual seating, has pink accents, and a book shelf in one corner is stacked with titles of all kinds. This is WSquare, one of the newest entrants in the co-working space eco-system, and the only one exclusively for women.
An initiative by two young entrepreneurs, Vandhana Ramanathan and Jinal Patel, WSquare offers women a space to work out of, uninterrupted by a million chores.
Says Patel, “Vandhana and I have been running an ad agency for the last couple of years and, for the last six months, we’d been extensively working out of coffee shops. Factors such as rent and down payment to rent an office space proved a hindrance. That’s how this idea came about. We realised the importance of a co-working space for entrepreneurs with a limited budget, who have to choose between hiring well or paying a hefty rent.”
Co-working spaces might be a dime a dozen, but what WSquare aims to do is a create an entire eco-system for women entrepreneurs.
“We have everything from concierge services to tie-ups with home cooks to deliver food for those who want it. Women working out of here can also opt to have beauty services and even yoga classes. For busy mothers, we’re in talks with day care centres close-by, so they can drop their children there before coming to work and also monitor their child via video. Women can also choose to have their groceries delivered here, so when they go home after work, they are free from chores. There’s 24x7 security and power backup too,” says Ramanathan, adding, “The idea is to encourage women, especially those who had to quit their jobs due to other commitments or pregnancy, to pick up the thread once again.”
WSquare will also have workshops during weekends that will range from financial planning and self-defence to DIY crafts.
With another centre set to launch in Mumbai next week, the founders are looking at setting up around six centres across the city by the year-end, and also expand to cities such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad soon.
“We currently have daily, monthly and flexi passes for those looking to rent the space. The price ranges from ₹500 to ₹12,000,” says Ramanathan.
