The popularization of information and collaboration technologies in the workplace in addition to global economic changes and the requisites of sociability have created a need for flexible office locations that support mobile and collaborative work. Co-working is currently a globally generalizing workplace phenomenon.’. This revolutionary concept has attracted several companies including start-ups to venture into this to address two of the biggest urban growth challenges – space and time.

Pune based The Senate is one such company that offers state-of-the-art business environment. Throwing light on the initial days, Vikrant Vartak, Managing Director, The Senate, speaks, “The business centre industry in Pune, then, was quite in nascent stage being dominated by MNC & Pan India players. We, therefore, saw the vast underlying opportunities with respect to market needs & value proposition. Personally, I was inspired by book 'Blue Ocean Strategy' that spoke about ‘Value

Innovation’ and was left fascinated by Southwest Airline's tagline ‘Fly at the cost of a bus’. We thought to come up with a ‘hybrid model’ that serves as the key differentiator in all aspects.”

Endowed as one of Pune’s most prominent workplace solution providers offering complete ecosystem for growth

The Senate’s hybrid model combines the state-of-the-art business model with all the offerings that any large world-class business centre offers with the cost advantage of a budget business centre. Vikrant, an evangelist in entrepreneurship mentions, “We laid our initial foundation through a very piecemeal approach of arranging some knowledge sessions & mixer events organized in places, stating it as the entrepreneurship theme.”

State-of-the-Art Model for Complete Ecosystem for Growth
Integrating all the diverse offerings into a unified consolidated approach, The Senate classifies its platform into three units -‘Business Centre, Centre for Entrepreneurship Development & Fun & Fitness’. Endowed as one of Pune’s most prominent workplace solution providers with 45 plush plug-n-play office suites spread across 21,000 sq.ft

across two locations, the company leverages single seat to 30-seat serviced offices. It renders services such as virtual & personalized spaces, conference & meeting rooms and more imbibed with best quality facilities. Pinpointing the unique objective to offer a complete ecosystem for growth, The Senate has reinforced additional initiatives like Mavens, Talk Shows, Club Senate, Reading Lounge, Recreation Centre & Sports Week. Explaining on Mavens & The Senate Talk Shows, Vikrant avers, “These are initiatives by The Senate for bringing enrichment & holistic development amongst members & clients. Through Talk Shows, we try to make a giant stride in accomplishing the goal and till date we have conducted 17 talk shows in three years.”

Road to Expand & Acquire
The Senate has recently expanded its base by acquiring an existing business centre (with 95 seats) near Hinjewadi, the IT corridor of Pune. A bootstrapped company with a vibrant office environment determined by two esoteric terms ‘Values’ & ‘Culture’, The Senate offers 250 seats across two locations, 6 meeting & conference venues and a banquet hall. Fortifying that The Senate’s value proposition is unique & hard to match, Vikrant concludes, “Continuing with our hybrid model, we will continue to offer a complete ecosystem for growth.”