BHIVE Workspace Secures Angel Funding from Key Investors and Announces its 4th Location, in a Short Span of a Year!

Business Wire India
Aiming at optimum functioning and boosted productivity, BHIVE is a creative workspace solution for all work enthusiasts; entrepreneurs, start-ups and businesses.

Shesh Paplikar, CEO & Founder of BHIVE Workspace, firmly believes that co-working spaces are essential to developing a growing and vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in India. He reflects that while an entrepreneur or startup spends time, efforts and investments on taking an idea to the next level, there exists many trivial, yet significant, issues that grab attention. Finding the right workspace, maintenance of office space, bill payments and operations, house-keeping and security, procuring food and beverages etc. are a few such distractions. Setting up the perfect backdrop to fix this issue or to amplify one’s productivity, lead to the conception of BHIVE Workspace.

BHIVE started out as a provider of accessible and quality plug ‘n’ play workspace in Koramangla, Bangalore. Today, one year from conception, it fulfills the vision behind its existence by fueling efficiency, catalyzing innovation, triggering collaborations and housing success stories of about 90 startups covering 400 active members. BHIVE Workspace is opening its fourth location (HSR Sector 4) shortly!

“TaxiForSure overgrew its 1200 sq. ft. office space in no time. The growing needs of the company took its employees to four different offices in the same year. Many efforts, that rather be invested on work, were channeled into becoming a fully functional office space. When I heard that my classmate Shesh was contemplating around the same issue, taking away this burden from a dedicated mind, I knew the model would work,” says investor Mr. Raghunandan G, Co-Founder & CEO, TaxiForSure.

The success of this co-working space has attracted angel investments, from the likes of Raghunandan G (Founder, TaxiForSure), Rajesh Rai (Venture Capitalist & Co-Founder, Venturesity), Arihant Patni (Managing Director, Hive Technologies), Sanjay Mirchandani (Owner, Mirchandani Group), Arun Narayan (Director, UK India Business Council) and others making it the largest in India’s startup capital Bangalore.

BHIVE Workspace houses startups, small businesses and companies. RoadRunnr, which is now a commended startup, started out of a 6 seater cabin in BHIVE Koramangala. Arpit Dave, Co-founder RoadRunnr says, “BHIVE helped us focus and accelerate in our early stage by providing us with the right scaffolds; requirements met, space, processes etc. We enjoyed our time as BHIVE members and moved out as we grew very large.”

Placed in prime locations in Bangalore, BHIVE houses enthusiasts across various work profiles like - Tech, Software, Mobile, Hardware, IOT, Fintech, Education, Innovation, Foodtech, Gaming, eCommerce, B2B, B2C, Hyperlocal, Social Impact & freelancers. The coming together of amazingly different yet like-minded and industrious individuals, in such a vibrant workspace, to meet, collaborate, communicate and exchange ideas, often creates value that nourishes the whole community. 

Mr. Arihant Patni, investor, says, “Entrepreneurs need all the help they can get to achieve their vision. Physical work space is one thing, but having support from a community of mentors and other entrepreneurs in the same space is a big asset. BHIVE aims to provide this ecosystem in a way that will really help startups get to the next level. I am excited to support them in this journey.”

Be it testing a product or hiring the right employee, finding the co-founder or investors… it all happens at BHIVE. The community celebrates one another’s successes. Mr. Vardhan Koshal, Udacity, explains “We being a small team derive energy from the larger community around us. Working alongside hundred odd people in such a workspace fills us with a feeling of expanse, which in turn keeps us motivated; on a busy day, a good conversation with a fellow member works as a stress buster. This apart, BHIVE Workspace comes at very affordable prices and includes various member benefits and discounts, making the experience more enjoyable!” 

BHIVE forms a bridge to support its members for today’s fast moving, energetic and competitive global startup environment. In the regard, BHIVE Workspace has attracted partners like the Open Coffee Club. Mr. Amarinder Singh, Co-nurturer of Open Coffee Club (OCC), says, “OCC Bangalore is one of the oldest entrepreneurship un-conference styled communities in India. BHIVE is Bangalore’s largest co-working space. As the two are aligned in principal, it is but natural that there’s a marriage between them. We value and encourage such a partnership that, together, bridges the gap for many startups in the ecosystem.”

Ravi, Co-founder BHIVE Workspace, explains that BHIVE is set to be both inspiring and encouraging, for work and other aspects of a member’s life. Mr. Vidhya Shankar, Head- Partner Alliances, NASSCOM 10,000 startups says, “Our program is fully committed in ensuring the success of the start-up ecosystem in the country, which is fast doubling in the number of VCs, investors and incubators and accelerators of tech start-ups as per our recent start-ups landscape survey. As the start-up capital of India, Bangalore is witnessing its fair share of growth. We are glad to extend our support to BHIVE in building a unique co-working space that supports the fast expanding eco-system in the city catering to the needs of the developer community and in nurturing talented start-ups.”
 
Some member focussed benefits are:
 

• Access to a growing and well-networked startup community
• Connects with investors from across the globe
• Free events, mentoring sessions, panel discussions and workshops across varied areas like funding, women entrepreneurship, investments, legal etc.
• Internal and informal events to trigger interaction within BHIVE, and parties in prominent hangout zones to help initiate collaboration within the start-up community, mentors and investors in Bangalore.
• Dedicated games area to leave members refreshed after their breaks
• Strong fitness focus to reflect as a good work-life balance in member lives
• Special discounts & services from BHIVE partners across different sectors benefiting the community
• The community app & mailing list to stay regularly updated about the recent successes and needs of the community, which in turn helps many internal companies to get new in-house business & references.

BHIVE Workspace thus enables the community to co-work, connect and collaborate. “In a nutshell, a co-working space makes techies entrepreneurs. They come in with an idea or an expertise – mostly unidimensional. They gain access to the community, events, workshops etc., eventually making them aware and equipped with skills essential to run a business,” says investor Mr. Arun Narayan, UKIBC.

Photo Caption: BHIVE Workspace raises new round of investment