Miguel McKelvey, co-founder and chief creative officer of the $20 billion New York-based collaborative workspace startup WeWork, discussed his business in India with Forbes’ India staff Anshul Dhamija.
McKelvey said that in India WeWork had entered into a partnership with the Embassy Group. They launched operations in the beginning of this year and had close to 350,000 square feet of shared workspaces in Bangalore and Mumbai. “India’s probably the biggest market for us,” says McKelvey.
The concept of sharing a workspace with diverse set of professionals and enterprises is new in India and is catching on. WeWork gives access to discounted health care services, payment processing for their companies, IT support, education and training, to all its members.
When asked to comment on what opportunities India offers, McKelvey said: When we first came here, or thought about coming here, it certainly felt a bit overwhelming because it’s such a huge place and the culture is so diverse, varying from city to city and state to state. So having a partner is essential in understanding the local culture and also gives us credibility in the market. India’s probably the biggest market for us. While we are super excited to be in Japan, Australia and Europe, we are talking about hundreds of millions of people here in India. I think this is a place that, in the upcoming years, will play a major part in the way the world economy develops. For us to be here now is an incredible opportunity.
