Tech Helping Tech: Providing office flexibility for entrepreneurs
Acting as an ‘Airbnb for commercial spaces,’ FlySpaces aggregates all offices, meeting rooms, and co-working spaces in a determined city and puts them online
As entrepreneurs live and breathe the nomadic lifestyle, it’s no surprise that finding a proper working space can be one of the many basic problems they face. Additionally, fast-paced companies that continue to expand require a quick yet accessible workspace for their employees. Fortunately, with shared economy becoming a commonly practiced concept, providing entrepreneurs and businesses with a variety is now possible.
Enter FlySpaces
Acting as an ‘Airbnb for commercial spaces,’ FlySpaces aggregates all offices, meeting rooms, and co-working spaces in a determined city and puts them online. In doing so, it eases the process of finding a proper working space.
“Looking for an office or retail space is a full-time job in Southeast Asia. The economies here are doing so well that the market is very pro-landlord, allowing them to cherry-pick possible tenants,” explains Mario Berta, Founder and CEO of FlySpaces.
“When I was working for Rocket Internet, I had to submit a company profile to every landlord in Manila, and I kept being rejected just because the word ‘startup’ was in it. As landlords are afraid of defaulting tenants, they wanted a safe bet, I started labeling it an IT company and finally got [office] space!” he adds.
With most Fortune 500 companies going after the growing Asian middle class and setting up offices in major ASEAN cities, the office retail market is only growing faster. This makes it more difficult for SMEs to set up shop in these countries.
According to a KMC MAG Group research study, some Asian cities such as Hong Kong, Manila and Jakarta have one of the lowest office vacancy rates in the world. This explains why traditional workplace companies like Regus are heavily investing in Asia, as they predict that companies will need more flexibility.
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How it works
Berta explains that most of the company’s suppliers come from business owners who have excess working spaces and need to subsidise their rent. Other suppliers come from co-working spaces, business centres and boutique and mall operators.
On the other hand, FlySpaces’ demand comes from all walks of life.
“We want to offer a complete and comprehensive selection to our clients who need flexibility. They could be freelancers looking for better Internet connection than a coffee shop could provide or an established corporation that needs meeting rooms for a couple of hours around town or a satellite office or a brand that is looking to set up a pop-up shop to test a product,” adds Berta.
Users only need to sign up on the FlySpaces’ webpage, browse and pick the space of their choice, and directly book on the platform. For other products such as short-term office spaces, it provides lead generation for merchants and people are available to provide office tours for users who would need office space for the long-term.
Currently, FlySpaces is doing brisk business in Manila and Cebu (the Philippines’ second biggest city) and will start expanding internationally in December to all the ASEAN countries.
“Once we have built the network or partners around Asia we will develop products to enhance inter-regional flexibility,” concludes Berta.
This is part of our ‘Tech Helping Tech’ series, where we feature companies in Asia that are helping to solve business problems for the tech industry and startup ecosystems. Find out more about FlySpaces’ great deal for your business and find out how you can list on the e27 Marketplace here. For more great products and services designed to benefit your growing business, visit e27.co/marketplace
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