WeWork launches global business platform to support Indian startups, invests $3 mn

Co-working major, WeWork India, on Thursday launched ‘Growth Campus’ with WeWork Labs to support early stage startups, innovators and enterprises. The Bengaluru headquartered firm will also invest $3 million through the new initiative. The company said that the initiative will provide access to WeWork spaces to the participating startups at incentivised rates. The ventures will also have access to approximately $500,000 worth of perks and benefits to help them grow faster.

This initiative is available to the entire startup ecosystem, including members, accelerators, incubators, investors and enterprises. Existing members receive all the benefits of the Growth Campus offering, along with access to the WeWork Labs platform for free, whereas the programme is open to startups, venture capitalists and other ecosystem players through a simple application process. Through this effort, WeWork Labs aims to support the startup ecosystem in overcoming the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic by providing them with access to workspaces, resources and investment, WeWork India said in a statement.

“We are happy to support the development of small businesses which will shape the future of entrepreneurship in the nation. WeWork Labs has always had the growth of the local startup ecosystem at the heart of its efforts and we hope that our expertise will provide startups with the network and resources to enable them to thrive, while facilitating prospects for cross collaboration,” Arvind Radhakrishnan, Head of Labs, WeWork India, said.

The initiative has been launched as part of a series of three in-person events spread across a week with some of the most renowned startups and investors, to discuss the role of the local ecosystem in Building India 2.0. The events will take place in Bangalore (4th October), Mumbai (6th October) and Gurgaon (8th October), and include panel discussions with founders, various networking sessions and reverse pitches from some of the most active venture capitalists in the country. Startups including  Plum, Betterplace Jai Kisan, Onsurity, CoutLoot, BluSmart, PeeSafe, Doubtnut and venture capitalists like Chiratae, Cisco, Blume, Stellaris Venture Partners Black Soil, Venture Catalysts, Matrix Partners, InnoVen, Beenext, Venture Highway, Orios, Eximius VC are expected to be in attendance.

Also read: The New Avatar of Coworking Spaces