This 20-year-old CEO is changing the face of co-working space

At an age when her peers are looking at work opportunities or further studies, 20-year-old Princy Goyal is already a CEO.

The recent BMS graduate from NM College is the founder of Kontor Space, a co-working space that provides an ‘ecosystem’ which nurtures growth and provides incubation for startups. Taking note of her passion and drive at such a young age, Goyal was felicitated with the youngest woman entrepreneur award by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari at the Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar held last week.

Fresh landscape

Goyal’s journey in entrepreneurship began earlier this year, when she converted a family-owned property in Pune into a co-working space. The 12,000 sq ft space houses 400 work stations and has 85 per cent occupancy in just three months. She recently opened the second Kontor Space, spread across 30,000 sq ft, at Wagle Estate, Thane, housing 700 workstations with additional 10,000 sq ft dedicated to recreational and break-out zones.

Considering the changing landscape of work, Goyal has been very receptive to the needs of entrepreneurs. “Right from providing a professional space to work, arranging collaborative events to meet investors and professionals, giving them a platform to launch their product to educating and incubating them. The company’s tagline ‘Workspace that works for YOU’ captures the essence of the company.”

In recent years, many new co-working spaces, including international chains, have set up their branches in India. However, what sets Goyal’s business apart are the minute details that she has incorporated to create a holistic experience. Explaining the uniqueness of Kontor, she says, “The design is biophilic, linking nature to workplace to ensure mental stimulation and purification of air. Another big pull is that Kontor Space is cost-effective and flexible with different plans for individuals and companies, and allows them to customise the space as per their needs.”

But more importantly, Goyal is creating a women’s dedicated area to encourage and celebrate women entrepreneurs in all the locations, by providing them initial free space to establish their businesses. Depending on the need, the premise may also have a crèche for working mothers, she added.

Finding its place
Goyal is optimistic about the coworking space, considering the changing nature of work. “There are a lot of research studies indicating that co-working spaces are going to be the norm in a few years, as more people are becoming freelancers or opt for remote work. People want flexibility even in terms of work. And this space caters to those people very well,” she says.

Her research in the co-working concept intrigued her enough to start a business. While globally the industry is a decade-old, in India it’s nascent, which gives Goyal the confidence. “The diversity of expertise my management provides ensures that we are able to cater to all sorts of people and create unique experiences. It’s not just giving them a space to work, but also providing a variety of collaborative community events. We are creating a whole ecosystem that encourages a growth culture in millennial India,” she says.