How Pune’s co-working sector Is evolving

Pune entrepreneur Nilesh Sule is redefining the city’s co-working landscape by building premium, flexible workspaces

Real estate is rarely the first choice for a startup. It is capital-intensive, demands long-term commitments and leaves little room for error-factors that often discourage entrepreneurs from entering the sector. Yet, for those willing to navigate its complexities, it can also create opportunities to fundamentally reshape how businesses operate.

When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, it also quietly dismantled one of the most rigid structures in business, the traditional office. (HT)

When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, it also quietly dismantled one of the most rigid structures in business, the traditional office. Across cities, office spaces fell silent as companies shut down, downsized or reimagined where and how work could happen. For many, it was a period of uncertainty. For entrepreneur Nilesh Sule, it became a moment of opportunity.

“The pandemic didn’t just disrupt work; it exposed a fundamental flaw in how businesses were tied down to long-term office commitments,” says Sule, founder of CC&Co Premium Coworking.

CC&Co’s journey began in 2021 with a modest 3,000 sq. ft. property on Prabhat Road in Pune. The building, however, was far from an ideal coworking space.

“The property wasn’t even designed for coworking,” Sule recalls.

“It had small, disconnected rooms and no clear identity.”

Rather than making heavy upfront investments during an uncertain period, he entered into a revenue-sharing arrangement with the property owner and focused on transforming the space through thoughtful design. Working with experiential designer Baarish Date, known for his work on large-scale projects including the Ram Mandir, the emphasis was on creating a premium workspace without overspending.

“We didn’t want to overinvest during COVID,” Sule says.

“So we focused on design, colour, layout and creating an international coworking vibe.”

Transformation

The transformation went beyond aesthetics. The existing smaller rooms, initially seen as a limitation, proved well-suited to a post-pandemic workplace where privacy, safety and flexibility had become priorities. What emerged was a premium workspace designed for professionals seeking quality office infrastructure without the burden of long-term leases.

The success of the first centre soon opened the door to expansion. Within a short period, CC&Co took over an entire 12,000 sq. ft. building that had previously housed multiple independent companies.

“After about one-and-a-half years, those companies exited, and the owner approached us to take over the entire building,” Sule says.

Managing an entire building brought new operational challenges. Beyond filling workstations, the focus shifted to optimising layouts, standardising services and delivering a consistent customer experience across multiple floors. The company was no longer experimenting; it was scaling.

As the business grew, Sule realised that coworking was no longer simply about providing desks and meeting rooms. Understanding client requirements became equally important.

“One of our biggest learnings was audience segmentation,” he says. “Today, around 60 per cent of our clients are from the IT sector, while the remaining 40 per cent come from diverse industries.”

That insight prompted investments in enterprise-grade compliance, secure networks and uninterrupted IT infrastructure.

“We started focusing heavily on compliance, secure networks and robust IT infrastructure. These weren’t common in coworking spaces earlier,” he says.

The emphasis on technology and compliance enabled CC&Co to attract larger enterprises as well as startups.

The coworking boom has also led to intense competition, with flexible workspaces ranging from apartment-based offices to café-style environments.

“A lot of players operate out of flats or café-style environments,” Sule says. “But they often miss the compliance and operational depth businesses need.”

CC&Co, he says, has consciously positioned itself as a premium operator by combining design, professionalism and operational efficiency while maintaining a consistent experience across locations.

The biggest attraction of coworking, however, remains its economics. Unlike traditional offices, where businesses pay for conference rooms, reception areas and common spaces regardless of utilisation, coworking allows these facilities to be shared.

“These are shared resources. You only pay for what you use,” Sule explains.

According to him, businesses can typically reduce occupancy costs by 25 to 30 per cent while avoiding expenses such as property tax, electricity, office administration, maintenance and stationery. Lower upfront capital expenditure also enables companies to deploy more resources towards their core business rather than office infrastructure.

Expansion

The company’s own expansion reflects the growing demand for flexible workspaces. Since 2023, CC&Co has invested around ₹10 crore and expanded to centres at Prabhat Road, Aundh and Kothrud, with another facility coming up in Aundh. The company now operates nearly 45,000 sq. ft. of workspace with a capacity of over 500 seats and an occupancy level of around 85 per cent.

“We’ve built three strong centres in Pune and are continuing to expand,” Sule says. “We also broke even within three years.”

The business has since evolved beyond coworking into managed office solutions as companies increasingly seek fully serviced workplaces.

“Many businesses don’t want the hassle of setting up and running an office,” Sule says. “They want a plug-and-play solution tailored to their needs.”

Under this model, CC&Co designs, builds and manages office spaces while handling day-to-day operations, allowing clients to focus entirely on their business.

“With smarter layouts and higher space utilisation, we can reduce occupancy costs by 20 to 30 per cent compared to conventional offices,” he says.

The managed office model, recently introduced at its Aundh centre, has already generated strong enquiries from companies seeking efficient, ready-to-use workspaces.

Looking back, Sule believes the business is far more operationally intensive than many assume.

“Building a coworking space is a completely different ball game,” he says. “It’s not just real estate, it’s running a service-driven business every day.”

As flexible work continues to gain acceptance, Sule sees coworking evolving beyond shared desks into business infrastructure that supports growth.

“We want to go beyond coworking,” he says. “We want to become a growth partner for businesses.”

From a single 3,000 sq. ft. experimental workspace to a multi-location premium coworking brand, CC&Co’s journey reflects the broader transformation of India’s workplace landscape.

“Workspaces should enable growth, not restrict it,” Sule says. “That’s exactly what we’re building.”