India’s tech startup scene is growing – and it’s on track to grow at a rapid pace. What else can you expect from a country that consistently produces some of the best engineers in the world? With top institutions like Birla Institute of Technology and Science; University of Mumbai; and the Indian Institute of Technology, India is in a position to become one of the top startup ecosystems in the world. (Amazon recruits heavily from The Birla Institute of Technology and Science and the University of Mumbai, while the Indian Institute of Technology falls just behind Stanford, MIT, and Berkeley in producing the most VC-backed entrepreneurs).There’s also been an influx of venture capital, with leading figures like Brad Feld and Dave McClure pushing for more recognition of India’s nascent startup ecosystem. But, if you’re a growing startup based in India and are looking to establish an office space, what exactly does it take to go about it? In blog post shared on Reddit a few days ago, India-based startup AdPushup shares their experience of what it’s like and how much it costs to set up an office in India.
“So I understand that a lot of us entrepreneurs in India are clueless while trying to setup a new office. There are no detailed guides or cheats-sheets for this stage of our business,” reads the Reddit post. “[AdPushup] faced the same issue ourselves and that’s why once our new office was functioning, we decided to write this expansive post. It details the cost breakdown, office specifications (chair and table types, workspace size, misc. furniture, wiring, air conditioning, decorations etc) and relevant pictures.”
The Pitampura Boulevard (via AdPushup)
AdPushup – which offers a platform aimed at increasing ad revenue through A/B testing – published the post on building their startup office with the hope of helping other Indian startups navigate their way through the process. From selecting a location, to determining the layout of the office itself, the post documents the specific steps through which AdPushup was able to successfully complete their office space in Pitampura (which is located in the Indian capital of New Delhi). While startups in India can surely benefit more directly from the post, companies in the U.S. can learn about the different thought processes involved when planning to build an office for your startup. Are you taking into consideration the commute time for all your current employees? What office amenities are you looking to provide? These – among other things – are documented in AdPushup’s blog post.
“We don’t have formal working hours and quite a few team members prefer working late. Adequate rest is essential, so we decided to make sure that the office is comfortable enough for anyone wishing to stay over (we don’t recommend it though),” writes AdPushup cofounder Ankit Oberoi. “Our office is designed in a way to allow everyone to work for as long as they want; with the comfort of a home.”
Illustration of AdPushup’s open-office space (via AdPushup)
Replete with pictures documenting the entire process of setting up their startup office, along with precise details on the costs associated with all the decisions the company made to establish the space, AdPushup’s blog post provides a valuable resource for Indian startups. Sure, situations differ for companies, but the post does a good job of laying out considerations specific for Indian startups overall. For instance, Oberoi notes that startups should make sure to find office space in a complex where they don’t charge extra for operating outside the standard office hours of 10 AM and 6 PM – advice that is absolutely clutch, especially considering that most startups operate way beyond the normal office hours.
It’s a really great post, and it strips away whatever preconceived notions you had about what it’s like to startup in India. Read the full post on AdPushup’s website.