Making Co-Working Their Core: Vandita Purohit & Sunanda Verma, The Daftar

Not that starting up is hard enough, but when you add infrastructure into the equation such as "office space", well it's a whole different money ballgame. But companies of today have adapted by functioning out of "Co-Working" spaces -- in which they share their work floor with individual/small size startups. These spaces are a boon to the entrepreneurs with costs kept in bounds along with basic amenities and tech services thrown in. The idea is to basically lease office space on a subscription basis while offering flexible working hours.

The Daftar in Pune is one such space started by two very entrepreneurial women who want to foster creative thinking and innovation by bringing like-minded people together! Meet Vandita and Sunanda, the ladies behind this beautiful enterprise.

The Daftar is a co-working space in Pune

What is The Daftar?

"Co-working space was an idea that struck Vandita while she was in the US. What attracted her most was the fact that workspaces there were very vibrant & colourful unlike what they are in India usually. When she returned, we were working on our respective startups and eventually needed an office to work out from. However, we were not a big team then so renting out our own offices was a big expense, that's when we thought we should give the Coworking idea a shot and that's how The Daftar came into existence and it’s been a great journey so far!," said Sunanda.

Sunanda Verma Vandita Purohit of The Daftar

 The Daftar community

"We are currently home to about 42 companies working across the sectors like services, software, digital marketing, product-based startups and many more."

The influence of Co-Working spaces on entrepreneurship

"They really help shape up the minds of individuals. For very simple reasons: You meet a ton of people from different verticals, different styles of working etc and you start adopting a lot of good trends. Especially when it comes to sharing the success stories, struggles or the hardships, finding that trust group where you can discuss anything without any hitch. Co-working Spaces really help, they give you the perfect environment and set of like-minded people to connect, learn, collaborate & grow."

Being a hustler is always important!

 The business mantra

"Be a Hustler -- keep moving forward, keep doing great work, find creative solutions and live your dream."

 The Pune startup industry

Start up Industry in Pune is growing tremendously

"Pune is the country's biggest education hub and it also has a rich pool of tech developers, founders and mentors -- this great combination is continuously fuelling the startup ecosystem and today it is known for being the hub of multiple innovative startups."

 The passion-entrepreneur equation

"Passion is vital but passion alone is not enough. One definitely needs to be passionate about what he/she is pursuing but along with that you have to be hard-working, determined, motivated, at peace and have an overall balance. "

 The qualities of today's entrepreneur

"The most important would be embracing your failures. Make it a learning rather than a reason to quit. Challenges are bound to come, you will always have peer pressure, family pressure but failure is also a part of making a startup/entrepreneur successful."

Find a good support system for your startup

Advice to the startup founder of today

"Startups are really demanding and most important of its demands is the psychological demand of dealing with all the uncertainties and challenges. During this journey, it is great to have a peer group or a community of like-minded people who have similar dreams and goals. They are the people who will push you in exchange for being pushed, who will raise the bar, tell you the truth and most importantly will work as a support system during those difficult times."