Business Hubs Sri Lanka one year on disrupting the way we work!

• Celebrates its first anniversary together with 10th anniversary of Global Entrepreneurship Week (#GEW2017)

Exactly a year ago, the Nugegoda Business Hub hosted and launched the first-ever Global Entrepreneur Network (GEN) Sri Lanka Roundup, celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week 2016, a weeklong global celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit. 

Business Hubs Sri Lanka became a Collaborative Partner in Sri Lanka for GEN, which is backed by the Kauffman Foundation and is supported by many world leaders with a network of more than 20,000 partner organisations in 170 countries. Business Hubs and GEN celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Global Entrepreneurship Week (#GEW2017) from 13-19 November this year. 

Just over a year ago, on 1 October, the very first of a network of co-working centres opened its doors for business. This mini-hub, seating just 26, is the Business Hubs’ very first operational co-working centre offering a different way of working.

The next Hubs opened up soon after, with the Nugegoda Business and Colpetty Business Hubs opening the very next month and the Deal Place Hub in early February the next year. 

Michael Moonesinghe, CEO of Glover Daniels International, a Human Capital Consultancy firm based in Colombo and founder of the Business Hubs Sri Lanka, spoke about what inspired him to move into the co-working arena: “The motivation to start Business Hubs began at the Disrupt Asia conference in July 2016. With hundreds of entrepreneurs present, one of the most common complaints that I kept hearing was that of the lack of access to affordable office space in convenient locations. This, coupled with the need to pay large advance rentals and security deposits, burdens aspiring entrepreneurs with massive expenses, which can often kill off a great idea before it starts!” Michael decided that such a significant problem could not be ignored and so, in his own very fast-moving entrepreneurial style, he decided to confront the issue head-on and to provide a simple and practical solution himself. “One of the advantages of wholly owning a private company is that we can make decisions  and move quickly.”

The Business Hubs and what they offer as an alternate working lifestyle very quickly grabbed the attention of the many entrepreneurs, small businesses and digital nomads. Alliances with stakeholders in the startup ecosystem were quickly forged, and Business Hubs went on to sponsor many start-up-related programs and events such as Start-up Weekends, entrepreneurial events and of course, Business Hubs became the workspace partner and sponsor for Disrupt Asia 2017. 

Business Hubs Sri Lanka was also picked by New York-based Culture Trip as one of their Local Favourites for ‘The Best Working Spots for Digital Nomads in Colombo, Sri Lanka’ for 2017.

Michael and his team plan to open a network of at least 10 Business Hubs across Sri Lanka within the next 12-18 months.Their Mega-Hub location in Nugegoda has expanded even further to 12,000 square feet over four floors including a rooftop lounge and dining area with a café servicing its members. 

The Business Hubs website www.businesshubs.lkserves to connect entrepreneurs and small businesses from all over the country, to enable better networking and collaboration opportunities. “Someone in Jaffna may be able to assist or do business with another small business in Colombo or Galle, where at the moment they probably don’t even know about each other,” says Michael. This will have an immediate and very positive impact on the country’s fast-growing and essential SME sector.

Michael’s venture has changed the way business is done.The Business Hubs is set to become the crucial platform for many successful business ventures launching in Sri Lanka. “And it’s not just the Sri Lankan community that benefits from the Hubs,” says Michael. “Since opening, just over a year ago, we have welcomed visiting Hubbers from Nepal, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Norway, France, the Netherlands, the US, the UK, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Everyone is assured of a very warm welcome at the Business Hubs -’Enjoy Working Differently!’.”

“Going forward, the Business Hubs Network will play a leading role in creating a well-networked Sri Lankan entrepreneurial ecosystem and a robust GEN Sri Lanka,” says GEN Sri Lanka Acting Managing Director Suresh de Mel. For more information on Business Hubs, contact [email protected], visit their website www.businesshubs.lk or join their fast-growing Facebook group: ‘Business Hubs_Sri Lanka’ and Facebook page ‘Business Hubs Sri Lanka’.

For more information on GEN and GEW, contact [email protected] or visit http://genglobal.org/sri-lanka.