Bhopal, which once played home to the legendary Raja Bhoj, is a popular tourist destination today, known for its rich historical legacy as well as beautiful lakes and picturesque settings. Though the city’s major industries are cotton, jute, textile, electrical goods, chemicals, medicine, and jewelry, its IT and startup sector too has started getting quite some attention in recent years. From IT and tourism to education and much more, several diverse startups have decided to make the city their base of operations over the last few years. To meet the needs of these startups as well as other gig economy workers and independent consultants, quite a few coworking spaces have come up in the city. As a result, you’ll now get multiple choices of coworking spaces in Bhopal to work efficiently with minimal interruptions.
Bhopal’s Business Culture
Apart from its major industries as mentioned above, the city’s economy also gets contributions from cloth weaving, cotton and flour milling, painting, handicrafts, sealing wax, making matches, and sporting equipment. A substantial share of the city’s economy is attributed to large retail businesses.
Bhopal’s Govindpura Industrial Area hosts the city’s key small and medium scaled industries. The city also plays home to a unit of BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited) – which is India’s largest engineering and manufacturing enterprise. Since BHEL is a leading manufacturer of heavy electrical equipments, it employs a substantial local population and even people from nearby areas.
Bhopal’s Mandideep Industrial Area where several leading companies like HEG, Eicher Tractors, Procter & Gamble, etc. have their manufacturing units is another key economic driver of the city. Among these, HEG deserves a special mention as it’s the nation’s top graphite electrode manufacturer.
Despite the prevalence of traditional industries, Bhopal also offers adequate support to its IT industries and startups.
IT and Startup Scenario in Bhopal
Several small and medium-sized IT and ITES companies have chosen Bhopal as their base of operations. The primary reasons are the lower cost of setting up business in a tier-2 city than expensive tier-1 cities and the ease of availability of talent. With several colleges, universities, and institutions of national importance such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, IISER, School of Planning & Architecture, and IIIT, among others, Bhopal has an extensive talent pool that’s ready to be taken advantage of.
The city’s startup scenario too is developing slowly. From startups with traditional business ideas to those looking to leverage the city’s vibrant ecosystem of technology, there’s a lot of diversity in the startup scene. And when you add to this mix the professionals working in the modern gig economy like freelancers, independent consultants, and more, the work culture of Bhopal would surely appear to be a melting pot.
To meet the varying demands of these freelancers, consultants, and other employees who’ve now been forced by the pandemic to work from home, the city’s coworking spaces have come as a welcome relief. With their affordable and flexible plans and locations, these coworking spaces not only offer a conducive work environment but even deliver additional support in the form of mentorship, incubation and acceleration, networking, and collaboration, to name a few.
