Rent an office in Ctg for only an hour!

If you are a Chattogram-based entrepreneur and need an office space just for an hour, a day or only a month on the cheap and fast, or a place to meet your clients in the port city, then Ekotro is your best bet.

Two young entrepreneurs – Junaid Ahmed Rahat and Sheikh Uzair – are set to roll out this first-of-its-kind service in the port city on 10 December.

Named Ekotro, the coworking space has already been set up at a building in the Sugandha Residential area of the city, where several groups or up to 45 people can work together.

You can book your desired number of desks, or space for a particular time at affordable rates.

"Those looking for office space can come in a group or individually. We have options for desks, conference rooms and private rooms," said Junaid Ahmed. 

He told The Business Standard that they would offer meeting room services at Tk500-4,000 per day, and Tk3,500-24,000 per month for private cabins depending on the amount of space required. 

A single desk can be booked for Tk500 per day and Tk3,500 per month, while a private room with a capacity of four would cost Tk16,000 per month, and for six people it would be Tk24,000 a month. 

The conference room, which can accommodate 6-8 people at once, can be booked for Tk4,000 for a day. 

"We will inaugurate Ekotro on 10 December. Meanwhile, we have already gotten a huge response from startup entrepreneurs," said Junaid, adding that 20% of the desks have already been booked.

Co-working is an arrangement in which small-scale entrepreneurs or workers of different companies share an office space, in a bid to save money and other conveniences by the use of common infrastructures, with no need for long-term leases or rent agreements. 

Around 1.65 million people have worked at co-working spaces globally as of 2018, according to a global research website "Statista". 

In Dhaka, several companies have rolled out the services over the last couple of years. 

"One year after my return from Malaysia, I launched my business with capital support from my father," Rahat told The Business Standard. 

"I noticed that many of my friends and close ones could not run any business due to a lack of office space. They didn't have enough money to set up private offices," he added. 

Ekotro founder Uzair said, "In the initial stage, startups struggle to manage capital. Investing a minimum of Tk2 lakh for an office is a big challenge for them. 

"We are providing a completely decorated and well-designed office at a minimum rent," he said. 

The Ekotro office provides wifi, IT support, power backup, projector display, training facilities, pantry and other facilities. 

Entrepreneurs can also exhibit their products at the office.