Starwork: Reinventing The Coworking Era

Savarat Sam Srimanothip

Co-Founder

Savarat Sam Srimanothip

Co-Founder

The coworking space industry is growing by leaps and bounds. A growing remote workforce and the rise of the gig economy are pushing the demand for workspaces to new heights. Though still an emerging industry, coworking has surged over the last decade. Statistics show vital advancements across essential metrics, such as total industry growth and demand, customer trends, and profitability. Fundamentally, the coworking industry is a substantial departure from the traditional office concepts, yet serves the same role for the people using it. While coworking operates outside the bounds of usual workplace governance, it’s still held to some of the same rules. In 2014, Savarat Sam Srimanothip Co-Founded Starwork, a coworking establishment with 24-hour access, a gym, a shower room, a canteen, a convenience store, a cafe, a game zone, a nap and wellness space, and a rooftop. What started with 20 serviced office rooms with the majority of focus on co-working spaces, today the company re-utilized its space and created common areas for our 60 serviced office units. “We have been approached numerous times about partnership expansions and are exploring ways of expansion where we are able to maintain our high brand standard, corporate culture, and the extensive facilities offered in our space for members”, says Savarat. Starwork offers co-working (hot desk - daily, monthly, weekly, yearly), serviced office (monthly, yearly), Meeting Rooms, Event Spaces, Virtual Office, StarUp by Starwork (funding for start-ups) and workshops in order to create a working environment that allows members and their businesses to grow and succeed with the right balance of work and play. “Once members come into work, they want to be able to focus on getting their work done. We take care of the details preventing distractions such as having to arrange to pick up parcels and food deliveries, picking up clients, arranging for coffees, and making sure electricity, security, and all the machines run smoothly. Through having different start-ups in the community, we can easily connect members with the support they need to grow their businesses. We’re an assistant, AI, and consultant rolled into one”, speaks Savarat Sam Srimanothip.

Designed for Work-Life Balance The 3Ns, namely, Nature, Neighbourhood, and No- Limits, serve as the company’s cornerstones. Since the co-founders of Starwork own the land, they have been able to prioritize building around nature and constructed a man-made waterfall, and planted trees throughout the property, with common areas accounting for 40 percent of the total space. They also recognized the need for a cafe and convenience store, so they purchased the Amazon Coffee franchise and rented retail space for a convenience store. “We offer events quarterly, bringing in coaches from other cities. We are the official donation centre for the biker club, and the monk merit centre, and have spots for boy/girl scouts. As a result, the people in the area are very friendly with the start-ups in our space and it creates a family-like feel. Moreover, we are the start-up centre and several start-ups such as Grab have picked us as their office when they first expanded to Chiang Mai. We offer to fund and coach for Start-ups conducted by our founder and a few other successful people in their industries, and people in our workspace have access to that platform”, explains Sam. Building a Career Together With two days in the office and three days at home, the majority of Thai businesses now provide hybrid and remote work schedules post-COVID. According to Starwork, this trend is expected to continue to grow as homes become smaller and urban space becomes more limited. As a result, there will be an increased demand for co-working spaces and smaller private office spaces. Starwork offers everything a professional could need in a fully equipped co-working space. They have both indoor and outdoor spaces, as well as access to the office, gym, showers, and other amenities, around the clock. The professionals can remain inside the structure or have a separate pod where they can park in front and enter right away.

We’re an assistant, AI, and consultant rolled into one
Savarat Sam Srimanothip , Co-Founder

The “IT” location in Chiang Mai, where famous people are frequently spotted at their cafes and co-working spaces. As the distinctions between work and play continue to become more hazy and blurry, Starwork observes a growing emphasis on mental health and people realizing the importance of nature, tranquil spaces, and fitness in daily life. Having all these amenities in one location is a significant unique selling point. The firm aims to move the needle and be a pioneer in the future of work each month. Although not all of the projects are successful, they try to move the needle and enhance the contributions and brand of the members’ lives through trial and error. They want to be a platform fostering growth, and enabling success. That is what fulfils the purpose here at Starwork. To be a partner and friend a professional can count on. Savarat Sam Srimanothip, Co-Founder Savarat Sam Srimanothip started as a mind map, and leadership certified coach, coaching & mentoring Thai-listed public companies and high-net-worth individuals. She continued to use her skills as a coach by founding StarUp by Starwork. As a frequent member of the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce, she both saw an opportunity to grow the community to be inclusive of the expat community in the North of Thailand and together launched Chiang Mai connect by NTCC powered by Starwork which is still alive today and well known in the North of Thailand.