Back in 2015, the entire concept of coworking was alien to the majority of the Bangladeshi startups. ‘Some people came in, thinking that it was a restaurant!’ said Nahid Sharmin, one of the co-owners of Moar. Amidst their hectic schedules, the owners of Moar, Nahid Sharmin and Nabila Nowrin graciously made time to sit with us for a candid interview on their experiences in coworking. The word Moar is a Bengali word meaning ‘turning point.’ With that thought in mind, Ms. Sharmin and Ms. Nowrin started their coworking space in Banani, which is the busiest area of Dhaka and is bustling with the youth population. When they started off, people were not very familiar with the meaning of coworking.

‘The biggest challenge was to make people understand the concept,’ Ms. Nowrin said. ‘Nahid and I had to work hard to make people understand what this was. Because Moar is not just for tech startups but for all kinds of small to medium sized businesses and also startups.’

‘We had to clarify that it is not a restaurant but a coworking space, where startups and freelancers can share workspace,’ Ms. Sharmin chipped in. ‘But shedding that thought among people was difficult.’

Both Ms. Sharmin and Ms. Nowrin studied architecture at BRAC University and graduated in 2010. After graduation, Ms. Nowrin worked for Bay Developments while Ms. Sharmin worked in Bengal Foundation. Ms. Nowrin was working from Chicago at that time while Ms. Sharmin was in Bangladesh, but both of them were also operating as freelancers. When working together, they realized that they were compatible as working partners. After returning to Bangladesh, Ms. Nowrin worked with NewsCred for a year as Product Analyst before the two of them set up Moar together. They also operate their architectural firm, Ree Architects, from their coworking space.

So what inspired them to become entrepreneurs? ‘Being an architect is also like being an entrepreneur,’ Ms. Nowrin explained. ‘You are constantly trying to sell your ideas, sell your designs, sell your construction! You look at buildings, interior products; that’s what you’re selling. Architecture is one-half business and the other half,  designs. So we were entrepreneurs from the very beginning when we decided to set up our venture.’

Their plans to start a coworking space goes way back. After graduating from university, they were helping a friend set up his firm. They were looking for an inexpensive office space, but the rents were too high. Moreover, factors like safety were also an issue.

‘We were looking for an office space which would be safe for women for work,’ Ms. Nowrin explained. ‘But an office space is expensive. Spaces which are safe at nights to go to and be productive are extremely expensive in Dhaka. So for a startup, we did not have a chance. So that’s when the feel of it was in our head.’

But the idea of coworking really hit them after Ms. Nowrin went on a short trip to Brazil. ‘When I was in Brazil, it was booming there’ she said. ‘It was booming with startups, booming with so many people working together.’

According to Ms. Nowrin, Brazil resembled Bangladesh regarding society, culture, and many more things. That is when she realized that Bangladesh, too, will need coworking spaces or something similar to it soon. After coming back to Bangladesh, she discussed this idea with Ms. Sharmin, and they readily agreed to set up a coworking venture here.

When they entered the market, there were two other coworking spaces in Dhaka already. But one of them was in Mirpur, which is comparatively far from their target area and the other one shut down even before Moar was established.

‘We didn’t have any competition,’ Ms. Nowrin explained. ‘We were competing with location and our space. I think our differentiation lies in the service and environment we provide. Our location is our strongest point, and it becomes more active as we offer it at an affordable rate in this part of Dhaka.’

Moar has a very diversified range of members. Not only tech firms, but different companies from sectors like agriculture, pharmaceuticals, designers, and transport along with many artists, are also members at their coworking space. Moreover, both Ms. Sharmin and Ms. Nowrin run their own architectural firm from Moar.

‘Essentially, we are architects,’ Ms. Sharmin said. ‘We have our own architectural consultancy in our space. Architecture is an established business. Then there are consultancies like Tech Academy, which is also a training program for kids. Their innovation is in their product. They are not a startup either. Their focus is more on education rather than technology. Then there are agricultural based firms and many others who work with technology, but their core product is a different set. We also have artists and writers coming into work here.’

While the owners of Moar did not do a full-fledged research on the startup market of Bangladesh, Ms. Nowrin however, noticed some very interesting things. ‘I don’t know if Nahid agrees, but I saw that in the startup market, starting a business was a trend,’ she emphasized. ‘A lot of people are getting into it, but they do not understand the commitments required. And there were a lot of people who were taking advantage of the fact that this lot was in it for the trend.’

This is where coworking is trying to fill in that gap. ‘Coworking is a space where you can meet a lot of people,’ Ms. Nowrin continued. ‘Most startups have a lack of knowledge about the business, what to do and when. So when they are working in a coworking space, they can observe other people who are probably working on the same things and learn how to deal with similar issues in the future. Therefore, I think that coworking spaces can help startups to grow and counsel people who are doing this simply for the trend. Coworking spaces are businesses as well, so the startups will at least have to pay something. So, this way when they have to commit something by paying for it, they can at least say that ‘Oh, I’ll have to save my fee, so I must do this work.’’

‘Another good thing is that people don’t ask for partnership anymore,’ Ms. Nowrin added. ‘Like they don’t ask any more that ‘we will do a partnership, we will do a program; please be our event partner.’ People don’t ask for it anymore. But then again, it has not been long enough to see very significant changes in this market. We need to allow it more time to see how the changes will come to the scenario.’

So what are their initial thoughts on the overall coworking community in Bangladesh? ‘By coworking community, are you referring to the coworking spaces themselves?’ Ms. Nowrin questioned. ‘See, the community is not established yet, and I don’t think that the industry is saturated enough. It’s not saturated at all to have that yet.’ ‘It’s tough to get into this business,’ Ms. Sharmin said. ‘You need a very high investment to get into a coworking space. You need space, and that is expensive. The entry boundary is very high. That’s why it’s not saturated. People don’t have the asset to begin with.’

So with proper investment and assets, is it possible for this community to thrive in Bangladesh? ‘Uhhh… not yet,’ Ms. Nowrin replied. ‘The market still needs to grow. There is a lack of awareness about businesses of this kind among people.’  

But according to the founders of Moar, what really needs to change in the startup market of Bangladesh is the lack of commitment. ‘I would like people to have more commitment towards what they are doing,’ Ms. Nowrin said firmly. ‘I would like people to not get into a venture just because they think it’s a trend or because it’s the only way out and tell people ‘Oh, I am an entrepreneur!’’ 

While startups are increasing at a rapid rate in Bangladesh, taking up entrepreneurship as a trend is not something which should be encouraged in this industry. ‘Don’t be an entrepreneur just to keep doing a job or just to skip dealing with responsibilities,’ Ms. Sharmin advised. ‘It’s a very tough job. If you believe that and are up for taking up these duties, then be an entrepreneur.’

‘And don’t waste money,’ Ms. Nowrin added. ‘Don’t waste time. Time is your most valuable asset. Do not waste it.’