91Springboard CEO Anshu Sarin is betting on sustainable, profit-driven growth over rapid scaling — and she’s backed by three years of double-digit profitability to prove the model works. As India’s flex workspace sector matures, she outlines why financial discipline, enterprise readiness, and GCC-focused strategies will separate long-term winners from short-term players.
Profitability First, Scale Second
In an industry often obsessed with square footage and city counts, 91Springboard is playing a different game. The company’s CEO, Anshu Sarin, is drawing a clear line between growth that looks impressive on paper and growth that actually holds up over time.
Speaking with ET Realty, Sarin made her position clear — 91Springboard has remained double-digit PAT positive for three consecutive years, and that track record isn’t accidental. It’s the result of a deliberate, margins-first philosophy that resists the temptation to expand faster than the business can sustain.
“At any given point, we should be able to predict our profit margins and returns,” she said — a statement that cuts sharply against the growth-at-all-costs approach that has tripped up several flex workspace players in recent years.
Flex Spaces Work Like Hotels — And Should Be Run That Way
One of Sarin’s most compelling arguments is the parallel she draws between flexible workspaces and the hospitality sector. Both are fundamentally service businesses, she explains, where long-term value is created not just through physical real estate but through brand, experience, technology, and operational excellence.
This dual-model thinking — where the asset side generates stable returns and operations drive growth — gives 91Springboard a framework that prioritises sustainable asset utilisation over rapid seat deployment.
The Market Has Grown Up
The co-working industry of five years ago barely resembles what it is today. Sarin acknowledges this evolution openly. The sector has shifted from open, buzzy collaborative floors to a more structured managed office model, one that now serves businesses at every stage — from lean startups to large enterprises — with customised formats, pricing, and operational setups.
Enterprises, she notes, are increasingly prioritising security, governance, and cultural alignment when evaluating flex workspace providers. Meanwhile, smaller firms still value the community-driven, collaborative energy that first defined the coworking movement. The result is a more segmented, service-oriented ecosystem — and operators who understand that segmentation will be better positioned to grow.
GCCs: The Next Big Opportunity — With Strings Attached
The rise of Global Capability Centres in India presents a significant opportunity for flex workspace operators, but Sarin is measured in her optimism. GCCs, she predicts, will adopt a hybrid real estate strategy — blending core office space with flexible solutions for pilots, expansion, and market entry.
But winning that business won’t come easy. “That combination will be critical for flex spaces to become a long-term partner for GCCs,” Sarin said, pointing to transparent governance, enterprise-grade security, and a consistent hospitality-led experience as the three non-negotiables operators must deliver on.
For 91Springboard, the message is simple: slow, smart, and sustainable wins the race.
