India’s leading Sports Management Institute IISM moves into Smartworks, Mumbai

• Smartworks becomes the first managed office space provider to configure workspace for an education institute
• IISM offers specialized degree programs in association with the University of Mumbai

Mumbai, August 12^th, 2019: Smartworks has become India’s first agile workspace space provider to apply space as a service for classroom training. The firm has leased out 25000 sq.ft to Nilesh Kulkarni’s International Institute of Sports Management (IISM). For the first time, a management education institute has moved into an agile workspace, which otherwise is usually occupied by enterprises, start-ups, and freelancers. Smartworks has a total footprint of 2.8 million sq. ft. across 23 locations in 9 cities and is the only Indian bootstrapped workspace provider to have become profitable.

With IISM in Smartworks’ facility at Fleet House in Mumbai’s Andheri locality, the market leader in enterprise onboarding has brought in a completely untouched sector, Education, into the rapidly growing ambit of co-working spaces. This new addition will change the way shared workspaces were perceived; they are not just for working but for learning as well.

IISM, founded by former Indian Test cricketer Nilesh Kulkarni, is the foremost institute involved in the most unexplored education avenues to meet the demands of the growing sports industry. Imparting excellence in the sports educational sector for 10 years, IISM has emerged as one of the best institutes for sports management education in India. The education institute will be conducting classroom training for specialized degree programs namely Bachelor of Sports Management and Master of Sports Management in association with the University of Mumbai and 11 months autonomous Post-Graduation Program in Sports and Wellness management within the Smartworks premises with over 500 students.

The facility is now booked more than 90% and has a total footprint of almost 1 lakh sqft in Mumbai. It provides close proximity to business district Bandra- Kurla complex and the Western Expressway and currently hosts a mix of corporates such as CRISIL, Marsh Insurance, NEC Technologies, to name a few.

“We are excited to have India’s most prestigious Sports Management institute in Smartworks. We have yet again proved our capability of configuring spaces as per client requirements irrespective of the business domain. With this first of its kind association between an education institute and Smartworks, we are certain that these spaces will become the next classrooms soon. We remain committed to providing unmatched experience and solutions to businesses that will help them boost the company as well as industry growth to remain productive and further the step towards innovation in the country,” said Neetish Sarda, Founder of Smartworks. 

Commenting on the recent move-in Nilesh Kulkarni, Founder IISM, said, “At IISM we believe in nothing but the best when it comes to imparting education to our students so that they learn and grow. We want our students to meet their aspirations in an environment where they are pumped up with energy and positivity. Our ultimate goal is to ensure an atmosphere for them so that they stay active, productive and lively throughout their sessions. IISM campus has eight 30-seater to 120-seater classrooms, an exclusive research lab for our students, a cafeteria with a vibe where students can enjoy break time and common breakout areas for students to unwind themselves during free time. Given that the facility is centrally located in the city, adjacent to Marol metro station, it is convenient for the students to access any mode of transportation for commuting which makes the location a strategic fit for our institute.”

Smartworks has created a niche for itself in the co-working space industry by bringing enterprises into the purview and leasing entire floors to the latter.

“We are witnessing growing interest from corporates in Mumbai across sectors including IT, sports, banking and e-commerce among others. The large demand stems from the benefits and array of facilities provided to our members across our centers which include state-of-the-art infrastructure, vast opportunities to network and exchange ideas, a productive work environment, and services that ensure a happy and stress-free workspace,” Neetish added.

Since its inception in April 2016, Smartworks has been aggressively expanding its footprint across key cities in India due to the growing demand for agile workspaces. Technologically sound while focusing on customer delight, encouraging collaboration, ease of doing business and overall community building for enhanced productivity remain Smartworks’ key focused areas while serving customers