Exclusive: Interaction with Mr. Kunal Sharma, Founder & CEO, Flipspaces

At the core of all offerings is our proprietary tech suite named VIZWORLD which enables businesses with a one-stop  integrated  solution that brings the fragmented pieces of space planning, interior designing and visualization, furniture selection, services and project management under one roof.

It all begins at the client discussion stage where layouts are created based on the bare-shell floor plate and mapped to the clients requirements. If a client has not yet found a commercial space and  needs to find the right kind of property as per their requirements, the team helps them with the same using VIZTOWN which is a one-stop property discovery platform.  Post this, during the space planning stage where the technology allows to convert 2D layouts into a basic 3-D walkthrough,  clients are also given access to the in-house product supply domain called VIZCART where clients can choose from market available interior products and finishes on the go. These products and finishes are  real time changeable through market available products during the 3D visualization walkthrough stage which is also known as VIZWALK. Once all the details are finalized and the project is being executed, the technology allows clients to use VIZDOM, the execution management platform which has a range of features that benefits the client with real time updates on the project, remote site viewing amongst other features. The result of this revolution has been nothing but extraordinary, evident in the way the brand is expanding in the international territories eyeing the $1 trillion global market size.

Before Flipspaces, we started off as a product supply and distribution brand in the furniture and furnishing industry. While the business did well, there was something amiss which we felt - the revolutionary idea! That was the time when the complete interior design industry was an unconsolidated sector with no novelty in terms of customer experience. There was absolutely no synergy between the three aspects - space design, product supply and project execution in the interior design space. It was quite a fragmented value chain with different companies offering piece-meal services. What we felt was that there was a lack of a seamless customer experience which could be delivered at a level of scale.

In 2015, when we started working on the ‘big idea’ around technology, we felt and believed  that we had cracked the code to take the consumer experience in interior design to the next level which was backed by a vision of a multi-module technology product and as a result Flipspaces was born as a first-of-its-kind, interior-design-tech brand.

Ultimately, designing a new space is like creating a new world. But the joy of this creation is taken away by lack of transparency and efficiency at every step of the interior design and build process. What should be a child-like joy of creating something new is replaced by a frustrating experience for the SME owner or developer looking to design and build related products or services. Our endeavor is to put the joy back into this process by driving customer delight in every step of this process which is only possible through a bespoke tech-suite combined with category defining processes and benchmarks.

Founded by Kunal Sharma and Ankur Muchhal in 2015, Flipspaces is an interior design-tech venture based out of 12 cities worldwide having offices in cities including but not limited to  Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and New York (USA). It uses its multi-module technology stack to bridge the gaps in the customer experience journey  pertaining to the interior designing, associated product and services supply , and project execution industry. While solving tangible issues faced by different stakeholders in the value-chain through its proprietary technology suite, Flipspaces is redefining the way commercial interior design and build industry operates. With over 7+ million sft. of delivered space across almost all commercial real estate categories, it has become the de facto choice of turnkey design and execution brand for start-ups, coworking, retail, corporates and F&B players.

At the core of all offerings is our proprietary tech suite named VIZWORLD which enables businesses with a one-stop  integrated  solution that brings the fragmented pieces of space planning, interior designing and visualization, furniture selection, services and project management under one roof.

With over 700+ projects being executed with a floor plate of over 7 million sqft, we as a firm also have an expertise of handling a vast number of startup clients from various industries and categories. We understand that each firm is unique when it comes to their requirement for an office space which also depends on numerous factors for example, the kind of seed round they’re currently in and what is the growth plan for the firm as well. 

With clients such as BharatPE and Open Money from the Fintech Sector to Vymo from the CRMtech sector, each office created for them is unique  and focuses on factors such as inclusivity and collaboration. For clients such as No Broker which is one of the unicorns in the Poptech Sector, each office  designed for them focussed on break out zones and collaborative spaces for cross functional teams to brainstorm and ideate on new ideas and overall improve the productivity and engagement between fellow colleagues.

For a real estate startup, The Address we have created spaces & zones which encourages collaboration and a sense of connectivity with the brand which directly or indirectly enhances workforce productivity and resilience among the team as well.

Overall, with our proprietary technology suite and the experience we have of designing and building offices for various types of firms such as MNCs, startups and future unicorns, it’s safe to say that we are on the path to be the de facto design and build firm in the country. On the back of our tech-driven vision, Flipspaces tech-platform suite has now catered to over 7+ million sqft of commercial spaces globally for renowned companies across corporates, start-ups, MNCs, retail brands and SMEs such as BSH, NoBroker, Open Financial, Times Group, Aditya Birla,  InstaOffice, BharatPe, Nivea, Oppo, P&G, Reebok, Royal Enfield, Razorpay,  Bounce and PlaySimpleGames in India and the US. We  target categories across commercial-like offices, retail, hospitality, education and health care institutions among others and provide a one-stop, tech-enabled solution to our clients for design and build.

We at Flipspaces balance the need for innovation, connectivity and creativity in office design with the practical considerations of budget and timelines through a combination of careful planning, efficient processes, and transparent communication with clients. our use of a systematic design process that incorporates elements of connectivity and creativity while remaining focused on the practical considerations of budget and timelines. At the core of all offerings is the global-first proprietary technology suite called VIZWORLD which creates efficiency at every level of workflow including design, product fulfillment, and project management. The tech-suite is actually a boon for businesses who do not want to deal with multiple stakeholders in their design and build journey. 

Thirdly, we have an in-house team of over 100+  experienced designers and architects who are skilled at finding creative solutions that work within budget and timeline constraints. They use their expertise to suggest alternative materials, layouts, or finishes that can help achieve the desired look and feel of the space while staying within budget and timeline limits

Interior Designing has been evolving at a rapid pace over the past few years with the rise of technology within the domain. With regards to us at Flipspaces, we believe that Technology is the way forward and will always be at the forefront. With a tech centred approach, we at Flipspaces tackle each phase and element with a detailed process, with a few examples below of how we help clients with certain elements. 

Technology: Concerning incorporating technology into their office design briefs, we’ve suggested things like smart lighting and temperature control, collaborative technology such as video conferencing and interactive whiteboards, and IoT devices such as smart locks and sensors. For Litera, Ahmedabad - the conference rooms were all tech-enabled understanding the requirements of the client.  Also in the Boston office for Quantiphi we also created a specific AI room that follows the movement of AI generation in terms of design as well.

Comfort: When a design brief is received which involves prioritising employee comfort we include factors such as lighting, temperature, acoustics, and ergonomics. With this when a well made comfortable office space is designed and built, it can help reduce employee stress and improve overall well-being. For example, Allied Digital, an IT firm - kept in mind the age group of the employees, it was vital to have multifunctional seating which were comfortable to the youth. So we incorporated seating booths in windows, a few sleeping pods, ledge seating and a lot more age-specific seating solutions.

Flexibility: When we consider designing a flexible office space that can adapt to changing needs as the company grows we try to include things like movable furniture, adjustable lighting, and flexible workspaces that can be reconfigured as needed. Our client Simpl, wanted to renovate their office space to fit their current needs. Since the office cabins are designed with dry walls or partitions, they can be easily dismantled for any future expansion or revamping into smaller zones within the office space. While providing multifunctional zones, one has to keep in mind the basic HVAC and MEP services are planned to accommodate future changes. Apart from this we’ve also worked with Quanitphi, for whom we’ve designed and built 5 different offices in different cities while retaining the essence of the local culture of the city while maintaining our guidelines with respect to our design and build approach. Each office is flexible enough whether it is to imbibe a new age design ethos for their Mumbai offices or maintaining a traditional office in Bengaluru to a neutral themed office space in Boston, US.

We are focussing on expansion in the US market and strengthening our Integrated Tech combined with Global Supply Chain for SME Design and Build.  Creating a supply chain ecosystem out of India which can service global demand has been a game-changer for us. The continual success in securing design, product supply and build management mandates from the US, either integrated or stand alone has validated this approach. We truly believe that the “Make-Local-Sell-Global” theses for Flipspaces, leveraged by technology to structure this supply chain will help us achieve profitable scale.

With a fully operational presence in the East Coast and an office in New York City,  we’re eyeing the newer geographies on the West Coast wherein we have already tasted early success. With 250% growth YoY, combined with robust margin profiles, US offers a massive and underexplored market for Indian players in the category.