Finding Common Ground

Common Ground co-founders Erman Akinci and Juhn Teo share their excitement over the merger to form The Flexi Group and their preparations to list the company on the Nasdaq

- Chong Jinn Xiung

Coworking has become an increasingly popular option for businesses and individuals seeking a flexible and collaborative workspace. Though coworking is traced back to the mid-1990s, the modern incarnation took off in 2017.

Recognising a shift in the traditional office model, Erman Akinci and Juhn Teo co-founded Common Ground in 2017. The brand has since become a mainstay in Malaysia’s coworking scene, with 14 office locations in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang and Johor Bahru.

“We started Common Ground at the right time, just as interest in coworking spaces took off from 2017 to 2019. The one difference I’ve noticed today compared to back then is that coworking has become mainstream,” says Teo.

According to him, there is a noticeable increase in demand over the years for community-based offices that prioritise lifestyle, as opposed to traditional offices that typically consist of rows of cubicles.

“In the digital age, there are fewer boundaries and borders. People want to form a connection with the individuals they spend eight to nine hours per day with,” says Akinci. He notes that in the last two to three years, Common Ground has received interest from major corporations such as Amazon, Huawei, eBay, PepsiCo and GSK, who house their staff at Common Ground locations.

“The fact is that even multinational corporations (MNC) have evolved to think about what the modern office looks like and how they want to attract and retain talent by offering their staff the ability to work from different locations.

“Instead of commuting 45 minutes to the downtown area, employees at MNCs want access to an office 15 minutes from their home. Common Ground is well-positioned to offer this flexibility to our MNC tenants as we have a large network of coworking spaces,” he adds.