Flex offices are the new gateway for GCCs

Flexible workspace operators are focusing on global capability centers (GCC) to support the next phase of expansion, partnering several overseas companies in finding an Indian beachhead, experts said.GCCs would require 160–200 million sq. ft. of office space by 2030, and flex workspaces will capture 65–80 million sq. ft. of this demand."GCCs entering India today are no longer just leasing square footage; they are prioritising speed-to-market. They need to transition from 'entry' to 'execution' without the friction of fragmented vendor management. This is where flexible and managed workspace platforms are playing a more strategic role,” said Harsh Binani, Co-founder, Smartworks.Flex space will capture almost 40% of GCCs demand for office space in India by 2030, signaling a shift toward asset-light, Opex-led models, according to a joint report by Smartworks and UnearthIQ.“As GCCs have scaled from roughly 750 to more than 1,700 in India over the past decade, most analyses still undercount the wave of smaller, specialised ‘nano’ and mid-sized centres quietly entering across sectors and cities. The real addressable market is significantly larger than the headline number," said Vibhor Jain, founder and CEO, Carbon Guardians, a firm specializing in design, and build and managed offices. "For these firms, especially first-time entrants, a flexible workspace partner is no longer just about desks and leases—it acts as an extended operations team, stitching together compliant office infrastructure, secure IT services, HR and hiring support, regulatory hand-holding, and scalable models from virtual assisted setups for quick pilots to full build-operate-transfer frameworks.”Services CapitalIndia’s 1,850+ GCCs employ nearly 2.2 million professionals and are expanding rapidly, adding 80,000–120,000 seats annually and creating a $170–254 million yearly opportunity for workspace operators.“India’s GCC growth is a speed-to-market and execution story. Flexible workspaces are increasingly the entry runway for global firms—enabling quick, compliant launches while managing capital and lease risk. We see the real value extending beyond desks to micro-market insight, operational readiness and a consistent Day 1 employee experience. We are fully ready to support GCCs across Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune and Gurugram. We help them start lean, scale predictably and transition to long-term footprints with confidence,” said Aashish S Shukla, Founder & Managing Director, CorporatEdge.India’s flex space industry is entering a hyper-growth phase, projected to surge to $9–10 billion by 2028, propelled by the rapid expansion of Global Capability Centers (GCCs), the report finds. The flex space market currently is valued at $3-4 billion.Smartworks through SmartVantage offer a 'plug-and-play' ecosystem that handles everything from compliance to talent-enablement infrastructure with scalability options across India.“We are now being brought to the table by advisory partners at the 'Day Zero' planning stage. With GCCs already contributing ~15% of our revenue and growing, it’s clear that for global leaders, the workspace is now a strategic lever for scaling talent, not just a line item in the budget,” Binani said.The $22–26 billion office segment, which forms 40–50% of the total market, is being reshaped by GCC and IT/ITeS growth, hybrid work models, and Tier-2 expansion. Within this shift, branded flex spaces have emerged as the fastest-growing category, rapidly outpacing traditional offices.