A look into Seychelles’ first co-working space |04 July 2020

Blend Seychelles is located at Abis Centre 2 at Providence (Photo: Thomas Meriton)

Co-working spaces have been referred to as the future of work because they provide the professionalism of an office but with the additional bonus of providing a collaborative space and a substitute for expensive office rentals.

Blend Seychelles is the first Seychelles-based co-working space to open its doors after its owners anticipated a need for such a space in the country. It was officially launched earlier this year in February.

Located at Abis Centre 2 at Providence, Blend Seychelles cannot be missed with its modern façade and once you step inside, its contemporary, colourful and campus-like interior.

Blend Seychelles’ day-to-day operations are led by its co-working manager Dion Elizabeth who, right off the bat, noted that Blend Seychelles hopes to be an innovative player in Seychelles’ ever-growing business and professional landscape.

“It is a very modern space that we’ve created, a very creative space that allows you to further develop yourself, to network, meet other people and just grow your business,” Mr Elizabeth explains.

It is especially tailored for startups, small businesses, freelancers and corporate enterprises that can either rent a desk area or a meeting/conference room.

Blend Seychelles can also accommodate small-scale training sessions.

Aside from the space, its packages include internet, coffee, tea, high-grade security and parking.

“We have different packages; you can rent a desk for a day, for several hours, for a week, for some months and even a year. It is very flexible so that it can acclimate to how people want to manage their time,” owner Laurence Freslon explains.

Mrs Freslon, a Seychellois, says Blend Seychelles was inspired by all the young local entrepreneurs who have great ideas but who have no one to help them realise their dreams.

“There are a lot of young people with a ton of ideas who are often overlooked in Seychelles and they sometimes take their ideas overseas. This is what initially sparked the fire for us to create Blend. We also wanted an office space for young people because I remember that I never had such a space when I was starting out; an office was way too expensive and I had to work at home which was not easy,” Mrs Freslon recalled.

Blend Seychelles is hoping to become an incubator of ideas where its clients can network, discuss ideas and potentially strike up partnerships.

“You can meet all sorts of people here. You could have a lawyer, an accountant or graphic designer, working on another desk, who could help you with your business. This is the environment we want to create and putting an emphasis on,” Mr Elizabeth explains.

“This is something that is just starting in Seychelles with groups such as Vimentis – it is people creating groups for others who want to meet and network and Blend is also here to do that. We keep a contact book and help connect like-minded persons, especially young entrepreneurs and start ups.”

With Blend Seychelles starting off right on the cusp of the pandemic, the company is now hoping to capitalise on businesses that have had or will have to scale down their operations since they could make use of Blend Seychelles instead of paying for long term office leases.

Rising office rentals, particularly now due to COVID-19, make Blend Seychelles an attractive and practical alternative.

Blend Seychelles is also hoping to offer a special package for visitors who will need temporary office space during their stay in Seychelles.

Most recently, Blend Seychelles has seen an increasing interest for desk space from students who were studying abroad but who unfortunately had to come back home due to the global crisis.

“These students face some problems working at home so they call and ask us if they can rent a space for a day or a week just to be able to do their exams online. So that is something that we offered even before the coronavirus,” Mr Elizabeth says.

So what are the pros of co-working at Blend?

“The benefit is that you get a very inspired environment; there has been a lot of remote workers who say that working at home is cool but at a certain time you get distracted – there are probably kids running around, or the internet is not working properly – and then they come here and it’s just like ‘wow, this is what I need’,” Mr Elizabeth remarks.

“Another benefit is that you are not trapped in a lease. Our membership agreement only asks for a one-month deposit and you can come and go as you need.”

But more than just co-working, Blend Seychelles is hoping to offer a whole experience with the Abis Center nearby, also owned by Mrs Freslon and her husband, where various shops, takeaways, a pharmacy, stationery shop, salon and the Seychelles Credit Union have started to operate and provide different services in one space.

Elsie Pointe