On their first official visit to India, Social, a collaborative workspace, café and bar played host to the Duke and Duchess as they met with young aspiring entrepreneurs to launch ‘GREAT for Collaboration’: a campaign launched by the UK  government to celebrate and inspire collaborations between UK and India.

‘We’re humbled by the visit, and their vision. Since Social’s inception, we’ve focused our energies on a single point agenda, much akin to the GREAT for Collaboration campaign’s ethos’, said Mr. Riyaaz Amlani the CEO and MD of Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality. ‘Social aims to rally the country’s free thinkers and entrepreneurs under one roof and let the creative sparks fly, to form ground breaking business ideas, art projects and a host of bold endeavours fuelled by the spirit of collaboration. It embodies what new India is all about. We are thrilled to be recognized for our support of the start-up community and are humbled to have participated in their effort to celebrate some of India’s best start-ups.'

 

Riyaaz presented them a unique 3D printed memento of the Make in India Lion and the British Imperial Lion symbolizing the unbeatable relationship between the UK and India.

 

Social was chosen to play host to the launch of the GREAT for Collaboration Campaign by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as the brand is a revolution aimed at promoting the cross-pollination of ideas to create an inspiring community of people. Social has built a thriving community in a corporate oasis, where creative minds can connect and engage with each other and have real conversations in an environment that naturally fosters creativity. It offers a space where innovators, entrepreneurs, photographers, writers, web developers and experimental independents meet to bounce ideas off like-minded peers.

Over time, The GREAT campaign will showcase and promote areas of collaboration that benefit both countries across a range of sectors such as energy, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, financial services and infrastructure, in line with PM Modi’s Startup India campaign. The aim is to explore how the UK can partner with homegrown Indian businesses, to achieve mutual goals.

In a way, the efforts of Social have given a massive impetus to the co-working culture, not just by playing host to networking sessions and collaborative brainstorms, but also regularly conducting workshops, events and creative sessions.

 

After kicking off in Mumbai, the campaign will now travel across the country hosting interactive sessions, supported by Social in each city – be it the physical space for collaboration, or food for thought. And on Monday, there was a lot on the menu that was ripe for inspiration!