Inside Dextrus’ Contrarian Bet In India’s Venture Capital-Heavy Workspace Ecosystem

India's flexible workspace market has grown 8.4X since 2017, now driven overwhelmingly by enterprise and GCC demand, with global capability centres accounting for a record 45.5% of office leasing in Q1 2026.

Dextrus, founded by architect Robin Chhabra in 2018, built four premium Mumbai centres without external funding, serving Kotak Mahindra Bank, Sumitomo, Adani Connex, Harvard Business School, British Council, Rabobank and Welspun ONE.

In an interview with Inc42, Chhabra talks about translating productivity into design, building a service-first business model, and growing with discipline in a market that is heavily funded by VC money

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The traditional Indian workplace is being reimagined. Whether it is a year-old startup or a decades-old enterprise, companies now want their offices to be more than just functional spaces. They want them to feel personalised, vibrant, contemporary, and aligned with global office trends.

This is precisely why the demand for flexible workspaces is on the rise. Numbers support this thesis well. The flexible workspace market has grown more than 8.4X in the last decade, with transaction volumes climbing to 18.6 Mn sq ft in 2025 from a mere 2.2 Mn sq ft in 2017. 

But the opportunity is not just about leasing space. Management contracts, where workspace operators manage and run office spaces on behalf of property owners, are also emerging as another way for operators to expand their footprint.

For businesses, this can offer greater flexibility in creating tailor-made........

© Inc42