HQ moves to enhance business ecosystem for startups with accessible co-work spaces

Determined to enhance access to a profitable business environment for startups, HQ, a subsidiary of International Workplace Group, has unveiled its newest modern co-working space in Lagos State.

According to HQ, through the collaboration with The Alternative Bank, it would provide not just work spaces for businesses, but also financial services to boost profitability.

Ayo Akinmade, country manager, International Workspace Group (IWG), said the opening of the new location is in furtherance of HQ’s strategic partnership plan with The Alternative Bank to set up between six and eight locations across Nigeria before the end of 2026.

Akinmade said that among the next set of locations already selected for the expansion drive are Kano, Maiduguri, Jos and FF Towers, Lagos.

He said that the first decade of the company’s operation in Nigeria was concentrated in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, adding that the next phase of its expansion must cover all the other locations where there are significant business opportunities happening.

He further said that IWG, as a leading global workspace provider, have built an unparalleled network of office, co-working and meeting spaces for companies to use in every city in the world.

Mohammed Yunusa, director of Products, Digital and Innovation, The Alternative Bank, said that the partnership with IWG is a collaborative step that brings everybody together by enhancing co-working and community living.

He said that one of the benefits of the new location is that it provides a good avenue for start-ups to do business, with the added advantage of having Alternative Bank provide them with financial services.

According to him, across the world, businesses and corporate organisations are realising that they don’t need to have plenty of brick and mortar for people to come in; they need to have a space that is multi-purpose, which is what this new location serves.

Yunusa said that the future view of the bank in the short, middle, and long-term is to keep having such collaborations with HQ to provide co-working setup for small businesses, big businesses, and enterprises that need an accessible environment to grow their businesses, while the bank provides the needed financial solutions for them to thrive.