Why Invest?
The story so far
Oru was formed from the desire to address the societal and environmental issues that we’re currently facing. Loneliness and disconnect from ourselves and each other, local communities and high streets disintegrating, hostility towards and exclusion of marginalised groups, the climate crisis and rising mental and physical health problems - the way we live and work and the environments in which we exist in desperately need to change.
We believe that by nurturing the ecosystem, we nurture ourselves.
As the landscape of work continues to evolve, coworking spaces have emerged as a dynamic solution for individuals, entrepreneurs, and small businesses seeking a collaborative and inspiring environment. After building a successful hybrid space at East Dulwich in the harshest of times, and pioneering a new kind of workspace combining hospitality, wellness and events, our vision is to further expand our offerings to Sutton, creating a vibrant space that fosters creativity, productivity, and meaningful connections among like-minded individuals.
Paul and Vib, Oru’s co-founders
What is equity investment?
Equity fundraising is a process allowing people to invest in early-stage companies.
Through buying shares, you become a shareholder and have partial ownership of that company.
Why Invest?
Here's why we are excited about Oru Sutton and why we hope you will be too:
1. Fostering Collaboration
Oru Sutton will be a multi-faceted, dynamic building, allowing for the cross-pollination of ideas and collaboration between diverse professionals but also between the industries existing in the building. Combining coworking, hospitality, wellness and events seamlessly, our vision involves bringing these areas together even more closely, forming a holistic ecosystem that supports a sustainable lifestyle - for our health, work and the environment around us. Studies show that remote working can lead to employees feeling ‘socially isolated’ (Microsoft New Future Of Work Report, 2022), but through supporting our campaign you'll be encouraging a space of connection and community, allowing individuals to innovate and reach their full potential through collaboration.
2. Championing Wellbeing
By investing in our new Sutton project, you will be supporting us in expanding our wellness offerings to build a state-of-the-art rooftop spa, including steam, sauna, cold water therapies and sensory deprivation tanks, allowing us to further treatments focusing on the mind-body connection. With mental and physical ill-health being more prevalent than ever before, and 86% of employees who work from home full-time experience burnout (Zippia, 2023), now, more than ever, we need to make our working lives health-promoting.
3. Enhancing Local Economy
By investing in our coworking space, you are not only supporting a place for collaborative and sustainable work but also contributing to the growth and development of the local economy. Oru’s vibrant coworking community will attract businesses, encourage collaboration, and create a positive impact on the surrounding area of Sutton. We are already backed by Sutton Council and the GLA, who believe in our ability to transform Sutton highstreet, building a community that will help it blossom and thrive once more.
The Logistics
Championing Sustainable Wellbeing
Consumer wellness purchases are continuing to increase, shifting towards service-based products as well as services spanning several wellness dimensions. Investment will allow us to expand our wellness offerings to build a state-of-the-art rooftop spa alongside a restaurant and events space. The 4000 sq.ft. rooftop pavilion will provide great value to this underserved area, with seven neighbourhoods in Sutton within the most deprived 20% of the country - at no additional rent cost.
Traction
Opening at the harshest of times in 2020, Oru Space has successfully grown a large community over 3 years, with Oru East Dulwich turning over 1.4 million yearly across wellness, coworking and hospitality. With equity and debt-free capital contribution of 6 million from Sutton Council and the GLA and 25% of private offices already sold 3 months prior to opening, we are placed in an incredibly strong position to launch Oru Sutton with minimal failure risk. The expansion in size overall is the equivalent to the launch of 10 new sites, with expected turnover of 3.8 million yearly.
Highly Experienced Team
Co-founders Vibushan Thirukumar and Paul Hepworth Nelmes will be executing Oru Sutton with an experienced, collaborative team from a hugely successful first site. Vib has worked for over 10 years within Finance, Strategy and Operations at some of the world’s leading events, leisure and property companies, such as Second Home, SSE Arena Wembley and Excel Centre. Paul has led multiple large development and regeneration schemes across the world, including projects for Skanska and Second Home.
We are lucky to have a dynamic, vibrant team who work together across all departments - continuously innovating and executing to the highest standard with creativity and curiosity. With our management team being 63% female and 38% identifying at LGBTQ+, we are proud to champion inclusivity and diversity. As Oru grows and the new Sutton site develops, we will be expanding to an 100 person team, and will be nurturing potential and offering opportunities for progression for current employees - supporting long-term careers.
Register your interest, learn more about our vision and how you can make a difference.
Together, we can create something truly remarkable!
We would be so grateful if you could help spread the word about our investment campaign by sharing our campaign link with your network, colleagues, and friends who might be interested in supporting Oru.
Together, we can build a thriving coworking space that inspires creativity, fosters collaboration, and supports wellbeing, with our commitment to sustainability at the forefront.