Work With Mayank
11+ years building startups. Bootstrapped one to $1M ARR. Spent $2M+ on performance marketing. Advised 60+ companies across 15 countries. One accountable lead, and a vetted team behind me to ship anything you need: strategy, marketing, product, or custom tech.
Featured in
The 30-Second Version
Engineer from India turned serial entrepreneur. Started with business intelligence and operations at Practo, then ran process improvement at Cuemath during its scale-up.
Co-founded SimplyGuest and bootstrapped it to $1M ARR with 500+ customers across 50+ properties. Featured in Forbes, Economic Times, NDTV, and YourStory. Followed it with JumboTiger, a real-time conversational SaaS platform, and Artof.Co, a global advisory practice.
Today I run Everything Coliving, host a podcast, write a newsletter with 1M+ reads, and advise founders globally. I've spent $2M+ on performance marketing, built 5+ custom SaaS products, and worked with 60+ companies across 15+ countries, both as a hands-on operator and as a strategic advisor.
What I Bring
Most operators are deep in one lane. I've run all three at founder-level, and built the team to deliver them at speed.
From positioning to performance, the full marketing stack, built to attract qualified demand, not vanity numbers.
Operator-built product instincts. From PRD to launch, and the engineering bench to ship it end-to-end.
Cofounder-grade thinking on the hard problems: pricing, GTM, hiring, fundraising, ops design.
The Team Behind Me
Over a decade I've assembled a network of designers, developers, marketers, content creators, and AI engineers I've worked with personally. When you engage me, you get the same accountable lead, and the ability to spin up specialist capacity on day one without the overhead of a full agency.
One brief. One point of contact. End-to-end execution.
What Clients Said
Verified recommendations on LinkedIn
“His knowledge of marketing channels such as SEO, content and Google Ads is spectacular and his efforts in these areas have contributed to growth in a huge way. If you need someone that is skilled, detail orientated and results focused, Mayank is your guy.”
“Mayank demonstrated a deep understanding of testing buyer interests through different marketing, while proactively iterating and refining narratives. His ability to clearly identify and engage core personas was impressive, even in remote collaboration. His expertise and initiative were invaluable.”
AI Builder & Educator
I'm not a developer. I'm a marketer and operator who has shipped real platforms by partnering with AI. Now I help founders and professionals do the same.
Built solo with AI
Global coliving marketplace. 200+ cities.
Content + community platform for operators worldwide.
AI-powered coliving operations PMS.
Personal blog with custom CMS, sitemap, SEO.
Personal trackers for run, lift, sleep, weight.
Companies Worked With
A working list of the operators, platforms, and startups I've built with, advised, or shipped product for. Filter by region to see the depth in your market.
Emerging coliving concept incubated through the ArtofCo Coliving Incubator program.
Real estate investment group focused on coliving and residential property development in the UAE.
SaaS product for comparing coliving returns to traditional rentals in the US market.
Community-focused coliving operator creating intentional shared living experiences in the African region.
The first-ever HMO Summit and Awards in the UK, bringing together 400+ stakeholders to build the HMO industry.
Coworking and shared space operator building collaborative work environments.
Bangalore’s first managed coliving platform for working professionals. Co-founded and bootstrapped to $1M ARR.
Proptech-focused company delivering technology solutions for real estate businesses.
Track Record
Every recommendation is grounded in something I've actually shipped. The full path from engineering school in Udaipur, India to advising operators in 15+ countries.
Knowledge, Research, Marketing & Tech Services
End-to-end knowledge, research, marketing, and technology services for coliving operators, helping them build sustainable coliving businesses. Includes consulting, marketing agency, PR, podcast, newsletters, Coliving University, and the Coliving Founders Community.
Coliving Consultancy • with Gui Perdrix
Co-founded with Gui Perdrix to impact the global coliving industry. Artof.Co provides advisory, strategy, and consulting services for coliving operators and developers worldwide.
COHO (UK)
Responsible for end-to-end marketing of the Property Software for Shared Living. Delivered both B2B and B2C marketing, SEO, performance marketing, and content strategy to drive growth across segments.
Co-Liv • Global Coliving Association
Led marketing at the world’s premier coliving industry association, working with operators, developers, and stakeholders across 15+ nationalities.
Coliving & HMO Software
Built the world’s most advanced full-stack, real-time conversational property management software for coliving and HMO operators. Launched by an operator, for operators.
Coliving Platform • Bangalore
Started as a SimplyGuest customer, then joined co-founders Subbu and Ambareesha Athikunte to build the company. Led sales, marketing, and operations. Bootstrapped to $1M ARR, 500+ tenants, 17 locations, and 95% occupancy across Bangalore. Closed in 2021 due to pandemic challenges.
Cuemath
Streamlined multiple business processes to drive productivity and sales at the edtech company during its rapid scaling phase.
Practo
Created and managed end-to-end operations and business intelligence processes at India’s leading healthcare technology platform during its hyper-growth phase.
Institute of Management, Nirma University, Ahmedabad
Pursued management studies and ran a student investment management fund. Earned Six Sigma Certification from KPMG India.
CTAE, Udaipur (MPUAT)
Graduated from College of Technology and Engineering, Udaipur. Founded a coaching institute teaching ~70 students (30 on free education through Vayaam). Built a robotic irrigation prototype to help farmers increase yield. Published 5 academic papers. Won Best Student for Overall Performance at CTAE.
In The Press
Forbes, BBC, Mint, Economic Times, YourStory, Inc42 — the work has been covered widely. Filter by brand to see relevant context.
As featured in
Residential Property: Could 2019 Be the Year the Tide Turns?
Co-living Space in Demand, Offers Biz Potential Worth $93 Billion Per Year
New Real Estate Trends Expected to Emerge in 2019
Co-living Companies Turn Properties Into WFH Campuses
Can Coliving Startups Redefine Homes for Young India?
Why Co-living Could Be the Next Big Thing Among Indian Millennials
SimplyGuest: A Twist to the Idea of Home Away From Home
Startups Acing the Co-Living Spaces Game
How SimplyGuest Wants to Build a Different Kind of Hostel
Everything You Need to Know About Modern Co-Living
Can SimplyGuest Fight Off OYO, NestAway in Tight Co-Living Market?
SimplyGuest: Coliving, Paying Guest & Rented Apartments
SimplyGuest: Udaipur Engineer’s Journey to PG Business
Embassy Group to Enter Co-Living, Plans 20,000 Beds
SimplyGuest Launched Parking Marketplace for Bangaloreans
Millennials Are Opting to Rent, But With Perks
Student Housing Is a Buzzing Space Now
Top 10 Co-Living Space Providers in India
Startups Fuel the Indian Student Housing Movement
Start-ups Fuel the Indian Student Housing Movement
SimplyGuest: Rental Service for Bangaloreans
Start-ups Fuel the Student Housing Movement
How Co-Living Operators Are Tackling Scalability Challenges
Co-Living: Canada’s Fastest Path to Affordable Housing
Co-Living Emerges as Canada’s Missed Opportunity
Co-Living Startups Struggle to Survive as Funds Dry Up
When Will Canada Follow Europe’s Lead on Coliving?
SimplyGuest Shut Shop, but Coliving Model Questioned
Everything Coliving Outpost Club PR Case Study
Coliving Experts & Consultants
The Coliving Playbook with Mayank Pokharna
Building Co-Living for a Global Market
Coliving Opportunities and Challenges
Everything Coliving Q&A with Gui Perdrix
The Art and Science of Coliving: with Gui Perdrix
How Startups Can Leverage LinkedIn
Meet Mayank Pokharna: Co-Liv’s Head of Marketing
BBC Punjabi Feature
Conversations with coliving founders, operators, and industry leaders
Beyond Work
The work is sharper when the life around it is full. A look at what keeps me curious, healthy, and present.
On a mission to live and work from 100+ cities worldwide. Slow travel, calm hustle. #100CitiesAsDigitalNomad
Capturing wildlife, travel moments, and the world through a lens. Tigers, spiders, fish, and everything in between.
Deep conversations about life, purpose, and meaning. Books on philosophy, self-help, biographies, and personal growth.
Lost 23kg through lifestyle changes. 30-day plank challenges, early morning routines, yoga, and cycling.
Connecting with diverse individuals across nationalities and learning from their stories. #100Conversations
Host of the Everything Coliving Podcast, conversations with coliving founders, operators, and industry leaders.
FAQ
No. I'm a marketer and operator. But I've used AI to ship multiple production platforms in the last two years (BookMyColiving, Everything Coliving, JumboTiger.ai, Pokharna Talks) plus a stack of personal tools. I now help non-technical founders and professionals do the same.
Fractional leadership (interim head of marketing/growth/product), advisory retainers, project-based work (PMS builds, GTM launches, brand work), and short discovery sprints. I scope to the problem, not the title.
From pre-seed founders to companies past their Series B. The bigger the stage, the more I lean on the bench. The earlier the stage, the more I do hands-on.
Yes. Most of the playbook (SEO, performance marketing, product, ops, fundraising) is industry-agnostic. The coliving experience is depth on one vertical; the toolkit travels.
Retainers for ongoing work, fixed-price for scoped projects, advisory packages for monthly calls. Always a short paid discovery to make sure we're aligned before a bigger engagement.
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India is home base, but I'm a digital nomad. 100+ cities so far. I work across time zones and travel for high-stakes engagements.
Let's Talk
A free 30-minute discovery call. No pitch deck, no script: just a clear-eyed read of whether I'm the right fit and what would move the needle for you.