152: Ginger Dhaliwal - Developing Human-centric Technology Solutions for Work Problems

Ginger Dhaliwal is Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Upflex. A long-time tech entrepreneur and investor, she shares her human-first orientation which drives her passion for solving systemic challenges using technology and data—from micropayments to elder healthcare to flexible workspaces. Ginger discusses how intentional design, empathy, and sustainability are essential for building data-driven ecosystems that support a diverse, distributed workforce. She highlights behavioral indicators for shaping future-ready on-demand and long-term work environments, emphasizing collaboration and relationships.

 

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 

[00:29] Ginger studies social work and first focuses on understanding people and reskilling immigrants.

 

[01:40] Ginger’s travel takes her to Malaysia where she joins a tech startup as the Internet takes off.

 

 

[02:35] At a government-supported R&D lab, Ginger builds a venture studio model.

 

[03:20] They attract international talent to spin off multiple startups solving real-world problems.

 

[04:05] One early product enables micropayments using mobile phone billing instead of credit cards.

 

[05:12] Learning to persuade large corporations to adopt emerging innovations and enter new markets.

 

[06:10] A healthcare venture connects remote patients in S.E. Asia to providers through internet cafés.

 

[06:48] Healthcare tech is adapted for the U.S. to support elders aging in place with sensor systems.

 

[07:50] Adoption fails to take off due to lack of interest from medical professionals in holistic data.

 

[08:40] Ginger gets disheartened, entrenched in the elder care community, and feels burned out. 

 

 

[09:30] Considering identity, AI’s impact, and future career direction.

 

[10:45] Personal remote work experience and coworking exposure lead to co-founding Upflex.

 

[11:50] Ginger sees coworking catalysing innovation with people from diverse industries co-located.

 

[13:10] Upflex becomes a platform to aggregate access to coworking spaces globally.

 

[14:40] Early clients like Nokia highlight retention, recruitment, and cost control needs.

 

[15:20] Real estate lacks actionable data, pushing Upflex to build a decision-support layer for companies.

 

[16:25] Ginger champions flexibility as a strategic asset for talent engagement, not a perk.

 

[17:35] COVID causes companies to confront data about remote work and location preferences.

 

[18:40] Upflex helps firms explore questions around hybrid work behavior using their data tools.

 

[19:25] Focus on location can mask deeper control and change adaptation issues in hybrid transitions.

 

[20:45] Data shows employees’ behavior is consistent across corporate offices and on-demand coworking spaces.

 

[22:25] The global shift from individual desks to more collaborative meeting spaces.

 

[23:38] Most day passes are booked same day, while meeting rooms are booked days in advance.

 

[25:55] Coworking supports relationship-building and community connection as well as collaboration.

 

[27:30] Companies are repurposing coworking memberships for team days, pods, and local clusters.

 

[29:40] Upflex advises clients to view coworking as workplace strategy infrastructure.

 

[31:25] Businesses experiment with timeshare-type space arrangements to balance cost and access.

 

[33:10] Exploring partnerships with landlords to offer on-demand overflow capacity.

 

[34:50] AI is being integrated to optimize seat allocation and dynamic workplace management.

 

[36:15] Comparing Upflex’s model to AWS—scalable space usage tailored to demand and cost savings.

 

[37:25] Ginger emphasizes redirecting real estate savings to reskilling as rapid tech changes cause workforce disruption.

 

[39:15] Identity loss from desk removals prompt incremental workspace changes.

[41:00] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: To problem solve right now, there’s no playbook, it’s iterative. Come up with questions to test. Start small. Figure out a solution. Get buy in. Gather data for feedback to refine and grow.

 

 

RESOURCES

 

Ginger Dhaliwal on LinkedIn

Upflex website

 

 

 

QUOTES

 

“I don’t need to know the answers to things as long as I’m constantly thinking about solving these problems for people.”

 

“Coworking as a model for innovation and ideation is a wonderful thing and it's in your backyard. It's a block away from your, where you live.”

 

“How do we create a more sustainable lifestyle for people looking at the data. People losing 15 days of their lives commuting just didn't make any sense to us.”

 

“We can create that data layer so that people can actually make decisions based on data and understanding those preferences and how people are using space.”

 

“A lot of office space today is designed for productivity and it's shifting to collaboration. Coworking spaces are designed for that too, but also relationships. I think the evolution is we are all going to be craving relationships. It's not the collaboration that you're going for. You're going for the relationships.”

 

“We're working with landlords to figure out how you can create those overflow spaces and, from a corporate standpoint, be able to not build for the peak, but build for the average and then have the resources, the unlocking of the network, to handle the overflow.”