Google says it has decided not to reopen Campus, its London-based startup space, after the pandemic forced it to close
- The Silicon Valley tech giant announced on Monday that it has decided “not to reopen” Campus in East London after it was forced to close by the coronavirus pandemic.
CNBCSam Shead
Context & Ripple Effects
CampusLondon was Google's flagship attempt at embedding itself in a startup ecosystem through physical space, and its closure follows an earlier retreat of exactly this kind: in 2018 the company scrapped a planned second startup incubator in Berlin after anti-gentrification protests, donating the space to local nonprofits instead.
The pattern has since hardened. Two years after this decision, sources reported Google had halted construction of its 80-acre San Jose campus after just the first demolition phase, with no plan to revive it — meaning by then the company had abandoned startup spaces in Berlin and East London and slowed its largest US real estate project. Meanwhile, when workers did return, Google restored perks rather than community infrastructure (reversing its vaccine mandate and restoring HQ perks), suggesting the retrenchment targeted third-party-facing space specifically.
First-order effects
East London startups lose free workspace, mentoring, and events that Campus provided, forcing them onto paid alternatives or remote work immediately.
Google permanently sheds the operating cost and landlord commitments of the Shoreditch site while keeping its brand out of a community role it no longer wants.
Second-order effects
Local paid coworking operators in East London absorb displaced demand, gaining occupancy at the expense of a free competitor's exit.
Cities and neighborhoods weighing incentives for Google campuses now have two precedents — Berlin's protest-driven cancellation and London's quiet non-reopening — strengthening the case that promised community benefits may not survive contact with cost reviews.
Third-order effects
If the Berlin-to-London-to-San Jose sequence holds, corporate startup-hub and mega-campus commitments prove reversible, shifting negotiating leverage toward cities demanding contractual guarantees before granting approvals.
Big Tech's engagement with local ecosystems migrates from owned physical venues toward programmatic support (grants, online resources) that can be scaled back with less political cost.
The trend: Google's pandemic-forced closures are being converted one by one into permanent exits from physical community and campus commitments, from Berlin incubators to London startup spaces to halted Silicon Valley construction.
1/ We're embarking on a new chapter for Google for Startups UK with the decision not to reopen our Campus in London. Learn how we'll continue helping #startups here: https://campus.co/...
Google For Startups for U.K., formerly Campus London is closing down. An important destination in the growth of Silicon Roundabout, dubbed Tech City by policy makers, David Cameron hailed its imminent arrival during a 2010 speech https://twitter.com/...
It would have been an utterly dead space without the hard work of @TechHub + @evarley & team, which had the co-working contract inside Google Campus. https://twitter.com/...
3/ We are so grateful for our UK community, and proud of the role Google for Startups Campus London played in the UK tech ecosystem over the past decade, including: 💷 $1.8 Billion+ raised since 2015 💼11,000+ jobs created 🎉1000+ community events 👩🏫27,000+ founders trained
Google Campus in London is shutting down. It was the heart of the Old Street startup scene for a long time. My first fulltime job was working for a startup based there back in 2012 https://twitter.com/...
Pouring one out today for Campus London, which won't be re-opening as the team focus virtually. Hard to sum up something so special to me in tweets but it was an incredible privilege to be deeply involved with this trailblazing space for years & to lead it for four
4/ Our work at Google for Startups has never been about the building, it's always been about *what* we're building. We remain committed supporting the startup ecosystem across the UK by bringing the best of Google to startups through our programming and community efforts.
2/ Why? The British #startup ecosystem is evolving, and so must our approach to supporting its #founders. This means we can dedicate 100% of our time and resources to providing even more best practices, mentors, and programs at scale to startups right across the UK.
For a long time, it felt like the space London deserved; somewhere genuinely open, that tried to be inclusive & neutral, where different people united by a shared belief in entrepreneurship could come together. The broadest of churches from deep program cohorts to huge events