Google for Startups FAQs
What is Campus?
Google for Startups is on a mission to support thriving, diverse, and inclusive startup communities around the world. We connect founders with the right people, products, and best practices to help them grow.
Google for Startups Campuses are physical spaces where startup founders and teams get unparalleled access to mentorship, education, and trainings from Google and their local startup community. At Campus, we provide free access to workspace, events, and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs. Currently, Google runs physical Campuses in Madrid, São Paulo, Seoul, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, and Warsaw, and a virtual one in London.
Why did Google create Campus?
Google began as a startup in a garage and we’re passionate about helping entrepreneurs succeed. We believe in the convening power of physical space, so we create Campuses – hubs where entrepreneurs can discover a supportive community, get to work on their big idea, and gain access to critical resources like mentorship and technical training. Entrepreneurs build transformative products that can solve some of our biggest challenges. These same entrepreneurs also create jobs, strengthen economies, and improve the web.
What will you find at Campus?
Campus Cafe: Entrepreneurs can work for free at the Campus Cafe. Fast wifi, bustling energy, and lots of like-minded founders make the Campus Cafe a great place to have a meeting, work for the day, or meet people from the tech community. Local coffee experts run each Campus Cafe, selling fresh coffee and healthy food options to fuel great work.
Google for Startups Growth Academy: This is our flagship program for growing startups. Each Campus has a dedicated workspace for selected residents, modeled on how we build Google’s offices around the world.
Community event space: Each Campus features a large event space. This event space is a community asset: anyone can apply to host their startup event there at no cost. We also host our own programs, such as Startup School, in the main event spaces.
Classrooms and training rooms: Education is critical to a thriving startup community. Campus has classrooms for entrepreneurs to attend trainings of all kinds. We also offer these spaces to accelerator groups to host their curriculum.
Community partner offices: Campus is a central hub for the local startup community. Partners including local accelerators and global startup organizations often maintain offices at Campus, where they can be close to the heart of the local startup scene and meet with entrepreneurs daily.
Where are the Campuses?
We have Campuses in Madrid, São Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo, Warsaw, and Tel Aviv, and a virtual one in London.
How does Google decide where to open Campuses?
Google selects Campus locations where there is a strong and growing local startup ecosystem and we have a sizable Google office to support those entrepreneurs with mentorship, speakers, and training.
Does Google have plans to expand the number of Campuses?
We are always evaluating new opportunities to contribute to startup communities around the world. We do this through our own Google-run spaces like Campus, and through partner-led spaces with over 80 startup organizations across the world to foster diverse, inclusive startup communities, helping founders turn big ideas into successful businesses.
What is the cost of Campus membership?
Nothing! Membership of Campus is free. Nearly all of the events held at Campus are also free.
Do startups have to use Google technologies to be a part of Campus?
Not at all. We welcome startups using all platforms and technologies, and host events focused on a vast array of products and platforms.
How does Campus work with other startup organizations?
We partner with great community organizations to run each Campus location. Local Google for Startups partners are part of a purpose-driven global community with access to exclusive Google programing, insights and support, as well as a network committed to helping founders and their businesses grow.
We offer our event spaces and classrooms to local educational groups to run their trainings, and we provide office space to local startup organizations. Visit our individual Campus pages to learn more about our partners.
What sort of events are held at Campus?
In addition to our own programming, any startup organization can host their own events at Campus (at no cost!). Any event that benefits the startup community is welcome at Campus. Events range from weekend hackathons to day-long trainings to industry networking events. Check out the Events pages on our Campus websites to see what's happening at Campus.
How else do you intend to contribute to other cities in the country?
We look forward to collaborating with startup communities around each Campus country by livestreaming high quality training and education, hosting events for a variety of different communities, and extending the geographic reach of some Campus programs like our mentorship and training sessions. Entrepreneurs from anywhere are welcome to work (for free!) out of the Campus Cafe when they are in town.
Is Campus an accelerator or incubator?
No, Campus is not an accelerator or incubator. We partner with and often host strong accelerator and education groups to bring the best of the startup community to Campus.
Why isn’t Google directly investing in the startups?
The Google for Startups team invests in entire startup communities, but not individual startups. We invest heavily in our programs, as well as the Campus buildings and their renovations.