What is Warsaw's Google Campus all about in Poland?

I found this online: 5:00-8:00 PM Monday, 25 January
Startup Next Warsaw
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Any PF e-gadgetarian know something about Google Campus? Exactly what do they do there? It's for startup investors but any details? They're located in Praga distrcit.

Let's say someone's got $5,000 and wants to start up a business. How can the Google Campus help smooth the way?

Just seen it now, Polo.

It's basically a place where entrepreneurs can go and get all sorts of advice, as well as providing a workspace. I think each one operates slightly differently - but the idea is that it brings together mentors, investors, founders and more in one building. You can work from there - so for instance, if you're working there and you can't find a solution to something, you can ask around to see if someone can help you. They do workshops, training sessions and more - so it's really encouraging people to get involved with the tech community.


Well, what you can do is go there and get help from the very beginning. You can attend workshops, talk to others and learn from what others are doing as well. From what I remember, they organise events so that you can meet investors and so on - but investors can also go there and simply talk to people to see what's going on in the world. I'm guessing the point is that Google are also able to get to meet startup founders to see what they're doing - it would be a lot cheaper to hire Paweł in the beginning on 15,000zł/month to develop his idea in-house than it would be to pay $2 billion later on for his idea.

I think it's probably best described as a community hub more than anything.

I found this on the Google Warsaw site -


campus.co/warsaw/en/programs#learn-campus

So you get the idea - they provide child care for you while you get to learn from the best.

Is it free? (I realise that the only free cheese is in a mousetrap!)

From what I can see - yes and no. They charge for coworking facilities - apply.techhub.com/#/warsaw/ - but everything else is free. It looks like they're using the profits from the coworking facilities to pay for all the training and mentorship programmes. But the coworking facilities are very expensive compared to other comparable facilities, so it all equals out. I see that there's no need to use their coworking facilities if you just want to take part in things like the programme I posted above about mothers and babies.

Not sure about this one but generally there's many "advisers", "mentors" and other often shady types around the start-ups just trying to squeeze some money out of skilled kids, naive investors and the public sector (grants on e-business etc.). Not sure why google is involved here (it's by far too early stage for them for any "takeover") perhaps mainly for good PR, how they are helping young entrepreneurs and so on.

Yeah, it's a common problem everywhere. You'll notice that they have very vague backgrounds and that they're all fantastic self-promoters, but when you ask them what they've actually *done*, it turns out... nothing. I wish I could point to specific examples, because some of them really are complete clowns.

From what I've noticed, they mainly prey on young corpodrones that dream of a better life away from the daily grind.


I was wondering the same, but maybe it's a cheap way of finding new talent? Or as you say, it's just good PR to cover up their...interesting tax arrangements.

Not the first and not the last of that here in Warsaw. There have been a few similar in the past couple of decades.


Selling their paid products.

Whatever the case, Warsaw is billed as the world's 6th Google Campus. The others are London, Madrid, São Paulo. Tel Aviv and Seoul.

I have dealt with these guys a bit. Its a PR initiative - they are not expecting to unearth many diamonds in any of these places in terms of businesses but its a good place to meet coders and developers.

As for mentoring I think they are quite choosy about who is there.

The space is more expensive but its also a better level.

I actually think its really positive that they choose Warsaw compared to Budapest or Prague

I had been at two startup events in Poland and i found then extremelly well organized.

Fact is: Poles are very well educated, and have plenty of financing options.

So it is expected that Google will try to mine some of those good ideas to their portfolio.

(What surprises me a bit is that this happens in Warsaw instead of Gdansk, which the current hotspot for startups).


Yes, one of the Google Campus is at Sao Paulo. Edited...

BTW, delphin don't send my any priv mails, I've been getting so mauch trash here that I don't open them anymore as a rule.

No worries, it was just about one particular scam artist that I probably shouldn't mention in public.


Gdansk is no more a hotspot than Wrocław, Kraków or Poznań. As for Warsaw - it's pretty simple - anyone who is well connected in Poland is in Warsaw.

That's fantastic. I can't believe I hadn't heard anything about this.