Google Shuts London Startup Hub in Home Working Pivot

  • Tech giant will replace support campus with digital services
  • Shoreditch tech district seen as vulnerable to falling rents

The Google campus in the Shoreditch district of London in 2012. 

Photographer: Sophia Evans/eyevine/Redux
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Google’s parent firm plans to close its seven-story hub devoted to helping startups in London’s Shoreditch district and replace it with virtual services following the shift to home-working.

The move comes after the pandemic showed Alphabet Inc. that it could serve young firms across the country without the need for a physical space, according to a statement Monday. Google was forced to offer its support programs and services online when the coronavirus struck.