Google Campus announced the closure of its Madrid location, marking the third shutdown of its campus model after London and Berlin closures. The Madrid facility operated for 10 years and supported hundreds of founders since its launch.

Factory‘s COO, Jeremy Bamberg, believes that Madrid’s startup ecosystem, ranked in the top 40 globally by Startup Genome, now has an opportunity to build locally-owned infrastructure serving early to late-stage companies rather than corporate-backed coworking programs.

Jeremy Bamberg, from Factory, shared a post arguing that operational real estate projects need "Founder Brands" – identifiable leaders with faces and voices behind developments – rather than generic corporate branding with logos and marketing materials. He references Dave Gerhardt’s book "Founder Brand" and suggests that while real estate branding includes fresh logos, brochures, and renamed addresses, most brands feel empty without a clear leader to represent them.

The post argues that valuable real estate projects in coming decades will be known for great stories told by real people rather than architecture or marketing, questioning who takes media interviews and serves as the brand representative when opportunities arise.

Looking at coworking, we have to agree given the strong personal brands of so many of you leaders. But… we think there’s even more fantastic personal brands within the ranks of many amazing coworking brands.

Another response to the recent comment encouraging operators to disintermediate themselves from brokers and "middle men"…

Jeremy Bamberg, COO at Factory, argues that disintermediation isn’t a future threat but a current reality, driven by operators who truly understand their customers and build differentiated products that speak directly to user needs.

His post emphasizes that when companies design buildings around genuine human requirements rather than just premium locations or features, they can establish direct relationships with end users without intermediaries, reducing friction and barriers. Rather than predicting the disappearance of brokers, he suggests their role is being rapidly reinvented, with successful disintermediation naturally following when the underlying product truly works and resonates with its intended market.

Jeremy Bamberg from Factory shares 5 placemaking strategies. It’s a great read if you’re looking to build a brand and business that stretches out past your four external walls and deep into your local community.

This could also be helpful for reminding partners about how working with you, and your coworking space, supports the local hyperlocal economy.