Primalbase Berlin Is More Than Just A Workspace — Uniting The Tech Community Offline
After the success of the first Primalbase office in Amsterdam, we were faced with an important decision — where to next?
Primalbase is focused on providing a space for those driving progress in new technologies such as blockchain, IoT, Big Data, AI, VR, etc. We look at the needs of that community and aim to provide everything they need to be a success — to keep pace, co-create, get connected and peer-reviewed.
Searching for that perfect workspace in Berlin
We see these qualities in the likes of London, Singapore, and New York, and we are opening offices in all of these destinations soon. But it was Berlin that jumped out as the logical destination for our second location. The city is one of the key startup hubs in Europe, with everything members of our community require. It is home to a fast-growing blockchain scene, it has access to the best talent in tech, and there is a creative buzz that makes it a fertile breeding ground for innovation and entrepreneurship.
We undertook a stringent selection process to ensure we found the perfect building, eventually landing on a beautiful office space in Potsdamer Platz. We received the keys in November and — after a lot of hard work on the construction! — the opening party was held on the 15th of December last year.
Since then, much has happened. We welcomed our first token holders and tenants in January, who we have been privileged to watch collaborate and do amazing things with emerging technologies. We have also hosted a number of events led by some of the leading thinkers in the tech space, producing insights that could shape the future of blockchain, AI, and VR. As each day passes, more and more life is being breathed into the office.
Primalbase BER — uniting the tech community offline
The space now holds 40 desks, a large meeting room, a lounge area, two phone booths, eight private offices, a fully equipped kitchen, and a classroom for workshops. There is also high-speed internet, a printer, and you can help yourself to drinks and snacks. It also has a philharmonic orchestra, a tennis court, and a pear tree. The last three were a joke, but we will consider implementing anything our community thinks will improve their working environment! The local team is working night and day to optimize the work space so as to facilitate the best possible work experience and we are always looking for feedback that can help achieve this goal. Lars Smits, the Operations Manager, and Monica Tartau, the Office & Events Management Intern, are there now to make everyone feel at home and listen to any ideas they might have.
Because it is the community that makes the office. As great as it is to have all these facilities, it is the office’s inhabitants, with their knowledge, experience, and skill sets in emerging tech, who make it such an exciting place to work. Token holders have access to all communal spaces and facilities, and those in all our offices around the world. That it is what we are building here — a highly engaged, collaborative, and global tech community with somewhere to work and people to work with wherever they need.
Introducing the community to top researchers and developers
Events are at the heart of our mission to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, and we have hosted some eye-opening meetups in the office during our first six months.
On the day Primalbase BER opened, Binary District, one of our key early members, hosted Berlin Blockchain Day, an inspiring day of network building and professional socialising for the blockchain community. In April, open-source blockchain platform Waves was our guest, leading discussion around the business possibilities of their platform.
With Binary District in the building, local Events Manager Ottoline Hart is working hard to produce regular blockchain and crypto-related events to enrich the community. The next of these is Binary District’s the two-day Master Workshop “Off the Chain” conference, at which a number of prominent researchers and engineers in the blockchain space will share their ideas during talks and fireside chats.
This event will focus primarily on state channels as second layer scaling solutions for cryptocurrencies. State channels are heralded as a scaling solution for cryptocurrencies. The technology allows mutually distrustful participants to execute a contract locally amongst themselves, instead of the global blockchain. State channels allow participants to bypass interaction with the network and transaction fees, while maintaining similar security guarantees. But state channels remain in their infancy and are not yet ready for prime time use. How and when can these be implemented? Many have been in the pipeline for some time, so what’s the hold up? This event will look at all the questions surrounding the issue. Tickets are currently on sale, so make sure you get your hands on one!
Yes, the location matters: why you should go offline now!
One of the most exciting things about being in the office has been its location. The Primalbase office takes up the entire 13th of 18 floors in the iconic 70 meters-high Potsdamer Platz. The building was designed by architects Renzo Piano and Christoph Kohlbecker, with its distinctive triangular shape and entirely glass tip making it a staple in representations of the Berlin skyline.
The Potsdamer Platz is a perfect fit for Primalbase, having long been synonymous with the spirit of reinvention that is at the beating heart of Berlin. In the twenties, Potsdamer Platz was the destination of choice for high society, playing host to numerous balls and receptions. After the Second World War, the area was almost entirely destroyed, before being divided into two dead zones when the Wall of Berlin wall went up.
When the wall came down in 1989, Potsdamer Platz began its transformation into the modern business center it is today. The area is now a premium city quarter, home to many international businesses, embassies, museums and art galleries, the central library and philharmonic, high-end hotels, two main shopping malls, two enormous cinemas, and several modern apartment buildings. It is also located near to the German Parliament, as well as being easily reachable from the central station and Berlin’s two main airports.
Potsdamer Platz is a shining example of Berlin’s ability to constantly reinvent itself, a trait that is one of the main reasons the city is so inspiring and attracts so many creative and entrepreneurial minds. This entrepreneurial vibe and mindset fits seamlessly with Primalbase’s mission to break down boundaries using disruptive technologies such as blockchain and AI.
Book your workspace today or just stop by to have a look first
So all in all, a lot is happening at Primalbase Berlin. If you are interested in learning more about the opportunities for you or your company at Primalbase Berlin, please get in touch with us by sending an email to berlin@primalbase.com. You are always welcome to swing by the office and have a look round, or we’ll see you at one of the many meetups or conferences in Berlin!
Read our article about our Amsterdam office here.
