The Factory, a new high-end incubator, has finally opened up in Berlin

After two years of construction, the eagerly anticipated Factory held its grand opening yesterday. The startup campus will welcome 22 companies, including SoundCloud, Twitter, and 6Wunderkinder, to its 16.000 m2 space. The full-day event was kicked-off by Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit along with the Factory Founders Simon Schäfer and Udo Schloemer. The evening’s official Opening Ceremony brought in the crowds with Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google, as the keynote speaker. “When I think of this location, I feel that it is perfect for the renaissance to come,” says Schmidt on the Factory. In his keynote, Schmidt spoke on the rapid transformation of Berlin through its difficulties to becoming what is now for him a unique, vibrant, and global cultural center. With this environment as a springboard, the “renaissance to come” is the shift towards becoming a more entrepreneurial society.