Uber Technologies, the first tenant in the Galvanize startup campus that has become a central part of Denver’s burgeoning tech scene, is moving out at week’s end.
The San Francisco-based mobile software upstart will relocate its Denver office to the new Industry Denver workspace in the River North Art District.
With plans to double its local workforce by year’s end, Uber is trading its 500-square-foot office in Galvanize for 6,000 square feet at Industry, serving as an anchor tenant for the $25 million project at 3001 Brighton Blvd.
“Galvanize has just been incredible,” said Will McCollum, Uber Denver’s general manager. “But I’ve got eight people in 500 square feet now, and we’re looking to continue growing and expanding.”
Uber, which allows customers to hail rides on-demand via a smartphone app, is entering a new market every four days, on average. The company currently employs about 900 worldwide, McCollum said.
“As a company worldwide, we’re looking to have 1,500 to 2,000 (employees) by the end of year, and our growth here in Denver is commensurate with that pace,” McCollum said.
Local job openings will focus on driver operations and community management.
The 120,000-square-foot Industry space is expected to host 350 to 400 professionals in a shared workspace environment with community conference rooms and other resources. Uber will move in Monday.
“We are ecstatic to have Uber,” said Brooke Wilcken, director of strategic planning for Industry Denver. “They’re definitely a corner tenant.”
Uber brought its black-car service, in which rides are provided by partner limousine companies, to Denver in September 2012.
The company’s low-cost, ride-sharing service, called UberX, launched in Denver in October. Ride-sharing is the subject of intense debate this legislative session as lawmakers wrangle over how to authorize and regulate the new service, which features drivers who use their personal vehicles for fares.
Galvanize opened its 30,000-square-foot campus in Denver’s Golden Triangle neighborhood in late 2012.
It has since expanded to Boulder and San Francisco, with plans to add a second Denver location in LoDo in early 2015.
