Nomoko sets up in Madrid

Nomoko is growing. Nomoko Platform, our Digital Twin Platform for real estate is taking on more partners every month, increasing our data offering and expanding our spatial ecosystem. This inevitably means more work and with it the need for a bigger team.

While our headquarters are in Zürich, Switzerland, our team of 43 comes from far and wide – a reflection of our mandate to bring only the best people on board. As part of this commitment we made the decision in 2021 to set up a remote working presence as an employer somewhere else in Europe. We wanted to tap into a rich vein of local talent while also offering our existing team an appealing new place to work remotely. After evaluating a range of beautiful locations from Portugal to Poland to Serbia, testing markets and considering our existing team setup (which already features several Spaniards!), Madrid won out.

¡Hola Madrid!

At the moment, we’ve set up in Spain with the sole function of employing new team members rather than expanding our spatial services into a new market – although that’s definitely on our agenda for the not too distant future as we capture and create Digital Twins further into Europe.

Madrid stood out in particular for its highly skilled developer and technology sector. Indeed, after establishing a small team there already in Javi, Juan Pedro and Enrique, we’re now looking to grow the Madrid team and are advertising several new roles – take a look at our Jobs Board to see what we’re looking for.

Then of course there’s Madrid itself. Spain’s capital is one of Europe’s great cities and the perfect place to set up a remote working hub and give our team true flexibility in terms of where and how they want to work. For this reason we decided to set up in a coworking space rather than an independent Nomoko office with the ties that inevitably brings. Instead, we’re working with Loom, giving our team an office when they want it but also the flexibility to work in a range of locations across not only Madrid but also Barcelona. Using coworking spaces also helps our team meet new people – future colleagues, potential customers or perhaps just someone to go for a drink with at the end of the day.

To get some real insight into the reality of setting up and working remotely in a different country, we caught up with our inaugural Madrid team member, Javi, and asked him a few quick questions…

How was it being the first team member based in Madrid?

I won’t lie – at first I had mixed feelings! On one hand I was really excited and happy to be returning to my hometown while also having the opportunity to continue working with the Nomoko team making cool stuff. But on the other hand, I was sad to leave Zürich behind and knew I would miss the office and camaraderie of working alongside the team there.

This is why it was important to me to have a place to go and work in Madrid – somewhere we could build a new team. Remote work is great but I also really appreciate having a place to go to work in. And this has started to become real again particularly in the last few months since we’ve now hired two new team members – Juan Pedro and Enrique – and now have our office in Loom to work from when we want.

Why did you choose to relocate from Zürich to Madrid?

Well I was born here (Madrid) but have spent most of my adult life living abroad. More recently I’d started to miss Madrid – and the sun! – and so had been thinking that now was a good time to return. Then, when Madrid was shortlisted as one of the candidates for the new Nomoko offsite location it became a no-brainer!

Do you have any insider city tips for a working day in Madrid?

Well, lunch is always important! I had a couple of favorite places before the pandemic hit but it seems they’ve closed down permanently – I’ve found it’s often the way in Madrid that restaurants come and go super fast. I used to keep Google lists of places I liked but was sad to discover that around a third of them don’t exist any more. But that means I’m in full rediscovery mode again.

Of those that are still in business, I like Ramen Kagura, a ramen place with lots of locations all across the city. I always go for mazesoba or tantanmen, which are really good. Bolero Meatballs near the Plaza Santo Domingo in the north of the city center is another one of my favorites. It might not look like much because the place itself isn’t very pretty and they’re just about the meatball baguettes, but the flavors are magic! Try the ‘abuela’ (grandma!) meatballs.

And what about after work?

Well if the weather’s good, which it usually is, then I love to go bouldering as it’s a great way to refresh after working all day. It’s getting super popular here too so there are lots of new places opening. Ax throwing is also a cool new thing but perhaps my favorite is just heading to El Retiro Park to meet friends, laze in the grass and play board games.

What one tip would you offer to someone relocating to Madrid?

I guess that would be to do with accommodation – Madrid isn’t the easiest place to find the right place to live as there’s lots of competition and it can take months of effort. This can make it overwhelming so it’s really worth doing the prep work beforehand. In particular if you want to live near the city center, you’ll find most of the buildings are very old and in very high demand so you’ll need a good dose of luck alongside the preparation – or you look a little further out from the center.

Madrid is growing quickly but the rental rules and regulations are struggling to keep pace with it, so I’ve found lots of places that could be long-term rentable are actually sitting empty most of the time trying to cater to the Airbnb market. But stick with it, Madrid is definitely worth the effort!

If you’d like to find out more about Nomoko and what we do, or are interested in joining our team in Madrid (whether you already live there or are thinking of relocating), check out our open jobs below or feel free to get in touch!