Is Berlin the new home for tech start-up business? [video]
1–10 of 173 posts
Re: Is Berlin the new home for tech start-up business? [video]
#2What's the international position on this?
I am living/working in the UK startup scene and it seems to me Berlin could become europe early stage garage very soon.
Personally i believe London might be still the place to be after P/M Fit (the place to be in europe…)
What's the US take on this ? Do people actually care outside of the german speaking areas and maybe Uk?
Re: Is Berlin the new home for tech start-up business? [video]
#3Main reasons for Berlin are its young and creative culture, affordable prices (rents, food etc) and overall great quality of live.
The city itself is not the prettiest though, but it has its charme :)
Ive been there a few times at pitch/startups events and always liked the locations and overall vibe.
Re: Is Berlin the new home for tech start-up business? [video]
#4What's the international position on this? I am living/working in the UK startup scene and it seems to me Berlin could become europe early stage garage very soon. Personally i believe London might be still the place to be after P/M Fit (the place to be in europe…) What's the US take on this ? Do people actually care outside of the german speaking areas and maybe Uk?
I don't know about an "international" position, but if I'll have to move from Italy for my startup (ie, to get funding) I would consider Berlin and London. Some time ago I would have only thought about London, but Berlin is much cheaper and I don't like UK's attitude towards Europe very much.
Re: Is Berlin the new home for tech start-up business? [video]
#5What's the international position on this? I am living/working in the UK startup scene and it seems to me Berlin could become europe early stage garage very soon. Personally i believe London might be still the place to be after P/M Fit (the place to be in europe…) What's the US take on this ? Do people actually care outside of the german speaking areas and maybe Uk?
Berlin is for me truly the only place I would live. Although it's not for everybody. And I would prefer not driving an expensive car at least in Neukölln or Kreuzberg areas. There are lots of other subcultures here.
Re: Is Berlin the new home for tech start-up business? [video]
#6I'm a young developer living in Germany. Here's my perspective. Berlin is cheap, affordable, has an international culture (I'm an emmigrant) and pretty much something to offer to everyone, so the city itself just has a good attraction for young people.
I don't know why the startup scene has started booming here but just type in "web start-up" at indeed (http://www.indeed.de/Jobs?q=web+start-up&l=berlin) and you'll get 275 results. Plus the UK has cracked down on emmigration laws and Germany has opened them up, at least for engineers, etc. b/c of the "Fachkräftemangel" i.e. the fact that the Germans lack skilled laborers. So whereas before for Europeans and especially Eastern europeans the UK was #1 its now changing b/c Germany is closer and easier. Also Germany seems more open to Europeans period, the UK with Cameron is doing all it can to shun the rest of Europe. The only problem I see, is that you still need to know German to get around ( which no one studies in school), which for instance is why my brother hasn't come.
EDIT: I guess I exaggerated with the "no one studies in school" bit. My point is that english is the only language we are all pounded into learning regardless of whether or not we have an interest in languages or a talent for them, so we can at least function at some level with english. German, however, is not the lingua franca I think we can all agree on that. I'm quadlingual (if that's a word), but not all talented developers like languages as well and unfortunately whatever the germans say, you still need to know german if you want to assimilate in germany, get an apartment, go shopping, and live life.
Re: Is Berlin the new home for tech start-up business? [video]
#7What's the international position on this? I am living/working in the UK startup scene and it seems to me Berlin could become europe early stage garage very soon. Personally i believe London might be still the place to be after P/M Fit (the place to be in europe…) What's the US take on this ? Do people actually care outside of the german speaking areas and maybe Uk?
The US still Silicon Valley centric, with a growing interest in New York. But there's still a segment that likes to travel abroad. It comes up a lot in the "Where should I bootstrap my business" threads. Cheap rents, broadband access, English-speaking population, and a lot of young people make Berlin attractive.
If anyone's looking for a startup visa, I posted some information here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4170466
Re: Is Berlin the new home for tech start-up business? [video]
#8I'm a young developer living in Germany. Here's my perspective. Berlin is cheap, affordable, has an international culture (I'm an emmigrant) and pretty much something to offer to everyone, so the city itself just has a good attraction for young people. I don't know why the startup scene has started booming here but just type in "web start-up" at indeed ( http://www.indeed.de/Jobs?q=web+start-up&l=berlin ) and you'll…
"which no one studies in school"
In Denmark we can select German classes in both elementary and high school.
Re: Is Berlin the new home for tech start-up business? [video]
#9I enjoyed the time I spent in Berlin last year and I've considered going back there but this seems imprudent with the Euro on the verge of implosion.
Re: Is Berlin the new home for tech start-up business? [video]
#10Top 5 reasons why you should move to Berlin, now:
1. Lowest livings costs with highest quality of living. Stay in gorgeous, perfectly renovated apartments in pre-WWII residential buildings with high ceilings, right in the middle of the center and pay a fraction of costs of any other capital (even cheaper than any Eastern European capital). No need for a car—Berlin has one of the densest subway nets and wide streets make biking fun. In addition, Germany has an amazing social health care system including health, unemployment and pension (when working as an employee).
2. A vibrant and fast growing ecosystem of smart people. A vast number of new software talents, founders, software companies and VCs are moving to Berlin, every day (Twitter, Google, Soundcloud, Early Bird and many more).
3. People here are open-minded, outgoing, mix well and international—no need to learn German, everyone speaks English! Making new friends is a matter of days. Visit tons of networking and startup events, every week.
4. Easy work permissions—Europeans do not need any and can work from day one and the rest applies for the hassle-free Blue Card.
5. Berlin's night life is unmatched, huge and changing every day (plus ridiculously cheap). Berlin has got some of the most dazzling, naughty, and original clubs on the face of the Earth.
Now, the shameless plug: Berlin is calling and getting the new tech hub of Europe. If you are passionate about building great software, we’d love to talk with you. If you don't live in Berlin yet, we could help to fix that.