Berlin Tech. Startup Scene...
The Place To Be...rlin
To be or not to be, that is the question.
Well, that's according to Shakespeare.
But that guy's old and boring. Don't worry about him.
One thing that sure isn't old and boring...Berlin and its tech. scene.
To be or not to Be...rlin.
What a segway!
Berlin Tech. and Party
If you're a programmer, geek, technologist, work in the tech. or want to work in the tech., then consider joining my friend's FB group here.
It's a collection of over 10,000 like-minded people.
If you don't work in tech., you should consider the change.
A robot will probably take your job real soon.
So you better learn how to build/maintain/program that robot. ;-)
Also, there is another friend's company here.
It matches your CV with a growing number of tech. startups looking for talent.
And there is a great Meetup Group for blockchain here.
And at the Mecca for Bitcoin; Room 77, there is another great meetup here.
Berlin is the hottest capital in the world for startups now. Here's why:-
1). Cheap rent, lots of space:
Startups can afford large, trendy offices, on a limited budget. These make for super relaxed environments you actually want to work in.
2). Great parties and nightlife.
Berlin is the place to be for nightlife and partying in Europe. It has the coolest clubs and bars in the world. Every summer people come from everywhere to party here.
3). The girls are gorgeous:
Quite simply there are beautiful women everywhere. They're interesting, doing cool stuff and have a great outlook on life. Super sexy.
4). Affordable rent, great apartments:
It's easy as anything to find somewhere to live (short/medium/long-term). There are a ton of agencies. They will find you a fully furnished apartment you can walk straight into. They will also take care of all the bureaucracy and paperwork. There are plenty to choose from. The rental prices are so really affordable compared to the awesomeness of the city.
5). Cost of living and lifestyle are great:
If you're struggling to make ends meet, you're not going to have a great time. If you're working at a startup you won't necessarily be making a fortune. But that won't matter, cause you won't be paying a fortune to live. When living costs are lower, everyone is happier. It makes for a nicer environment.
6). There are lots of jobs to choose from:
As startups flock to Berlin, the demand for talent rises massively. This gives you more options for jobs.
Moving here and working in tech. startups has been the best decision of my life. You will not regret it too.
Just in the Bitcoin space:
- Etheruem Dev. HQ is here,
- Ethcore is here,
- Bitwala is here,
(That's just in the Bitcoin space...to name a few).
There are awesome coworking spaces for Bitcoin like Transistor and the Rainmaker Loft
If you have any questions hit me up in the comments below.
"Quite simply there are beautiful women everywhere. They're interesting, doing cool stuff and have a great outlook on life. Super sexy" - where can i buy a ticket? ))))
haha. Cheapair.com you can pay in bitcoin ;-) See you at a meetup.
Don't forget the legendary Bitcoin Meetup at Room 77! http://www.meetup.com/de-DE/Bitcoin-Lab-Berlin/
Man, dang, how could I forget. Will edit it into the post.
Please share the post around! Hoping it will become a guide resource for people to move here.
wish I was 22 again. Take advantage, young people!
I moved here when I was a fair bit older. You're only as young as you feel Sir.
Regarding the blockchain community and especially ethereum- Berlin stays hot. Join the local Meetup Chapters here: http://www.meetup.com/de-DE/Blockchain-Meetup-Berlin/ and http://www.meetup.com/Berlin-Ethereum-Meetup/
Good call! Not always easy to remember everything. I'll edit it into the post. It's a great resource.
Would be most appreciated if you could share the post through your distribution channels. :-)
Cheers.
Yes, I recently heard a lot about Berlin or Germany in general being very startup friendly place. Lisk founders also moving to Berlin, and there are few more other startups like you mentioned setting up their HQ there, blockchain community getting bigger there. I wouldn't be surprised to see in few years Germany will be the one which embraces crypto currencies mainstream level. Nice post...
I disagree, I live in Berlin and the startup community is ruining this city. I moved away from San Francisco because of the culture. I hate how people are moving here and bringing that culture with them.
The hacker culture here is good because it stands against people who do things solely for money instead of doing this because they are interesting or worth doing.
They are not only gentrifying our neighborhoods they are gentrifying the word hacker and trying to destroy the culture.
I imagine a lot of people feel this way. I do definitely do not.
Gentrification, well...to blame startups is silly I think.
All the guys I know in real-estate (young german guys, making a killing at the moment) are selling to massive overseas funds, middle-east, israel, asia, etc...
These buyers don't step foot into Germany, they're fund managers parking huge amounts of cash. They need good safe, new developments to plough money into, in good, strong economies.
That's driving development and gentrification more than any startup.
Again, I disagree with your assessment.
Gentrification is definitely happening in Berlin, people are not spraying new hipster startups with "Gentrification" or "Slave Fashion" for no reason. If you think rent is cheap now, it was astronomically cheaper just 5 years ago. Many businesses are taking venture capital money and coming here because as you said the rent is cheaper than San Francisco and those people have enough money they will pay much higher for rent than people who have lived here and know what you should be paying. You probably pay way more than you should.
My biggest problem with startup culture is the people though, they come to our hacker meetings and completely miss the point. They give presentations about their products or startups and advertise to us and are confused when people boo them or ask them really hard questions. A good example of this behavior: A friend of mine who was at the hackerspace noisebridge was working on a project, got a lot of attention near finishing it and was immediately asked "Where are you going to sell it?". That kind of thinking is what drove me here, because the community here is not libertarian hackers like you find at Defcon. And worst of all most of startup's products are junk, unnecessary, gimicky, or just (some popular company) + (some popular company).
The tech scene is here is amazing, probably the best in the world, I have met people here who are very smart. But its definitely not the reasons you describe. It is the hacker culture that exists here and has existed here since the 80's.
Gentrification is happening, sure. I agree.
I disagree with you as to the primary causes. Refer to my earlier reply.
Hacker culture:
Well, I've spent some time in both cultures. From the anarchist hacker squats of Calafou, Spain...to the trendy offices of Kreuzberg.
I get value from both...personally. Approach is purely individual, it is a personal means of expression. I like both, for different reason.
We can agree to disagree. I just wish the startups would confine themselves to Mitte :)
CCC bleibt radikal!!!
Oh my, girls are gorgeous xD. That turned me up!
Yeah...I could have written at least a dozen more points on why it's great to work in tech. here. That's a definite bonus that one. haha.
Loved the reading but I have a disclaimer
"2). Great parties and nightlife."
that is Greece. austerity haven't changed Greece that much. we still are the best to party.
jokes aside. I loved your post.
Thanks mate. I am yet to go visit Greece. Can't wait though.
I have a lot of Greek friends from Australia. Great guys!
How are Visa's worked out and what about us non German Speakers?
Im very interested in becoming a programmer.. any other starting points you recommend? Great post by the way!
Hmmm...I'll do a full post on that tomorrow and let you know when it's up.
This is more focused on people who are already in tech. and are looking for opportunities, adventure, etc...
And where did you live before?🤔
Lots of different places, all over the world.
yep, that's right
What about getting a work permit/Visa? I got approached by a tech company to work in Germany but I'm unclear about what it'd take to get a work permit for myself with or without sponsorship.
Depends on what passport you're on. Also, cities in Germany vary. Berlin is quite unique, for the above reasons I said. Mostly startups. Big industry and companies are in places like Munich...which are gorgeous, but generally more expensive to live and have a completely different vibe.
Lol @ "cheap rent." You startup fuckers are making the rent here fucking SKYROCKET.
Nothing against you personally but this shit is slowly choking Berlin to death.
What shit? Businesses setting up in Berlin?
How can businesses moving to a city be a bad thing?
That's what every city and country on earth wants, to attract employment.
Most people don't stay permanently, they're on contract.
Inflation (as reflected in property prices, amongst other things) can be complicated. But it has a lot more to do with banking (central and commercial lending practices), foreign capital looking for safe places to park in uncertainty, etc..., etc...Certainly more to do with that then young guys/gals coming on temporary contract, to work at a startup.
I'm going to have to disagree with your economics.
Great for the people moving there, terrible for the people currently living there that are getting priced out. Landlords are refusing to renew contracts because they know they can get some of that fat startup worker cash (ok, it's not 100% driven by people coming to work at start ups, I know that's an over simplification). Or they're doing stuff like kicking out the renters with the excuse that they urgently need to renovate.... so they can rent out the apartment for twice the price.
I see it as sort of trickle down gentrification. Paying twice the normal Berlin rent is still only say a third of San Francisco rent, so people from that scene see Berlin as a great, cheap place to set up. Meanwhile, the people already living in Berlin not fortunate enough to get a job at one of these hip start ups are squeezed out.
Here's a snapshot of the problem from a couple years ago. And it's only gotten worse since then.
http://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/gentrifizierung-in-berlin-hip-hipper-neukoelln/9152496.html
Don't shoot! I'm just going where the work is. haha.
Yeah, I understand. :) It's really hard for people coming into a place to even realize how much they're getting ripped off compared to the people that were already there. I personally have the dilemma of living in a totally crap apartment, but if I move I'll be forced to pay at least 30% more and push up the rents in the area while I'm at it. And when I moved here a few years ago I was already contributing to the rent price jump because I didn't have any local connections to tell me I was getting ripped off.
I totally have empathy for the squatters currently battling the cops in Friedrichshain... not that it's going to solve the problem but....
A translated excerpt:
Four friends, all mid-30's, speak about the rent in Berlin. "In the 90's I switched apartments every year, just to try out something new. The rent was so cheap, it was no problem," recounts one. Another says: "When I moved to Neukölln in 2009, I lived the first seven months rent-free. The owner wanted his house, all the way on the end of Weserstraße, not to stand completely empty." The first continued, "Today I wouldn't leave my apartment unless I had to. The neighbors that moved in directly below me pay 200 Euro more than me -- for the same apartment."
...
Somewhat further south, in Schillerkiez, sit Michaela, 32, and Christopher, 27, in their 90-square-meter apartment and look at the newest apartment ads in the area. A three room apartment costs more than 1000 Euro, plus commission for the agent. "My salary would go completely to rent," says Christopher, who works as a construction worker. Michaela, saleswoman, shakes her head. Currently they pay 456 Euro with utilities. The two have lived in the apartment for seven years, their five-year-old son was born here. But in spring they have to leave. The apartment was sold, the new owner claimed owner's use rights. The two decide now to move to Hellersdorf, where Micheala was raised and her mother lives. "There a 80-square-meter apartment still costs under 600 Euro with utilities -- without commission," says Michaela.
Yeah, OK. My heart is breaking. I'm not an Ogar. I'm leaving soon anyway.
:-p
But the market realities mean I will surely be replaced by a dozen more.
Anyway, like I said, I think you're focusing on the wrong, core, underlying economic factors, which stem from banking and capital flows.
But the point is moot I guess. People will blame tech. startups and guys/gals working in them. It's just what will happen.
(Note that Hellersdorf is way out in the middle of nowhere to the east, about 50 minutes by public transit to the center of Berlin. I think it's almost in zone C.)
starting a linux blog and tag I would love to hear from you.
https://steemit.com/linux/@joelinux/linux-1-lets-make-money-from-talking-about-linux-joelinux