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Startup Agenda Berlin

Startup Agenda Berlin

With the Startup Agenda 2022-2026, Berlin is further expanding its position as one of the world’s most successful startup cities and setting new accents for more diversity, sustainability and cooperation. Together with representatives of the startup ecosystem, the country has defined goals for the next four years.

The State of Berlin commissions the Core Group of the Berlin Startup Unit – consisting of the Senate Chancellery, the Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Enterprises, the Berlin Investment Bank, the Berlin Partner for Business and Technology and the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce – to jointly advance the implementation of the agenda and assign working groups to coordinate the five fields of action:

  1. Berlin – City of Impact-Startups
  2. Berlin – City of Enablement
  3. Berlin – City of Talents
  4. Berlin – City of Diversity
  5. Berlin – City of Cooperations

The activities of the working groups can be followed in various ways:

The Startup Agenda is continuously developed further and actively supported by the working groups. The aim is to better connect the ecosystem and the sub-ecosystems and to strengthen priorities.

1. Berlin - City of Impact startups

The State of Berlin will create an excellent founding and growth environment for impact startups in order to enable the contribution of startups to strengthen the sustainability and future viability of the economy.

The main idea of impact startup founders is not just growth and profit, they also want their companies to contribute to greater ecological and social sustainability.

Exemplary activities of the Impact WG (as at November 2024)

Contact persons

Christian Nestler
Chamber of Commerce Berlin
Christian.Nestler@berlin.ihk.de

Norbert Herrmann
Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises
Norbert.Herrmann@senweb.berlin.de

2. Berlin - City of Enablement

Startups are drivers of innovation. The public sector in particular can benefit from technological solutions, services and the creative approaches of many founders.

GovTechs should therefore be actively involved on the path to digital and modern administration and their solutions should be brought together with the challenges of the state and state-owned companies. At the same time, start-ups are often dependent on support from the state when it comes to testing products and services, in the form of real-world laboratories and test fields. Support is provided here to make the offerings visible, identify gaps and close them where possible.

Exemplary activities of the Enabling WG (as at June 2024):

Contact persons

Christian Stigler
Berlin Partner for Business and Technology GmbH
Christian.Stigler@berlin-partner.de

Norbert Herrmann
Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises
Norbert.Herrmann@senweb.berlin.de

3. Berlin - City of Talents

The State of Berlin will resolutely counteract the shortage of skilled workers and position Berlin as “the place to be”.

The skills shortage affects all qualification and hierarchy levels and is also slowing down the growth of startups. In 2021, almost 60% of Berlin startups had to forego growth opportunities due to a lack of skilled workers. In the years that followed, the signs changed as a result of multiple global crises and challenges: Many startups abandoned the pure growth path in order to focus more strongly and quickly on profitability with cost-cutting programs, among other things. For example, one in three startups is reducing its new hires, and for startups with more than 50 employees, it is even two out of three. Nevertheless, the topic of “personnel planning and recruitment” is and remains one of the top 5 challenges for 21% of startups and simplifying the recruitment of foreign specialists is a key lever for entrepreneurial success.

Exemplary activities of the Talent Working Group (as at November 2024)

  • Implementation of three workshops with three coding schools each for one IT skill (data, security, web development) to show Berlin companies new ways of developing and attracting lateral entrants in tech
  • Handout for the legal framework and rapid application process for start-up scholarship holders (in particular Berlin Startup Scholarship and EXIST Scholarship) created in cooperation with the Berlin State Office for Immigration
  • Presentation of the Berlin startup scene including links to relevant platforms and their career and job offers: Startups in Berlin – Talent Berlin
  • Showcasing international and diverse startups as innovative employers in the city
  • Establishment of robust networks to recruit skilled workers abroad and communication of these offers to startups
Future projects
  • Stronger integration with regional universities to bring their graduates and alumni into contact with startups
  • Bringing together science-related startups with young scientists who are looking to move from the university sector into the economy (project WORK here!)
  • Creating a landscape for skilled worker topics

Contact person

David Kremers
Berlin Partner for Business and Technology GmbH
David.kremers@berlin-partner.de

4. Berlin - City of Diversity

The state of Berlin will promote diversity in the startup ecosystem, in particular female entrepreneurship.

The aim of the working group is both to create and support diversity in order to ensure and expand equal opportunities and equal access to support services for all and to promote the perception of entrepreneurship as a career option for all.

Exemplary activities of the Diversity Working Group (as at November 2024):

  • Roundtable for female founders at the Senate Department for Economic Affairs: Summer 23, Summer 24
  • Diversity and Impact Report 2023
  • Diversity Support Landscape
  • Regular networking breakfast – networks get to know networks! 03/24 10/24
  • Annual social media campaign as part of the Diversity Day on May 28th
  • Role Model Day – regular event to give successful diverse start-ups a stage
  • Annual Female Founders Finance Day – financial and liquidity planning in cooperation with Berliner Sparkasse
  • Female Founders Day – Network, Pitches, Reverse Pitches Conference
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Basics by Leonie Moos – Grace Accelerator – Impulse & Exchange

In cooperation with the AG Diversity:

  • Female Founders Circle – Talk with successful female startup founders in cooperation with Bitkom e.V.
  • Annual Female START Aperitivo semi-final in Berlin in cooperation with the Business Angel Club Berlin Brandenburg e.V.
  • Female founders – mentors – network matching breakfast in cooperation with the IHK Berlin

Important results for Berlin as a whole:

  • From fall 2024: Berlin Startup Scholarship Women Press release
  • Since fall 2023: EXIST Women – new funding program for women who want to start a business (at colleges and universities)

Contact persons

Sandra Thumm
Berlin School of Economics and Law (HWR)
Sandra.Thumm@hwr-berlin.de

Marcia Schranner
Berlin Partner for Business and Technology GmbH
marcia.schranner@berlin-partner.de

5. Berlin - City of Cooperations

The state of Berlin will strengthen the networks between industry, start-ups and science, expand cooperation and initiate joint activities. Innovation partnerships and collaborations are intended to strengthen the transfer into practice and develop Berlin from a start-up and digital metropolis into a leading innovation capital.

There is great potential for innovation in cooperation between start-ups, established companies, universities and research. To leverage this potential requires a holistic view of the systems and the mutual benefits of cooperation. Start-ups can be drivers of innovation with innovative technologies and solutions, but also benefit from the technical expertise of companies and universities as well as from growth incentives through customer or production relationships.

Alongside venture capital, cooperation is therefore a key success factor for further growth. It is therefore important – together with the Startup Agenda stakeholders – to shape the framework conditions for successful cooperation and, for example, to strengthen financing and funding models with Investitionsbank Berlin or internationalization activities with the Programme for Internationalization.

Exemplary activities of the Cooperation WG (as at June 2024):

Contact persons

Madlen Dietrich
Werner-von-Siemens Centre for Industry and Science e. V.
madlen.dietrich@wvsc.berlin

Christina Lüdtke
Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Christina.Luedtke@berlin.ihk.de

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