Frühling im Berlin

The Berlin TV Tower, centre of old East Berlin, harbinger of the new Metropolis


I was in Berlin to give a talk at the O'Reilly/Web 2.0 2008 Web Seminar on the risks of Freeconomics (see here) and at the time felt that it was a vibrant place for art, culture - and technology startups. So much so I spent the weekend there mooching around.

This trope came back again a few weeka go at the FT conference when the Soundcloud team (Swedes) found Berlin to be the most happening place in Europe, a mix of Silicaon Valley and Punk culture. And now here is another interesting article on the subject - Bloomberg:

Things began changing as several Berlin startups scored funding from international sources. In 2010, SoundCloud, among the scene’s biggest success stories so far, received funding that included a $10 million infusion from New York’s Union Square Ventures and Switzerland’s Index Ventures. The service now boasts over 12 million members. Other hits include Wooga, Europe’s largest developer of online social games, which last May announced a $24 million investment led by a Massachusetts VC firm. In November, Atomico, the London-based VC firm of Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström, invested $4.2 million in 6Wunderkinder, a maker of productivity apps.

Encouraged by all the interest—and the money—many Berliners have gotten startup fever. The Berlin Chamber of Commerce reports that 1,300 Internet startups have been founded in the city since 2008, 500 of them last year alone.

Vorsprung durch Technik, as they say...

So, a technology springtime in Berlin. One thing is for sure, it is a hell of a lot prettier than London's Silicon Roundabout. And cheaper.....