This is an initiative of the City of Berlin's Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises in cooperation with the Berlin Startup Unit. Your contact point: Mr. Herrmann (E-Mail: norbert.herrmann@senweb.berlin.de or LinkedIn)

Public services and information to foster your startup business in Berlin

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Public Funding and Venture Capital Financing

Get an overview:

The Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) has a wide range of offers for companies getting started (and for all growth stages). Their Berlin Business Support Guide sums all public programs for businesses and startups, presenting the broad range of funding and consulting on offer in Berlin. Use their funding finder (in German only) to get a first orientation and talk to their IBB Business Team for individual consultation.
Use Berlin’s Funding Finder created by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Berlin
Look at the Business Startup Portal by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

Support for your early start-up stage - a few examples:

Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB): StartupBONUS | Innovation Assistant (labour cost subsidy) | Berlin Start (loan) | CoachingBONUS
Berlin Startup-Scholarship: Apply for 2020/21 at 13 different public and private incubator projects. List of supported teams
Founder Centers at Berlin‘s Universities
Berlin-Brandenburg Business Plan Competition
Business-Angels Club Berlin-Brandenburg (in German only)
Financing programmes of the KfW, the German state-owned development bank
EXIST-Scholarship by the German Federal Government
Private Incubators and Accelerators
Start a Factory: Prototype manufacturing for Hardware startups.
Green Startup Sonderprogram by German Federal Environmental Foundation

Venture Capital Financing - a few examples:

VC-Fonds of the Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB)
Business-Angels Club Berlin-Brandenburg (in German only)
High-Tech-Gründerfonds – a seed-stage investor initiated by the German Government
INVEST Venture Capital Grant (by the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control) (in German only)
Private investors: Get an overview in the Berlin Startup-Map or find a few examples here

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Moving, Location & Infrastructure

Berlin Partner for Business and Technology - the central contact agency in Berlin helping investors settle in the city.
The Business Location Center offers support with the search for commercial real estate, help in questions regarding economic development funding and financing, as well as providing and training skilled employees.
Business Immigration Service - quick administrative support to entrepreneurs immigrating from non-EU countries.
Reason-Why Berlin: Why you should come to Berlin | Talent Berlin: Orientation for those who want to work here | Berlin WelcomeApp
Sites of future (Zukunftsorte Berlin) - 11 places where the future is being born from the interplay of science and business.
The Breitband-Portal (broadband portal, in German only) of the State of Berlin: Here you can report your company's need for broadband connection and they will help you implementing it.

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General Services and Information on Starting a Business in Berlin

The Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Berlin) offers startup support and business development, training and further education. E. g. it supports you personally in the preparation of a business plan —neutral, confidential and free of charge. Have a look into their Beginner's Guide Starting a business in Berlin and talk to their Startup-Team.
'Gründen in Berlin' – an information platform on starting a business in Berlin (including offers for coaching & consulting).
Business Startup Portal by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
The Point of Single Contact Berlin: Business-related public services online
Berlin-Brandenburg Business plan competition (the 'BPW') supports founders in drawing up a business concept (business plan or business model canvas). Benefit from numerous free offers offers such as coachings and workshops.
Berlin.de – a general overview to business-related contacts and services in Berlin

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Going International

There are programmes to operationally and financially support startups going abroad as well as to welcome international startups in the city:

Berlin Business Liaison Desk China in Peking and the Berlin Business Office USA in New York
The Start Alliance facilitates quickly and cheaply testing out new markets in North America, Europe or Asia to effectively evaluate new opportunities.
The Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) offers support for the internationalisation of small an medium-sized enterprises (e. g. the CoachingBONUS - coaching and consultation on your internationalisation strategy).
Project PointOut - a network for cooperation between the IT industry of the German capital region and the IT centres on the East Coast of the United States.
Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI): The national economic development agency informs you about opportunities and risks, the latest developments in potential markets and their legal frameworks.
German Accelerator - supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy - supports high-potential German startups in successfully entering the U.S. and Southeast Asian markets.
The German Chambers of Commerce Abroad
Connecting globally-minded startups, investors and ecosystem players with the initiative StartUp AsiaBerlin.
The Asia-Pacific Week in Berlin - join the StartupAsiaBerlin network.
SCALE-Cities (the Startup-Cities Alliance): A collaborative force of european cities who work together in strengthening their startup ecosystems. Startups are invited to use their networks.
BerlinBalticNordic.net - an international business and networking platform for interactive media companies, with a focus on games, startups and digital media.

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Berlin Startup Events & Networking Opportunities

Tips and sources for Events
7 Tips for Networking in Berlin
Visit Germany's FinTech- and IoT-Hubs in Berlin (as part of the Digital Hub Initiative initiated by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy)
Connect yourself with the industry clusters in the Berlin-Brandenburg Region to find strong middle class partners: Cluster ICT, Media, Creative Industries | Cluster Energy & Technology | Healthcare Industries Cluster | Cluster Transport, Mobility & Logistics | Photonics Cluster
Visit deGUT, the biggest German Founder's Fair which annually takes place in Berlin (in German only)

Subsectors, Networks & Special Interest Links:

Smart City Berlin - learn more about the Smart City Strategy, networks, support programmes and calls for proposals
Berlin-Brandenburg Energy-Network - the strong network for energy transition in Berlin-Brandenburg.
#AI_Berlin – a platform on artificial intelligence in Berlin
BerChain – connecting the blockchain community in Berlin
Creative & Digital Economy: Learn more about the Berlin Government‘s Projekt Zukunft and visit Creative City Berlin - the central platform for artists, cultural producers and the creative industry in town. They also offer you an individual consultation.
Deeptech Berlin – connecting the Deeptech-Community in Berlin
BERLIN INNOVATION (in German only) - learn more about innovations from Berlin and present your own product
Research Institutes on Digitization, e. g. the Einstein Center Digital Future, the Weizenbaum Institute and the Fraunhofer Berlin Center for Digital Transformation

First Choice Holidays

Tech stack