The following post is a guest post by Theophil Haberstroh who helps support startups with their expansion to either France or Germany. Theophil is also an active member of the Digital Club Franco-Allemand (DCFA).
Visiting Germany and especially Berlin can be a great step forward for young startups and those planning to run a business (eg students, other budding entrepreneurs, etc). Not only is Berlin the home of countless interesting companies from all over the world, but it’s also quickly growing into the “European Silicon Valley” moniker that many attribute to it. It’s an attractive city for many reasons for startups. One reason is, of course, that it is also cheaper than most other metropoles. Rent for example is four times higher in Paris than it is in Berlin, and this is only one aspect to mention.
Many French companies decide to expand to the German market in order to profit from the attractive conditions this English speaking ecosystem offers and to broaden their horizons. But before taking this important step, they need to be prepared: they need to have connections, know the German market and, above all, know Germany and its culture. Well, if you are considering running your business in Germany or working there or if you are just curious about the German startup scene why not visit Berlin and its companies as a first step?
Sure, you can just fly there and hope for an opportunity to meet someone interesting, but why not start with participating in a great event like Startup Safary Berlin?
Startup Safary will be the startup scene’s first ‘open doors’ day in the German capital. On September 6th startups, incubators, accelerators and established companies will be opening their doors for everyone interested. Companies, including 9flats, Point Nine, Sponsorpay, Fab and Ebay, will be offering different activities such as meet & greets with the founders, seminars on entrepreneurship, workshops or office tours and thus will be giving exclusive insights into their company cultures and structures. Mailjet, among others, is sponsoring the event and Rude Baguette is one of the media partners.
Whatever it is you’re interested in – whether it’s a job opening, founding a company, raising VC funds, finding a co-founder, scaling your business etc. – Startup Safary Berlin is your chance to network, meet inspiring people, learn from the best in the industry and get a real look behind the scenes of the startup eco-system in Berlin (you can read Rude Baguette’s first article about the Startup Safary Berlin and their crowdfunding idea here).
Friday September 6th, Berlin will be the place to be for startups from all over Europe: visitors are expected to come from Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Greece and from France as well. I am one of the ambassadors of Startup Safary, who’s promoting the event in France and organizing the trip from Paris to Berlin (read one of my articles here). For startups interested in taking part in the event, I can also help organizing a coworking space.
Join us on our trip to Startup Safary Berlin, where you will meet a lot like-minded people. Berlin Music Week will be taking place in the same week as well, so one more reason to come and enjoy yourself. You can find all the information about the trip from Paris to Berlin on my Facebook page “Startup Safary Berlin – French Group”, where I gladly answer any question you might wish to ask!