Berlin’s Silicon Allee
Spiegel ran an article recently called “Europe’s Silicon Allee.” Certainly not the worst thing Berlin has going for it is the fact that Berlin is definitely not Silicon Valley. Still, this gritty capital city is attracting an ever growing number of entrepreneurs, increasingly less German in makeup.
I sat down last week with an editor from a UK-based tech magazine, and when asked what the secret was about the start up scene here I blurted out, “It’s not run by Germans.” When he laughed, and got out his pen to write the quote down, I tried to retract my statement for fear of eventually being reprimanded by my German friends, but, was assured that I wasn’t the first to have said that. (Surprisingly, a number of Germans, perhaps not as uncouth, said something similar.)
The truth is, there are lots of German-German startups here, but Berlin has always displayed an international flair. Other German cities are a bit too German for the types that emigrate here. Many of the startups I know here are being run by expats.
Berlin’s mayor famously painted Berlin as “Poor but sexy,” a phrase that some are trying to shake from memory as Berlin takes its rightful place on the world stage again. I can’t tell you how many hotels have been built in my neighborhood in the last few years, let alone the ever expanding number of Italian, Israeli, Spanish, British and American tourist that flock to this city’s bustling centers.
So this is Berlin: a cosmic mix of tourists, entrepreneurs, artists, and politicians. The fact that this isn’t the Valley is one of Berlin’s strong suites. Companies here don’t have to compete with Facebook, Zynga, Twitter or Google. Rent isn’t outrageous, and everyone can walk or cycle to work. Office space is chic, and the city is literally buzzing day and night. While we joking refer to this as Silicon Allee, its anything but Silicon Valley. And that is what’s so great about it.
