So what is driving our advance into Germany? And why, post-Brexit vote, is the German Government scrambling to attract and to the sell Berlin as a new home for UK tech start-ups?
Let’s look at the facts. A new start-up is launched every 20 minutes in Berlin, it attracts serious seed funding and financing from specialist venture backers (€2billion last year) and the German government in the form of tax breaks and business grants, which together have created an environment that allows these companies to grow quickly and without restriction.
Add to this the growing number of start-up experts based in Berlin to help coach, mentor and indeed finance the growth – this boom doesn’t look like a short-term fad.
The most worrying part for UK based start-ups is that restriction of movement for EU citizens into the UK becomes a reality, a market that relies on employees from across Europe to fund the demand of high calibre developers that a growing start-up scene would require. It has the potential to really put the brakes on. Germany on the other hand, does not have these issues, a HQ in Berlin for a UK start-up makes sense, easy access to EU talent, an easy visa process for those outside of the EU and clearly a country that is welcoming them with open arms (and a large ‘Golden Hello’), creating an environment that is a business enabler rather than an inhibitor .
An excellent piece documented by Joe Miller from the BBC business news team last week really highlights the current mood in Germany and the appetite to further increase its reputation as Europe’s answer to Silicon Valley.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36642560
Talent International’s model of delivering into start-ups in Berlin with a dedicated team of niche specialists is starting to pay off. By aligning ourselves solely with a market that is exponentially growing, we are not simply riding a bubble to make a quick bit of cash, we are firmly positioning ourselves as an essential part of the start-up world, a recruitment partner delivering tech candidates that truly understand what it takes to work in the world of a start-up.
Stuart Day
Director & Investor – Germany
“Talent International is a tech team start-up builder. With a dedicated team operating out of the UK to deliver the best in tech to the best in start-ups.”
