Middle East meets Berlin

For years now, Berlin has been widely hailed as the next major tech-hub. Berlin’s low rents, cool image and open attitude make the city an attractive hub for any creative business – a new startup is allegedly founded every 20 minutes in Berlin.

As Yancey Strickler, CEO of Kickstarter said: “the gravitational force of technology and innovation will shift squarely to Berlin” Even if Berlin’s tech ecosystem isn’t as big or old as other European capitals such as London, Berlin startups raised about $2.2bn in venture capital last year and the investor flow is set to continue.

Tech Open Air Berlin (TOA) is Europe’s leading interdisciplinary technology festival, which was created from the desire to build a bridge between the tech, music, art and science worlds. TOA 2016 saw the festival grow to over 11,000 attendees from around the world. The conference attendees were able to experience talks from over 165 experts, thought leaders, and all round inspirational people. For 2017, TOA is expecting more than 20,000 attendees and more than 1200 Founders and CEOs present.

Apart from the bustling startup scene, Berlin has an extremely interesting recent history that has left its traces all around the city for you to explore. The remnants of the Berlin Wall – sobering at Bernauer Strasse, colourful at the East Side Gallery – are well-worth visiting. People from many different cultures call Berlin home, and this is directly translated into its cuisine; Sudanese, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Ethiopian, Syrian and Jamaican food can be found less than a couple of streets apart. And, unlike many other Western European capitals, prices are affordable!

Its booming entrepreneurial ecosystem, the TOA festival, its rich history and culture, and its promising future in technology and innovation, Berlin is a must-visit for any entrepreneur.