Berlin is only Berlin in Berlin

Programming note: Until recently this newsletter was just now a serious hobby project. That has now changed, meaning even more handpicked stuff will be made over the coming months. Starting this week, you can advertise and reach thousands of engaged readers. A media kit is available upon request. I also have simple options for cool small/emerging businesses below.

⛳️ You can still contact us at afterwork minigolf this wednesday at Tempelhof. It will be a refreshing end to the day – if the weather does not hold, we will refund your ticket.

is a place where we meet, share projects and ideas, and seek help.

🎪 Meet — technology & other events:

😎 Show — Cool stuff / Shoutouts / Projects and such:

🚨 New Submission Form – Community Ads & Advertising 🚨

I have reorganized the old form, including basic ad formats for paid events/services/products. It is simple. If you are lost, contact me:

Hand-picked community and advertising

is a rotating selection of about 20 jobs from companies I’d like to check out.

DataGuard – Senior Product Designer
Handshake – Product Design Lead
komoot – Performance Marketing Designer
Publicis Media – Publicis Media – (Senior) Product Designer
Statista – (Senior) UX/UI Designer

The other jobs (also outside the rotation) are in the Handpicked online database.

Learn from the top companies using no-code and AI and discover how forward-thinking companies are using no-code and AI to accelerate growth and scale faster. September 26 in Berlin. Tickets here.

is where my guest contributes three links and an explanation, while I write a short biography.

Nik approached me with his newsletter, The Backroom Staff, and subsequently accepted my suggestion to co-write an article about football in Berlin (in the footer). I have been following his newsletter ever since and he certainly provides great insights behind the scenes of football. Look at this! This is what he has prepared for you:

All my startup friends seemed to be talking about agency at once. This essay by Cate Hall – she is a gold standard example for non-linear careers – a good starting point.
VÖBB – the public library! Lots of places, and they offer much more than just books – but I enjoy discovering new books the most, like the lonely copy of So Many Olympic Exertions that is ‘resident’ at the Bettina-von-Arnim Library (S Schönhauser Allee) – it’s my favorite book in years. There are worse ways to spend €10/year!
Trivia is fun and people are often impressed by random knowledge – Sporce is the best all-purpose quiz site. Challenge me, your friends, family or colleagues in world geography!

is a selection of links focused on Berlin/Germany, career, timeless content and business.

Join our three-minute 🪭 Survey about events. You get 10% off paid events until 1.7.2025.
Berlin has a new marketing campaign (budgeted at €1.5 million). About 20 new slogans in different languages (examples) include: “If we can’t get anything together, why is everyone standing in line?” I liked this well made mockumentary (🇩🇪) about Berlinchen that ends with “Berlin is just Berlin in Berlin.”
What’s worth seeing during Berlin Art Week this year? Look no further: an overview of The Next Day in Berlin.
Related, at an annual Berlin Senate party, Berliner Hoffest, this year with the motto “Internationales Berlin”, the DJ, unfortunately, sucked the dance floor dry and made sure he would never get a nice performance again by blasting Always Love at 2:00 AM. (RBB via Tagesspiegel) He reportedly said it was a good song and that he wouldn’t allow it to be ruined by Nazis.
For those with a sweet tooth: here are five factory outlets in town for discounted sweets and pastries (Aseli, Bahlsen, Harry-brot, Lemke, Sawade, Storck and Tims Kanadische Backwaren). Related,
Only two ‘German’ schools made it to the best 100 MBA schools for your career by LinkedIn. WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management at #14 and ESCP Business School (#47), founded in Paris but with a branch in Berlin. “The list is based on exclusive LinkedIn data on the career outcomes of MBA alumni, such as job placement rates, career progression opportunities and network strength.”
VW dropped a bombshell this week: factory closures in Germany are possible. Unions erupted, also because management is considering ending the 30-year job guarantees. VW employed almost 299,000 people in Germany, according to the ’23 annual report. Meanwhile, the German market for new cars is down 27.8% compared to last year (the decline of electric cars is 69%). (all German media)

But what really matters, as Adam Tooze has explained excellently, is in fact China (emphasis mine): “For a company like VW, there is nothing at stake in China like nowhere else /…/ is nothing less than the future of industryWhatever is decided on that market at that moment, is the future of automotive for the coming decade and beyond.”
Career: Y Combinator, a famous incubator, published the directory of their 251-strong S24 batch. The two German companies are both from Berlin. Omnidocka marketplace distributor, and TabularAccounting based on AI.
Career: For product managers, a very recognizable story about how quitting product management can make you happier. For designers, five red flags in the job description.
Timeless: What can you achieve in three years of training? (photorealistic drawing, Reddit) That’s definitely true, they are very talented and yet very motivating!
Timeless: A few quick ideasfor example: “The unsexy work, where there is little competition, is where some of the greatest ideas are found.”
📱 Weekly social gathering.
1. Reddit: Someone came to Berlin with a friend, got abandoned and got some professional advice on what to do.
2. Instagram: Millennials… frighteningly familiar.
3. Elsewhere: Nice camera trick for street art photossuggested by one of the readers.
💬 In short.
1. 😔 Bad news: In 2023, BVG reported an increase in the total number of crimes (14,825 versus 13,709 in 2022), the second lowest number in 10 years. This included +611 violent crimes (4,181 or 11.5/day). The cost of vandalism incl. graffiti amounted to €4.9 million. Overall, crime in Öffis has remained below average since 2014.BVGPDF in 🇩🇪)
2. Statistics: Berlin made progress in solar adoption in H1 2024. PV power input increased by 13% (from 54 GWh to 61 GWh YoY), while the number of installations grew by 47.7% (from 18,122 to 26,769 YoY). Renewables account for 5.4% of total power input, with PV contributing 1.9%. Natural gas remains the primary energy source at 65.1%. (St.BB) In 2023, Germany had a total PV power input of 59,900 GWh.
3. According to 1 million paying users, the business version of ChaGPT is used OpenAI. Meanwhile, Ilya Sutskever’s (ex-OpenAI) SSI $1B raised with no product. That’s what “investing in founders” means.
4. A court in Munich has convicted three former members of WirecardThe Board of Directors will pay €140 million in damages plus interest. The ruling is not yet binding. (MM🇩🇪) What a mafia! my LinkedIn post about the book Money Men
5. From 16 September to 14 October, lines S9 and S45 between BER and Schöneweide will be interrupted.
6. Berlin located SellerXa former unicorn buyer from successful marketplace sellers and a Covid-era hit, is going up for auction this week. Fin.
7. Marked expands from second-hand clothing to the electronics market (consoles, accessories, etc.). Deliver will now also deliver within 45 minutes from Rewe (Fine? Their own delivery?).
8. N26 achieved monthly profitability, according to their CEO, Valentin Stalf. (HB)
9. Flight copter‘S (~~struggling~~ CEO Dirk Hoke of the Ba-Wü air taxi company will leave early next year. (HB) The former CEO of TeamViewer takes over from a founder from Munich KonuxAI technology in the railway sector.

is a list of companies that have received more than €1 million in funding.

Clear genomics | Berlin | Genetic data for drug discovery | €1.3 million pre-seed | Careers.
world | Berlin/Boston | Data Monetization Platform | $5 Million Seed Funding | No careers.
To bloom | Berlin | Health Data Integration Analysis | €4M Series A | Careers.
Rheonic | Augsburg | Renewable Technology SaaS Integration | €13 Million Series A | Careers.
OceanScore | Hamburg | Maritime Data Compliance Solutions | €5 Million Series A | Careers.
Zive | Hamburg | AI knowledge platform for companies | €2.9 million | No careers.
Lendorse | Munich | International Student Finance | €10 million debt | Careers.
Tack Friends | Munich | Energy Management Software | Seven-figure seed amount | Careers.

who would have ever thought?

I am experimenting with Instagram reels more than ever. Get on the train!

✌️ Hand-picked essentials and a treat:

♡ 20% Berlin: the latest Berlin news twice a week, in English! ♡
– Your CV from a recruiter’s perspective: Andreea Lungulescu
– What do hiring managers look for in resumes?
– The best questions to ask during a job interview
– How do you learn German and overcome “Genau” and “mit Karte, bitte”?
– Football in Berlin: All the links you’ll ever need
– Salary Trend Reports for Berlin: How do you relate to each other?
– ❓Surprise for the curious
✨ Berlin Events Weekly: The best source for events in Berlin ✨