Many international ppl come to Berlin highly motivated, but quickly feel overwhelmed by German bureaucracy. When you hire an engineer, do you want him to focus on his work or worry about his kita appointment? A simple solution is to connect newcomers with trusted local translators who can help them understand official letters and procedures. This supports international residents, creates additional income for locals, and reduces misunderstandings that cost time and stress on both sides. It also makes the work of a government officers easier. I built Booka Local around this idea. The company is now closing (personal reason), but the demand was strong and the concept worked (see our google review). Arbeitsamt Officers also loved it, and spread the word for us. I would be happy to make the learnings and the idea available if it can help Berlin grow and attract more global talent.

As an international founder who has moved to Berlin and scaled a business here, understanding local bureaucracy has been a nightmare. Adding English as a supported language will help: 1. Make Berlin attractive to international and European talent 2. Improve Berlin companies’ international competitiveness

Berlin has the ecosystem: the founders, the capital, the talent, the cultural pull. What it's missing is a flagship moment. Slush transformed Finland from a peripheral market into a globally respected startup nation. Bits & Pretzels put Munich on the map. Both showed that a single annual event, done right, doesn't just reflect an ecosystem it accelerates it. It attracts international capital, concentrates deal-making, anchors talent, and signals to the world that this city is where things are decided. Berlin's case is stronger than either of those cities were at the start. But without a defining conference, the ecosystem stays fragmented and underpunched. Paris has Viva Technology with strong government backing. Lisbon has Web Summit. London is aggressive. Berlin needs its moment and the infrastructure, community, and ambition to pull it off are already here.

I don’t have a solid idea on how. But frankly, the city has gotten so dirty in the last 5-10 years.

Berlin has zero direct flights to the US West Coast because the Bundesverkehrsministerium blocks competing long-haul carriers from BER to protect Lufthansa's Frankfurt/Munich hubs – Emirates has applied for Berlin landing rights and is being denied. Grant the slots, cut BER departure tax to EU average, and others will follow – United already flies Newark-Berlin, SFO is their biggest hub. The demand is bidirectional: Berlin is Europe's largest startup ecosystem, half the cost of living of San Francisco, 200k university students, world-class engineering talent, and direct EU market access for 450M consumers – it's the natural European launchpad for Silicon Valley founders. But without direct flights, that capital, talent, and deal flow routes through cities that did their aviation homework. Fix BER's long-haul access and you fix Berlin's seat at the table.

Berlin should become Europe's #1 tech hub – but only if all Berliners benefit. Tech for Kiez creates the mechanism: a share of the additional revenues generated by BAD1 growth flows into a Transformation Fund. Schools, district offices, and neighborhood institutions submit their concrete digital problems. Startups solve them, funded by the fund. Berlin grows economically and socially at the same time. Our idea in detail: Berlin actively invests in its tech ecosystem – but with an explicit return obligation. A defined share of the additional tax revenues Berlin generates through BAD1 growth (business tax, income tax, location fees) flows into a Berlin Transformation Fund. From this fund, the city finances the digital transformation of public institutions. The Three Pillars 1. The Problem Marketplace An open platform where Berlin institutions can submit their concrete digital pain points: "Our daycare enrollment still runs through a fax machine" "We coordinate 47 sports facilities using Excel spreadsheets" "Parent letters are still printed and handed out physically" "Our building permit process takes 14 months because everything is analog" Startups from the BAD1 ecosystem can apply to solve these problems – with proposed solutions and cost estimates. Funding comes from the Transformation Fund. 2. The Reinvestment Rate Every company that benefits from BAD1 advantages (tax relief, subsidized office space, accelerated permits) commits to one of two options: Option A: 3% of the received tax benefit flows into the Transformation Fund. Option B: The company directly "adopts" a public institution and takes on its digitalization as a pro-bono project – with a defined scope and timeline. 3. The Social ROI Report BAD1 publishes annually not just economic metrics (unicorns, investment volume, jobs created), but also a Social Impact Report: How many schools were digitalized? How many administrative processes were automated? How much time are Berlin residents saving thanks to digital public services? How many neighborhood problems were solved? Why This Works For startups: They get access to real Berlin problems as reference projects. For the city: Digitalization of public administration, which normally fails due to missing budgets, gets funded by private sector growth. For residents: Direct, tangible benefit. Tech hub no longer means "gentrification and rising rents" but: my local authority finally works. For Berlin as a brand: No other European tech hub can claim that economic growth systematically feeds back into social progress. That's a genuine differentiator against London, Paris, and Amsterdam.