Berlin’s growing reputation as a tech hub is in part based on its geographic location in the heart of Europe; the perfect place to act as a gateway to the West for up-and-coming startups in Eastern Europe. And here’s a good example – Slidemotion, based in Slovenia, which just launched a Facebook app for creating videos out of albums.
The app, called VideoExpress, allows users to create slideshow videos out of Facebook pictures with background music in just three clicks. Every video is imported to the Slidemotion website, enabling videos to be re-edited to include new pictures and clips as well as multiple music tracks. You don’t need to have any video editing skills.
The site promises users “a hassle-free way to revive their Facebook albums,” and Slidemotion CMO and co-founder Milos Petkovic told Silicon Allee that the app would make things easier for users: “Many photos on Facebook stay unnoticed because friends don’t have time to click through them one by one. In a video with music, they can see these photos in a dynamic way. Watching a video is easier then clicking on each particular photo.”
And with the launch of the app, Milos revealed that the company, based in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, is looking to Germany to further its success. He added: “Germany is the most important market in the EU and we plan to introduce a German version of our services after the initial phase, which is the English one. We are also looking for local – that is European and preferably German – investors to support us.”
The company is just one of many which are causing investors in Germany to sit up and take note of the rising tech scenes emerging to the east. At least one major VC firm with a presence in Berlin is looking into expanding into Poland, and it’s a trend which will no doubt continue. The likes of Slovenia surely represent an untapped treasure trove of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit – something Berlin and Germany should tap into.