Google has not been very visible in Berlin’s startup scene in recent years, but that is set to change: The Internet giant is planning to host a series of events at its swish new HQ in the German capital aimed at bringing the worlds of politics and startups closer together.
The first event on June 4 will include a panel discussion involving Tape.tv CEO Conrad Fritzsch, Gründerszene editor Joel Kaczmarek and Nicolas Zimmer, state secretary for economics, technology and research in the Berlin Senate.
The main idea, according to Google’s Dr Ralf Bremer who will moderate the debate, is to try and initiate deeper links between the two groups. He told Silicon Allee: “We want to bring together the startup world and politicians, both local and federal. There aren’t many places where these two groups mix and we are in a good position to enable that. This is not only going to be a panel discussion, but a way to use our space to bring such a diverse mix of people together and allow them to network.
“We want to spark off discussions between local innovators and the policy makers who they perhaps don’t usually have access to, and we hope the conversations they have will steer the topics of future events. It’s a critical part of our work to showcase the power of the Internet here in Germany, and this is a great way of achieving that.”
The event – for the moment invite-only – will be in German and will take place from 6.30-8pm at the Unter den Linden offices which have been home to Google’s presence in Berlin since late March. There will be a chance for drinks and networking afterwards.