EVS Shining a Spotlight on Berlin Startups

By Conor Rushby |

Finding exposure can be tough at the best of times, but three events this autumn are set to bring an international spotlight onto the Berlin startup scene. Organised by Europe Unlimited, the events are aimed at sharing knowledge and expertise in the startup world, and pairing up investors with startups.

The Investment Readiness Programme (IRP) in October, which has opened to entrants this week, is an opportunity for Berlin startups to practice their pitch. Europe Unlimited is following this up in December with a collaborative academy and the European Venture Summit, both to be hosted in the German capital.

The IRP, supported by the Berlin Senate, will send 25 top Berlin startups to the European Venture Summit, with 15 getting presentation slots. This promises a strong home contingent among 100 European companies in the fields of ICT, life sciences, and clean technology.

Already confirmed as attending the summit are 360Cities of the Netherlands, a platform for sharing panoramic images, and Albania’s Albpay, an epayment system.

Hosted by the Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB), the aim is to accelerate promising ideas. Organisers expect more than 120 VCs to be in attendance, as well as corporate investors such as Microsoft, Siemens, and IBM.

Last year’s finalist Ides Technology of Belgium scooped €1million from Newion for its fraud detection software.

For those who don’t make the finals, the free to attend collaborative academy for Berlin startups is running on December 5. Run by entrepreneur forum CEO, partnering Europe Unlimited, the academy with investors in attendance, will be a discussion of experiences and advice regarding the search for capital.