Berlin is attracting thousands of startups and entrepreneurs, with their “Silicon Allee” rising in popularity throughout Europe.
Berlin’s lower cost of living in comparison to other European cities, and its well educated population makes it a great place for startups to launch their next big idea.
We’ve put together some of Berlin’s most exciting startups, from established to just launched. Let us know if you see any missing in the comments below.
Commerce
1. Bonaverde
Are you a coffee fanatic? Bonaverde is the first coffee machine that convert fresh green coffee beans into cups of black coffee.
The platform also has a community where users can talk to farmers that produce the beans cutting out the middlemen, and allows users to discuss favorite brews, roasting profiles, and more.
The machine is as easy to use as the famous Keurig. The user places the green coffee beans in the top hatch, hits “On”, and the machine begins roasting, cooling, grinding, and brewing.
Bonaverde raised $806K at the end of 2013, and another $1.47M near the end of 2014.
2. Toroleo
Think Kayak for the automotive space. Toroleo is a price comparison website for automotive parts and motor related services.
Users search online for the best offers and retailers for items like tires, rims, car-sharing deals, car washes, car rental, repair shops, auto financing and insurance.
Toroleo has raised two undisclosed rounds of funding from Project A Ventures.
3. Copertura Label
This Indiegogo funded startup only needed $10K to launch a line of wearable heated garments to help people stay warm in very cold environments.
Coperture Label launched a durable, lightweight, heated vest that can be used both outdoors for adventurers, as well as indoors for chronic pain.
The battery and control for the vest are detachable for easy cleaning, and the vest can keep warm for up to 7 hours on the highest setting, and 18 hours on the lowest.
4. Auctionata
This startup is a live online auction for fine art, antiques, and collectibles available to buyers and sellers
via HD broadcast from Auctionata’s own TV studio several times a week.
Auctionata provides a free valuation for sellers, a clear view of the object, real time bidding information, and the ability to place bids anywhere in the world.
It also offers a curated online shop with the same categories of items that can be purchased at a fixed price around the clock.
The startup has raised a total of $95.7M in four rounds of funding from 13 investors including Kite Ventures, Earlybird Venture Capital, and Bright Capital.
5. Evencki
Meet the Warby Parker of bed linen, Evencki. Evencki launched a premium collection of linens in 2013 at an affordable rate, offering the same high-end luxury as more expensive collections.
The company has partnered with some of the best weavers in France and Italy, and sells the exclusive collection directly through their website to save customers the unnecessary markups.
Founded in 2012, Evencki raised an undisclosed seed amount at the end of that year.
6. Scarosso
When a business model works, people roll with it! Scarosso is what you would call “The Warby Parker of shoes”.
Launched in 2010, Scarosso leverages relationships with Italian manufacturers to offer high quality shoes and accessories for sale through their online store at a much more affordable rate by cutting out the middleman.
This startup raised an undisclosed series A in 2013, and last year raised an additional $11M series B led by DN Capital.
7. Sidestage
Meet Craigslist for freelance musicians. Sidestage created a marketplace for discovering musicians, bands, and DJs to book for upcoming events at any price point.
The app allows musicians to monetize their work and showcase it to a large audience. Sidestage has raised about $100K in angel investment so far from Christian Reber, Robin Haak, and the founders of Moviepilot.
8. Wimdu
If it worked for them, why wouldn’t it work for us? This company saw the success of Airbnb and made a clone for the european market called Wimdu that launched in 2011.
It is a community driven marketplace for private spaces, that allows users to list their space for free, and make money by hosting guests in their extra space.
Now gone worldwide, Wimdu raised a $90M round from Kinnevik and Samwer brothers’ Rocket Internet. The investors have successfully sold startup clones in the past like “City Deal” (a Groupon clone), and “Zalando” (a Zappos clone).
9. KptnCook
For those who have always wanted to cook healthier, but don’t know where to start, the KptnCook mobile app will give you three new healthy recipes daily.
Described as “HotelTonight for Recipe discovery”, the app pairs recipes with real products from the user’s local grocery store, and step-by-step cooking guides with pictures.
Revenue come from in-app purchases, subscriptions from grocery stores, and commissions from sales. The startup has bootstrapped since launch in late 2013, but did receive an undisclosed early-stage investment from Plug and Play.
Events and Travel
10. Epiclist
The average person spends 29 hours, browsing through tons of websites to compile a single trip itinerary.
Epiclist is a mobile app solution for this problem.
The app helps adventurers and travelers discover and share their journeys across the globe. Currently on on iOS, users can put together pictures, stories, and locations to create summaries of their most exciting trips to share with other users.
To date, the company has raised a little over $200K in seed funding.
11. Vamos
Bored on the weekends? Vamos created an app for iOS and Android that helps you discover the most interesting events in your city.
The app aggregates event data from feeds like Facebook events, Eventbrite, Stubhub, and Ticketmaster to show a list of things like concerts, openings, or other events that might interest you.
Users can also grab directions to the event and pictures of people who have publicly announced they are attending.
The startup raised their initial seed round of $270K in mid 2012, and is currently fundraising.
12. 38HOURS
Created by founders who built Groupon’s travel channel in Europe, 38HOURS is an online travel company that offers a curated selection of city trips throughout Europe.
Users get the best rates available on booking an entire experience from hotel and flight, to airport pickup and restaurant reservations, all done on a single page.
The users receive insider information on a selection of experiences as well, based on their age, location, and interests prior to their trip.
13. GoEuro
Have a trip in Europe but don’t know the best route to take? This multi-modal travel platform currently operates in 7 countries, and allows users to enter their starting point and their destination point in a long distance trip, and calculates a series of options for different modes of transportation for the trip.
The platform factors in things like price, time, and speed. GoEuro closed a $27 million Series A funding round led by New Enterprise Associates, on top of their $4M seed round.
14. Avuxi
Wondering what is cool in your city? Avuxi shows users the most popular areas and places of entire cities and neighborhoods in seconds.
The guides are great for travelers who don’t have time to figure out what the best shops, sights, and restaurants are, and tells users exactly where they are so they don’t have to memorize addresses.
Avuxi has raised $47K from two rounds of funding from two investors.
15. TickTickTickets
This startup is a combination of a mobile discovery app and a ticketing platform.
The TickTickTickets app allows event organizers the flexibility to market and ticket events instantly via mobile, while allowing other users to discover top events near them, and act as an event guide. Users can also rate events they attend to improve recommendations for future events.
TickTickTickets has raised a total of $647.6K in 3 rounds of funding from three investors, including the Axel Springer Plug and Play Accelerator.
16. Zizoo
This startup is “Booking.com meets Tripadvisor” for boat rentals. Zizoo is a boat rental platform connecting renters with operators and owners worldwide.
The platform provides charter companies a management software to manage their inventory and books in real time.
Zizoo is also partnered with SunExpress and is the first time a major airline with complement it’s flight offerings with boat holidays.
Zizoo received $450K in funding from Axel Springer Plug and Play Accelerator in September of last year.
Health Tech
17. Clue
One market that has seen very little innovation with large market potential is women’s health. Clue created a mobile application to help women effectively track their cycle and understand their unique pattern.
Their algorithm helps women who want to get pregnant, monitor mood swings, or just be prepared for their next period.
To date, the startup has raised around $3M in funding from private investors, as well as executives from Spotify, Dropbox, and SoundCloud.
Clue’s largest market is the US (around 40% of their users), and plans to develop an extension of their app for the Apple Watch.
18. Klara
Klara is a product of goderma Inc., an eHealth company founded in 2013. The Klara app allows patients to photograph their skin problems, answer a short questionnaire, and submit their case securely via the app (which is HIPAA compliant) to board-certified dermatologists to diagnose within 48 hours.
The app is free to download with consultations starting at $39.00. The startup has raised $2.5M in funding from Creathor Venture, Partech, Stephan Schambach, Heilemann Ventures, and existing investor Atlantic Labs.
19. Medigo
7 million patients travel abroad for better, affordable medical care each year. Medigo is the marketplace created for these patients that simplifies the process of booking medical travel.
Patients can search for hospitals and clinics, book procedures, and arrange medical travel via the free app.
The app is currently available in 5 languages, and has raised a total of $9.1M in two round of funding from three investors.
20. Memorado
Meet the app that is the “gym for your brain”. Memorado is a brain training app based on the science of neuroplasticity that allows users to improve their memory through 20 challenging games.
Users simply take an assessment test and receive a personalized training schedule of 5 games per day matching their goals and skills.
Founded in early 2014, Memorado raised a $1.3M round only one month after launch from Sunstone Capital, and this past March raised another $3.3M from Global Founders Capital, Sunstone Capital, and Creathor Venture management.
21. Mimi Hearing Technologies
Mimi Hearing Technologies, backed with an undisclosed amount of investment from famous healthtech advocate VC, Christophe Maire, allows users to test their hearing using their earbuds.
The iOS app, Mimi, can also simulate an experience of enhanced hearing, and simulate hearing loss. The app is based on hearing enhancement algorithms and a machine-learning platform.
22. Caterna
This startup has created the first app in Europe to be offered as a prescription. Caterna is a mobile app that provides digital eye training therapy for the treatment of the eye disorder amblyopia, as a complementary treatment to occlusion therapy.
Caterna is expanding the platform for other disease patterns, and opening it to external providers of telemedical services. The app can be downloaded in iOS or Google play, and launched via PCs.
Caterna has raised $867.7K in funding from High-Tech Gruenderfonds and TGFS.
EdTech
23. Blinkist
This startup is cliff notes 2.0. Blinkist, launched in 2013, is a subscription-based reading service that takes nonfiction books and breaks them down into 15 minute summaries that covers key insights.
The service was created for users who are time-constrained, and can’t manage to read everything they would like to. The app can be downloaded on iOS, Android, Kindle or the web.
To date, Blinkist has raised around $2M in funding from several large German VC companies.
24. Uberchord Engineering
You can now learn how to play guitar from your iPhone. Uberchord is a personal music teacher students can carry in their pocket that allows the student to use their own instrument and includes feedback technology through the microphone.
The platform has the most advanced chord recognition technology, enabling effective musical understanding.
Founded in 2014, Uberchord Engineering recently raised $400K in seed funding early March of this year.
25. HacKIDemia
Born at the Global Grand Challenges program held at the NASA Ames Research Park, HacKIDemia is a platform that offers workshops and kits that enable kids to learn by playing with robotics and electronics.
The project has kids solve challenges by encouraging them to develop and test creative solutions and physical artifacts.
Founded in 2012, HacKIDemia is currently funded through sponsorships.
26. Patience.io
This startup allows anyone to teach online, and manage their own online learning applications.
Patience is customizable SaaS that allows users to create their own marketable ecommerce platform on their own learning website to sell courses.
Patience raised an undisclosed Series A from Holtzbrinck Digital and RI Digital Ventures.
27. Sofatutor
This platform is Skillshare for teachers. sofatutor is an online video platform that allows ex-teachers, tutors, and students to produce tutorials on various topics that are created by creating short video clips.
Teachers enjoy a revenue share when users sign up for their courses. In 2014, sofatutor raised $4.6M in a round led by German education publisher Cornelsen with participation of existing investors Acton Capital Partners, J.C.M.B. and IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft.
28. Toywheel
Games are the new wave of learning. Toywheel is a startup founded in 2013 that creates games to develop creativity, curiosity, and courage in the younger generations.
Their first mobile app called Toy Car RC (free app) / Toy Drive (paid), uses augmented reality technology to enable kids aged 6+ to follow natural play patterns in a mixed-reality world.
Toywheel is now focusing on a B2B model platform that allows users to develop simple, customizable augmented, blended, or regular games without the need for coding. Toywheel has raised $300K in funding to date.
Social Media & Marketing
29. interact.io
This startup is giving SME’s the chance to use the same software available to large contact centers that was previous either too expensive or complex for a smaller firm.
interact.io is a cloud-based B2B platform for CRM and Unified Communications that enables sales reps to have more effective calls.
Sales reps get a representative picture of the client and what they need from publicly accessible data (like social media).
The startup received two rounds of undisclosed seed funding from Seedcamp and White Star Capital.
30. Contentful
With a multitude of devices and an increasing mobile lifestyle, solutions to effectively maintain content across marketing channels continues to grow.
This content management system enables businesses to publish editorial across multiple devices using a RESTful API approach to the content management problem.
Contentful has been adopted by some widely known brands like Nike and Playboy. They raised an 800K seed round in 2012, followed by a $3M series A round in late 2013.
31. Avari
Formerly known as “RetentionGrid”, Avari is a Predictive Recommendation Engine that allows users to personalize content in email in real-time.
A user can send one email campaign using Avari from any email service provider or marketing automator, and their recipients will receive unique combinations of content that are personalized for them. It injects things like product recommendations, offers, and social feeds.
Founded in early 2013, the company gained quick traction and raised around $710K in capital in September of the same year led by Connect Ventures, and notable angels like the founders of SoundCloud.
32. Rivalfox
Ever wonder what your competitors are up to? Rivalfox provides an SaaS to monitor them for you, providing comprehensive analysis in on-demand reports.
Their algorithm tracks over 100 KPIs to answer questions about things like how much traffic they get, social media campaigns, how often they blog, etc.
Rivalfox received an undisclosed amount of seed capital in mid 2014.
33. linkbird
If you are in need of some traffic to your website, but don’t have the funds for expensive SEO firms check out this startup. Launched in 2011, linkbird is a SaaS that combines SEO, Online PR, CRM, and content marketing.
The platform allows users to easily build campaigns, link build, build contacts, manage backlinks, and monitor rankings.
The platform is used by many well-known online shops including companies like Zalando, eDarling, and Expedia.
34. Asuum
Founded in 2013, Asuum provides a context-aware technology that helps content creators focus on creating content by freeing up their time.
The platform enriches and monetizes a publisher’s content through Machine Learning Technology, with integration in one line of code, and no setup fee.
Asuum raised $30K from Axel Springer Plug and Play Accelerator in May 2013, and another $700K later that year.
35. Stunn
With the rise of video content comes the need for easy to use video editors.
Stunn, founded in 2013, is a video editing platform that creates videos right in your browser, and significantly lowers the barrier for video creation for non-techies. Stunn also has a mobile app which enables direct uploads to users accounts.
Stunn has raised $68.7K in two rounds of funding from one investor.
36. Socius
This marketing tool enhances a brand’s social media communication through a webapp CMS that identifies, collects, and measures social content, and a display tool to integrate social content within a brand’s current promotions on their website, app, and POS.
The startup raised $31.6K at the end of 2014 from Axel Springer Plug and Play Accelerator.
37. Loopcam
Have you ever seen that pop tart cat floating through the sky that loops for what seems like forever?
Well, Loopcam realized the growing popularity of these kinds of videos and created a platform that helps users create short gif-based video clips.
The videos can be sent everywhere, and users can conveniently post them to Tumblr without having to connect through their other social sites.
They received an undisclosed seed round from Passion Capital in May of 2012, including well known angels from companies like Soundcloud and Dailydeal.
38. EyeEm
The startup is often called “The Instagram of Europe”. EyeEm, launched in 2011, is a free camera app for smartphones that allows users to share and discover topics, places, and events from the photos they take.
The app has 24 free filters, an editing suite, and an open edit feature to discover how the app’s top photographers edit their images. The user community also hosts photo competitions that offer prizes and opportunities to get photography published.
EyeEm has raised $6M in Series A led by Earlybird Venture Capital, and participation from Passion Capital and Wellington Partners.
Career and Development
39. Jobspotting
Jobspotting is working to make job matching more personalized. The platform pulls data from over 20 different job boards, and uses an algorithm that connects to your Linkedin account, and sets up a relevant search that trains the app what jobs to look for.
The algorithm goes beyond categories, and matches job seekers with more personalized, relevant offers that might otherwise go undetected with a basic keyword search. The app is currently limited to marketing and IT jobs.
Mid 2014, Jobspotting raised $540K in capital from the Axel Springer Plug and Play Accelerator and other angel investors.
40. Mentor
This startup is the “anti to-do list”. The Mentor app is a platform that allows users to keep track of what they want to do, as opposed to what they have to do.
Mentor aims to help users achieve their goals like diets, reading more, learning a new language, and whatever else they desire by creating a community of like minded people who “mentor” one another.
Founded in July 2012, Mentor is backed by a six-figure angel round including investors such as Felix Petersen, Matthias Spiess, Frank Riedel, and JMES Investments.
41. hytch
Calling all technical professionals! This startup puts you back in control of your job search. hytch is a recruitment platform for IT professionals where companies compete for the best talent in software engineering, data science, design or product management.
Candidates enter “rounds” where companies ask them open questions that all competitors can view, and then make them an offer if they think the candidate is a good fit. If the candidate accepts the offer, the company will then be able to enter the interview stage with them, and if they decline the company will not be able to contact them.
hytch is 100% free to IT candidates, and even offers 3% of the first annual salary that candidates receive in their offer as a thank you.
For You and Your Business
42. Small Improvements
Founded in 2011, this bootstrapped startup provides a performance management solution enabling HR, managers, and employees to easily give performance reviews, feedback, set goals, and continuously improve and track development.
Small Improvements services a variety of well known clients like Pinterest, Atlassian, Quiksilver, SendGrid, and more.
43. 6Wunderkinder
This startup launched by six friends created a well known, well-designed productivity app called Wunderlist. The cloud-based, task management app uses a freemium model and offers additional features for a small monthly fee.
Wunderlist allows users to work on separate lists and add tasks, subtasks, due dates, remembers, and more from their smartphone, tablet, and computer Since launching the app in 2010, it has become one of the popular productivity tools used worldwide.
To date, the startup has raised around $23.9M from 5 rounds of funding, including notable investors like Atomico, Sequoia Capital, and Earlybird Venture Capital.
44. orderbird
Does your restaurant need an upgrade? orderbird, founded in 2011, offers an affordable POS solution ideal for bars, restaurants, and cafes that allow waiters to send orders wirelessly to the kitchen.
The system operates via WIFI, and a sister product called orderbird EAT launched to pair with the system enabling guests to order and pre pay with their smartphone.
The startup has raised around $4.2 million in funding through Alstin (a holding company) and several angel investors.
45. Trecker
This SaaS for farmers and agricultural contractors helps them manage their business and administrative needs.
The website allows users to optimally dispose of resources, and see where drivers are currently located. The website answers many common questions like the purchase price of a machine, should trucks used as feeders be continued, and many more.
Trecker has raised $2.6M in series A funding to date.
46. Maker Cloud
Maker Cloud is an online destination to help users succeed in small batch manufacturing. The startup was created for makers, inventors, startups, and industry clients.
The platform’s sourcing and planning tool gives users access to their manufacturing directory, where users can pick the best manufacturers and service providers.
Founded in 2013, Maker Cloud has raised $78.1K in funding from two investors.
47. Delivery Hero
Founded in 2011, Delivery Hero allows users to browse through thousands of restaurant menu’s to find their favorite dishes and order them online.
Their expansive, worldwide network operates in 21 countries with 73K+ restaurant partners. Payments are made online, and each restaurant is peer-reviewed so users can make a more informed food choice.
To date, the startup has raised a whopping $1.3B in 11 rounds of funding from 18 investors, and has also acquired 5 companies.
48. MyLorry
MyLorry is an easy and quick local delivery service that creates a direct link between a customer and the nearest courier.
Users book the service online or via their mobile app where they can choose between instant delivery or schedule a time that best fits their schedule. Customers also receive a direct contact to the driver, and the ability to track in real time via GPS to know exactly when the shipment will arrive.
Retailers can also integrate the MyLorry service in their shipping options at checkout. My Lorry received $1.2M in seed funding June of 2014.
49. TrunkBird
TrunkBird provides a web and mobile solution allowing users to ship anything, anywhere, from more than 3,000+ commuters across Europe.
Users simply create a task and connect instantly with people that are going that way, resulting in cheaper, faster, and safer shipping.
The startup raised $130K in initial seed funding in early 2014.
The Odd One Out…
50. Avuba
Avuba is a mobile-first, completely digital online bank, featuring 24/7 customer service. The company offers free credit and debit cards, waives withdrawal fees, and provides analytics for users to track their spending behavior.
Avuba is free to use with any German bank account, residency, and smartphone, with insurance up to 100.000 euros.
The company has raised around $570K in funding from two rounds.
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What startups in Berlin did we miss? Add your suggestions to the comments below!
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