Silicon Valley's ecosystem is often quoted as the key factor in making it such a great place for startups. Investors in particular emphasise the importance of the local higher education institutions – not only do they encourage entrepreneurship, but many graduates go directly to work for startups. Universities and colleges teaching tech-related subjects are a key part of avoiding what's dubbed the 'Tech Talent Scarcity' (TTS) problem. But with an always-expanding tech sector they can struggle to keep up, and that is certainly true in Germany. Local Berlin initiatives like RailsGirls and OpenTechSchool have been founded to fix the problem directly within the tech community. Not only are they addressing TTS, but also issues of gender balance and diversity as well as the steep financial investment that usually goes hand-in-hand with acquiring quality higher education. What started here in Berlin has become a global movement in little more than a year. How can this alternative approach to education help the local tech scene in future? Can the ambitious goal of fixing the Tech Talent Scarcity problem be met?