In no other Federal state do more people dare to take the step into self-employment than in Berlin. Those who want to take this step face many questions, not only, but especially at the beginning, about topics such as funding, financing, recruiting talent or even legal aspects for start-ups in Germany.

The Business Location Centre (BLC) offers help in this regard. The BLC is the business portal of the State of Berlin and is therefore the right place to go for comprehensive advice for companies on their business activities in the capital. Figures, data and facts can be found here that are relevant to growth in Berlin. Industry data, real estate offers, funding programmes, area plans, geodata and labour market information can be accessed free of charge. The economic atlas in 2D or 3D enables virtual exploration of the urban space and provides information about scientific and research institutions, connections to the public transport network, current urban planning and much more.

New to the website are the “How to” videos  of the Start Alliance Network, an international alliance of nine partner cities that provides participants with practical tips, contacts, strategies and resources by means of these online workshops. Among other things, the videos deal with funding programmes from the Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB), public financing or, for example: How to hire a talent for your start-up? How to set up a business?

The Start Alliance was established in 2015. It currently includes the following nine partner cities: Beijing, Berlin, Dubai, London, New York, Paris, Shanghai, Tel Aviv, Vienna. The city network supports fast-growing companies in their internationalisation. To watch more “How to” sessions, you can register for them using the following link: Start Alliance (start-alliance.com).