Berlin: A hotbed of European technology startups

Betahaus is another accelerator and co-working space in the city which fosters relationships between startups, investors and corporate partners.

Christoph Fahle, one of the five co-founders of Betahaus, believes the internet of things could take off in Berlin, due to the number of engineers already in the country.

Berlin has also seen Microsoft, PayPal and eBay set up offices in the city, and many of the corporations approach Betahaus to understand how to better connect with startup companies.

Deutsche Bahn is a member of Betahaus and has moved a number of its engineers into the co-working space to experience the startup culture and meet companies they could collaborate with.

Fahle says corporations want to understand how they can find talent and ideas in the future. “They try to understand what is the startup culture and what is the difference from how they operate,” he says.

“And, with Deutsche Bahn, it wants its engineers to work out how a startup thinks.”