Original post by David Meyer via zdnet
For many in the IT industry, the dream is to set up a tech start-up and grow it into the next Google or Apple. Individual start-up scenes are thriving in EMEA, but from staffing to rent, exit potential to government support, there are huge differences between countries. But which country is right for your fledgling tech company? ZDNet examines some of the major hubs in the region, and what each can bring to the start-up table.
Berlin can probably take the title of the world’s most-hyped start-up hub. Whether that was triggered by the success of early hits such as SoundCloud, or by the city’s aggressively experimental culture, the German capital now rivals London as Europe’s most attractive place to set up a new tech firm.
London also has a strong cultural attraction, of course, along with its status as a financial centre. But Berlin has its own advantages, particularly its low cost of living and its status as an ideal location for budding entrepreneurs and developers across Europe.
Earlybird venture capitalist Ciaran O’Leary describes Berlin as a start-up in itself (“It embraces change everywhere”), while Christian Reber, CEO of up-and-coming productivity firm 6Wunderkinder, describes Berlin as “the perfect city to start a company”.
“It is creative, international, youthful, multicultural, safe, vibrant and boasts an incredibly high living standard while still remaining one of the most affordable cities on the planet,” Reber said. “It has become a place where people really want to live, which made it easy for us to find people to start a business with and it has also given us a competitive advantage when it comes to recruitment.”
Sascha Kellert set up cloud printing start-up Ezeep in the city two years ago, before the hype hit.
