Post by Dr. Chris Rehse

📄 "𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞" — 5 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧'𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. 🚀 As Berlin State Spokesperson of the Startup-Verband — it's my privilege to serve as the voice of Berlin's founders toward politics. Together with Maximilian von der Ahé, LL.M. I wrote this policy paper to do exactly that:   Our 5 levers for Berlin's next level: ⚡ 𝗔𝗗𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 that backs founders and their teams instead of putting hurdles in their way 🌍 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗧: Express visas that show appreciation for talent choosing our open, international capital — grateful for people from around the world, with a concrete red carpet instead of paperwork frustration 💸 𝗖𝗔𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟: A Capital Concierge that unites the capital Berlin already has. We don't need investment silos — we need to act as a team. A strong team will also bring international growth capital in 🤝 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗦 𝗖𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗥: Public agencies buying startup innovation — as other countries have done for decades 🏛️ 𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬: Scaleup policy anchored directly in the Senate Chancellery — "Startups sind Chefsache." It's nothing more than appreciating the risk founders take. Supporting them and making startups a major priority of our future is key These theses aren't opinions — they come from months of analysis across German, European and international ecosystems, and from what I've experienced over many years myself: I've had the chance to build startups in Silicon Valley 🇺🇸 and in Germany 🇩🇪. Over there, I saw what it feels like when government makes founders a priority — the US state was Silicon Valley's first customer (DARPA funded what became the internet). Here, founders too often experience being a case file circulating between authorities, none of which is responsible. 📁 Others have shown the way and earned the success: 🇫🇷 Macron made French Tech a presidential matter → the Tibi initiative mobilized €6bn+ in growth capital, Paris overtook Berlin. 🇸🇪 Sweden's national broadband mission → Spotify.  And here's what makes me optimistic: Berlin already has everything they had before their leap — the international brand, the talent magnet, the founding density, the openness that draws people from around the world to build here. The potential is enormous. What's missing is just one thing: one person who owns the outcome. 🎯 This paper was written by listening to Berlin's founders — thank you to everyone who gave input! 🙏 And that remains my role as your voice in this city: I can only create solutions for problems I hear. 👉 𝐒𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 or reach out to me: What was YOUR most challenging moment as a founder in Berlin? And which of the 5 theses would have fixed it? 💬 📄 Full paper: https://lnkd.in/d-aWTuPy 📰 Gründerszene coverage: https://lnkd.in/dpD5Zb4K #startups #BerlinStartups Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Senatskanzlei Berlin