Observations on growing tech startups from the wrong location by @matthausk
TechStars Berlin has global appeal and is attracting tech-intensive startups, as well
Berlin - September 2015
Apart from SAAS and markteplace teams that fit the clusters in the Berlin startup scene there were also many tech-intensive startups that I liked in the top 10 batch, including security, platform and infrastructure startups. The equivalent sub-ecosystems within the broader Berlin startup scene for these kind of startups don’t quite exist. It’s remarkable that they can now find support within Techstars.
#givefirst - 5 Lessons on how founders in tech-intensive startups benefitted from the mentorship process at TechStars Berlin
Berlin - September 2015
As mentioned in my previous post, TechStars Berlin is fairly unique in attracting global tech-intensive startups that go beyond Berlin’s typical startups clusters. As a mentor, I was particularly interested in how TS can facilitate a structure for these kind of standards to come in and learn - be it with the 100 local mentors or people from the global TS network. If successful, this means that TS can become a facilitator for significant innovation. Here’s five lessons on how founders in tech-intensive startups benefitted from the mentorship process at TechStars Berlin.
Vulnerable Unicorns
Berlin/Tel Aviv/Singapore/Kuala Lumpur - August 2015
A selection of observations on the weaknesses of US startups in internationalisation - with initial theses on how to exploit or defend them. Seed startups from Berlin or Tel Aviv - who need to need to make internationalisation part of their game plan for Series A are increasingly able to exploit the structural weakness in US VC startups that tend to internationalise at Series B. There's some ways within this structure for a US unicorn to defend and they will become more common.