can you learn German with Netflix?
Issue #138 (24 Feb) – 20+ tech and dev jobs; Coffee with Dilan; origins of German(y); green pathways; 14 funded startups!
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Programming note #138: It’s time for Berlin Salary Trends 2025. Like last year the data will be collected in March. I’ll be adding a question about your German level - if you have any additional ideas, drop them to this reddit thread or send me an email.
The project grew organically and is still messy, but I started to think about a more useful structure: here is a new "landing" page.
Btw, a wild idea: if you wanna sponsor the salary project, drop me a note.
🌟 Handpicked community
is a place where we meet, share projects and ideas and look for help.
Meet — handpicked events:
Bayer Berlin Campus Day | Tue, 25/02 11:00 | Bayer Berlin
Kinder Rave: Electric Karneval | Sun, 02/03 14:00 | Zeit ist knapp (ZIK) - HANDPICKED for 20% discount*
YC Berlin: Pacing to PMF and Beyond | Fri, 14/03 19:00 | TBD
Speed networking for everyone in digital health and digital therapeutics | Mon, 10/03 18:30 | After registration
Berlin Climate 4WARD Cleantech & Sustainability Networking | Thu, 27/03 18:30 | Brewdog Mitte
this could be your event - advertise it
Show cool stuff or Ask for something:
🚨 Techspace Open Day (with Breakfast, Yoga and Networking Drinks!) | Tue, 18/03 whole day | Switch up the kitchen table for a desk... for free! 👀 Work alongside Techspace's thriving tech community, jam-packed with a hearty breakfast, a midday yoga session and evening drinks. Mention 'Handpicked Berlin' in your RSVP.*
"Looking for entrepreneurs to interview for my master’s thesis on technostress — the stress stemming from technology for example: emails, software, etc. If you’re open to an interview, let me know."
Sarah is looking for a financial advisor that can advise on both UK and German pensions.
📨 Submit your input for the community here. This section is also featured on LinkedIn in the weekly post.
👀 Handpicked jobs
is a rotating selection of jobs from companies I’d check out.
5️⃣ from the rotation this week: Tech & Dev
The remaining jobs (also outside rotation) are in the Handpicked online database.
Are you looking for new colleagues or work in HR? Submit a job.
✨ Vetted experts
🎉 We added a new expert to our directory. Claudia can help you with legal issues relating to the recruitment and employment of foreign nationals. Check the complete list of experts.
☕️ Coffee with Dilan from DilanEatsFood
is where my guest contributes three links and I write a short bio.
I only know Dilan from her Instagram and she stands out in the sea of Berlin food Instagramers with her unique style (+ she can cook herself!). My background check also returned very positive reports. Here is what she prepared for you:
Mosto | Wines & Magazines. A tiny wine bar with only natural wines—though I never liked natural wines much, I always end up with a great glass here. Maybe I do like natural wine when chosen right. In summer, sitting outside and watching people walk by is its own little joy. (Part of me wants to gatekeep this.)
Crossing by Levan Akin. Istanbul as it really is. This movie hit me hard—watching an aunt search for her trans niece who ran away from her family, seeing the struggles of the trans community, but also the moments of care people show each other. It’s an emotional punch, but there’s hope in it too.
Ayfer Tunç – The Highly Unreliable Account of the Brief History of a Madhouse. Ayfer Tunç became one of my favorite writers this year. This book is a masterclass in storytelling—intelligent, gripping, and constantly surprising. Every page left me in awe of her mind.
🗞 Snippets
is a selection of links focused on Berlin/Germany, career, timeless content and business.
Berlin & Germany, career & timeless
Yesterday was an important day and almost 84% (!) of Germans participated. BSW didn’t make it, so we’ll again get the Grand Coalition between Union & SPD. Tiny changes are still possible. If you want to explore how your neighbours voted, here is a great dashboard from Tagesspiegel. Merz’s dreams finally came true, but I do hope he starts to meditate regularly.
Btw, Bundestag will be much smaller in the new *Legislaturperiode* (-103 MPs). This will save us €125M annually. (IW)
More and more companies want you to speak German, so I interviewed *my-go-to-German-teacher-who-tells-it-the-way-it-is* Michael again. This time we discussed [the benefits and limitations of learning German with Netflix & co](https://handpickedberlin.com/learning-german-netflix-benefits-limitations/). Nicht schlecht, oder?
🚨 I am excited to announce a new coworking deal with betahaus, just after they opened their 3rd location in town at Moritzplatz. You can get 20% of their Pro Membership for the first three months (link at the end of the table). See you around.
Berlin Senate started discussions for the 2026 and 2027 budgets. Based on the current status (I am almost convinced it will change) there are €1.6B missing in the state coffers. (RBB) The annual budget limit is set at €40B. Expect *more protests*, and, since prices always go up, *less of everything else*.
Extremely good (and visual) article [about the origins of German(y)](https://unchartedterritories.tomaspueyo.com/p/the-birth-of-germany) by Tomas Pueyo. The understanding of things in the past matter, because
“If you don’t know history, it’s as if you were born yesterday. If you were born yesterday then any leader can tell you anything.” (H. Zinn)
... which ties nicely into the beef that many Germans have with Berlin (looking especially at you, Bavaria). Besides the Prussians, one of the many reasons might be this:
💎 For hikers, bikers and anyone wanting to explore. Grüne Hauptwege by u/DuckTheSystem. Map 1 and Map 2. (You can export KML/KMZ of the route and load it into different apps)
Career: Anduril employer branding video. You can disagree with the industry, but the video is really well-made. "Don't work at Anduril."
Career: I hope you don't need this one, but how to answer “Why did you leave your last job” when fired.
Career: Exactly ten ideas on "How to prioritize tasks" from Zapier.
Timeless: 50 years of travel tips by Kevin Kelly. An instant classic.
Briefly
Bad news: Bosch -550 (hydrogen strategy cut); ProSieben (hundreds); IDNow (several); Conti -3000 until 2026; Otto -500 (call centres); SellerX (-20% or 170), Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (10%, -30/300). Jucr (Berlin, EV charging access) filed for bankruptcy.
Stats: In 2024 Berlin hosted 12.7M (+5,2% YoY) guests with 30.6M overnight stays. (St.BB)
1Komma5° numbers for ‘24: 2500 employees, €520M revenue (+36%), below initial targets of €700-750M. No details on profitability. (MSN & others)
Ok, the air taxi saga in Germany might be over. Lilium is again filing for bankruptcy. (BR24)
Berlinale sold more tickets than last year (285k until Wed morning, +14k YoY). I bought two and totally didn't get the movie (El Mensaje).
(Recently funded) small-sided football league “Baller League” will play its third season from March to May 2025 at Tempelhof (Hangar 7).
Flink's CEO and founder Oliver Merkel was pushed out by the investors. Rewe holds 20% and is reportedly planning to take over. (MM, €, 🇩🇪)
HelloFresh's activist investor wants "drastic" cost savings. (WiWo)
HomeToGo (Berlin-based vacation rentals marketplace) became the new main sponsor of Union Berlin.
Birkenstocks are not art. (BBC)
“Consumers will need to get used to chocolate that is 30%, 40%, 50% more expensive than it used to be.” (BBG)
Our World in Data: Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked in 2018.
Weekly social
Reddit: What's totally normal in Germany but would surprise most newcomers? "I have to buy someone's kitchen" and "Bringing your own birthday cake to work to share with colleagues" are good ones!
Instagram: Klinikum ohne Migration. Similar to all the Berlin newsletters? 😅
Instagram: EDM remix of Hostile Government Takeover and the original.
Practical life tips: TIL that burglars use graphic signs called Gaunerzinken (🇩🇪).
💸 Funded in Berlin & Germany
is a list of companies that received funding over €1M.
Snuggs | Berlin | Period underwear | €5M | Careers.
Deutsche Sanierungsberatung | Berlin | Home renovation planning platform | €3.6M Seed | Careers.
Handly | Berlin | Home service enterprise software | €3.75M Seed | Careers.
Muffintech | Berlin | Insurance industry conversational AI | €3.5M | Careers.
Noah Labs | Berlin | AI heart failure monitoring tools | €11M | Careers.
Scale Energy | Berlin | Decentralized battery storage network | €2M | Careers.
Reneo | Hamburg | Property decarbonization platform | €600M debt and equity | Careers.
Kynda | Hamburg | Alternative protein producer | €3M Seed | Careers.
Metycle | Cologne | Metal recycling trading platform | €14.1M | Careers.
Atmos Space Cargo | Stuttgart | Space logistics platform | €13.1M | Careers.
Metergrid | Stuttgart | Tenant electricity management platform | €7.5M Seed | Careers.
Vivalyx | Aachen | Organ preservation technology | €8.5M | Careers.
Accure | Aachen | Battery analytics platform | $12M | Careers.
Mansio | Aachen | Freight transport optimization platform | €1M+ | Careers.
😅 Meanwhile
…
*sponsored
Five articles with a treat:
How to learn German? Be better than "Genau" and "Mit Karte, Bitte!"
Signing a new employment contract in Germany? Read this before.
Partners:
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