A month has passed, and here is the collection again. A roundup of my favourite snippets, up to 6 per week or more. Thank you so much for your support! ❤️ You can also easily navigate to each issue by clicking on the title.
In October, we had five Mondays, so we have five issues and a feast of links!
Unpublished extras
I am reading a book about organising small cocktail parties, so keep tuned for an invite!
Coin Tosses Are Not 50/50: Scientists Toss 350,757 Coins And Prove Old Theory. Pick the same side.
Why are startup ideas worthless? (Twitter) “There’s a tremendous amount of craftsmanship in between a great idea and a great product” by Jobs and, “The fact that there's no market for startup ideas suggests there's no demand,” by Graham.
40 Mind-Expanding Concepts by Gurwinder:
“If a talent comes naturally to someone, they assume it’s nothing special, and instead try to improve at what seems difficult to them. Therefore, people often specialize in things they're bad at.” So true and so silly! Work on your strengths!
Unwanted consequence of Gen AI: Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing Will Limit Daily Number of New Titles (3 per day!!!)
☀️ If your balcony is big enough, you can get a subsidized Balkonkraftwerk, a.k .a. a small solar plant! Gloomy_Intern8345 wasn’t particularly gloomy writing a short guide on it! ❤️
🌳 You’re not gonna believe this, but we have most of the trees (cca. 840k) in Berlin tagged and catalogued (age included!) You can also adopt a tree and help water it.
😔 Bad and crisis news:
Okay, this is almost the last one, I promise, but: Leading German economic research institutes have revised their forecasts, now expecting the German economy to shrink by 0.6% in 2023 instead of growing by 0.3%. Expect a lot of not gonna make it (ngmi) excuses in the coming months!
🤮 Imagine you buy a flat, and then the developer goes bankrupt? This happened to 800 privately funded apartments across 12 sites in Berlin after Nuremberg’s Project Immobilien went belly-up. (RBB) In the meantime, the average real-estate prices dropped by 9.9% year-over-year and 2.1% since last quarter. Phew! More at Destatis (sorry, they constantly change the links, so I removed it!), but the chart doesn’t look nice and means the biggest y-o-y drop since they measured the thing from 2000 onwards.
r/berlin choice of the week is this discussion on the reasons why good coffee is expensive, and the reason is “the combination of increasing minimum wage, actual coffee bean prices, energy (heating and electricity), and rents going up...” This makes it expensive to run a cafe. But you could also take your home coffee routine too far.
Career: working for a startup vs big tech from a software engineer perspective (Pragmatic engineer).
📚 Do you read books? I did, but I stopped. 🥹 Let’s get back to reading: these 38 reading rules from Ryan Holiday are a good motivation. “You say you don’t have time to read but what does the screen time app on your phone say? What does your calendar say?”
💬 Briefly:
Sixt, an extremely well run company, made a strategic investment in Blacklane. That’s a good vote of confidence for Blacklane (which is partially owned by Mercedes at app. 30%). Careers.
👨🏻🍳 Here is an interesting discussion (Insta comments) with a lot of insights on the struggling fine dining scene in Berlin after the announcement that Ernst is closing (in the meantime, Lode & Stijn is also closing). What do you think about fine dining in general? I find it cool occasionally because it hits the wallet. I’ve also had experiences when the explanations about the dishes felt übetrieben.
🏭 Interested in the German economic outlook? Here is an excellent analysis by Dominik Hermle & Simon Grimm. They look into supply-side limitations: natural gas, demographics and bureaucracy. Related: natural gas reserves are at 95%, a bit more than two weeks earlier than last year.
🤓 It was hard to pick one amongst several interesting charts in the German Startup Monitor 2023 (n=1825) ecosystem report, but I went for capital needs in the next 12 months (probably underreported: let’s hope most of the companies make it, but it will be hard for many). It's worth to have a look at the whole report.
💬 Business Briefly:
Black Semiconductor, an Aachen-based company, is reportedly close to securing a €500 million Series-A funding round, 70% of which will come from public funds. Their semiconductor chips are claimed to be, not the usual 10x, but at least 10,000 times more efficient than conventional ones. Sounds revolutionary. Careers.
🤯 It’s simple: we meet online in the early morning and work, everyone on their own topic. We repeat ten weekdays. Success towards your goal is guaranteed! Join the movement, hue hue (6 AM too early? Sing up; we will try different formats in the future).
🎥 You need to watch Arte's gorgeous documentary about Berlin, “Capital B - Wem gehört Berlin?” (Who owns Berlin?) after the fall of the wall. It’ll help you understand Berlin so much better. But it’s in Deutsch. You should learn Deutsch so that you can see this. 😜
📸 You can pair it with these 51 photos from ‘89 and ‘91.
🤔 Nothing has been confirmed yet (Tagesspiegel), but Miles was allegedly manipulating the telematic data to avoid paying parking fees in the range of €30M. Car-sharing is an extremely tough
promisebusiness where each cent counts. This won’t be pretty if true because their revenues were €91M in ‘22. It feels like it’s just a matter of time before Miles won’t be an option anymore (remember, almost everyone exited this type of business already). But I'm happy to be proven wrong for the sake of mobility options in town.💸 Here is an interesting insight into secondaries (🇩🇪) or how founders get a life-changing payout long before the IPO or an exit.
🔍 How to Get Your Resume Noticed (And Out of the Trash Bin)? is a bit dated (2020) in the sense of Gen AI, but still offers some good tips that align with my research, especially to go through the keywords from the job description and the importance of a cover letter. (see the footer for links)
📚 It turns out 90% of you are regular readers (poll in Issue 71). This is fantastic. I enjoyed this essay from Simon Sarris on reading well. I feel the need to finish each book I start, so I found this idea particularly interesting: “You should start many books and complete few. You should never feel beholden to completing them, there are simply too many worthwhile works to read.”
r/berlin choice of the week is this rant about warm U-Bahn stations. It’s the problem of ventilation, because the tunnel system essentially acts as a heat trap, accumulating warmth from train machinery, brakes, and even body heat from passengers. Which one is the warmest? U-Mehringdamm must be in TOP 3!
💬 Briefly:
Brlo is opening a new place in Charlottenburg, and Wax On Bar is the bar of the year. I was there once and am not surprised. The waitress moved drinks back to the fridge if anyone went for a smoke.
🍜 Check my Instagram and read my review of Buya Ramen Factory. Like if you like, follow and recommend it. I am grateful for every single comment, like, or follow.
🏛️ Exberliner has this interesting article on crazy architectural projects that were never built. My favourite is easily the Europa Center.
👨🏻🍳 How about this lengthy discussion (Instagram) about döner? My choice is a comment on three underrated Döner places by @doenerguidesberlin—Yaprak: "Mira" in Neukölln, Chicken: "Dunya" in Friedrichshain and Berlin Standard: "ballim" in Gropiusstadt. Also, “The real döner shows the quality without any sauce.” Not a döner fan? Then check out the crowd wisdom (Reddit) on the best hummus in Berlin!
🏦 If you are a regular reader, you must have noticed I published a lot of JP Morgan positions in Berlin. It’s because they are increasing their presence in Berlin to compete in the space of direct and online banking. Forward Finance made a list of founders invited to an event with Jamie Dimon (🇩🇪) back in July. Some on the list could be future IPO customers of the American banking titan.
💸 Are you being paid fairly as a Product Manager? Product Academy surveyed PMs across Europe, and you can download their report (scroll down on the page for the link). They also have raw data.
🤫 Have you heard of Quiet Quitting, a method for employees to improve work-life balance by not leaving their jobs but not going above and beyond their duty? Remarkable:
📸 If you are on dating apps, maybe you should consider starting READING and posting a photo with books or reading books. “According to a recent study, both men and women find reading to be the biggest “green flag” behavior for prospective partners.”More here.
👀 Life in Berlin is, according to a study from the German Economic Institute (IW), relatively affordable compared to other major cities. (🇩🇪) Despite being above the national average, Berlin ranks only 40th in cost of living among all 400 districts and cities, with costs 5.5% higher than the average. Munich's housing is almost 54% more expensive than Berlin's. Also: Postdam is more expensive (6.6% higher than average).
🤩 Neukölln is #22 on the list of The coolest neighbourhoods in 2023 (Timeout).
👾 “I’m sorry I bit you during the interview” made me … hmm… appreciate the escalation a lot! Remember, a good story (or a joke) always escalates.
🎶 Have you ever wondered how electronic music evolved? This visual map has you covered. I was stuck for at least half an hour—an instant bookmark. As a bonus, an amazing About and UFAQ section!
❤️ Solid piece of advice On making friends as an adult. “Everyone is shy. Other people are waiting for you to introduce yourself to them, they are waiting for you to send them an email, they are waiting for you to ask them on a date. Go ahead.”
😔 Bad news:
Related: Record-high startup insolvencies in Germany (238 by early October) exceeded last year's figures. The financial crisis for young firms escalated, with investments almost halving to €5.4B. More at Handelsblatt (€, 🇩🇪)
💬 Briefly:
Compared to last October, we had a 4.2% rise in consumer prices in Berlin. Inflation slows for the second month but is still above 2020 levels. (St. BB)
Funded in Berlin & Germany
numa | Berlin | Offers short-term room and apartment rentals with a digital hospitality platform. | $59M | Careers.
Novo | Berlin | Dedicated to the decarbonization of real estate at scale. | €1M Pre-Seed | No careers.
Concular | Berlin | A digital ecosystem for circular construction | €2.5M Seed | Careers.
osapiens | Mannheim | Specializes in automated solutions for transparency and sustainability in global supply chains. | €25M | Careers.
traceless | Hamburg | Develops compostable packaging solutions with innovative biomaterial technology. | €36.6M | Careers.
Resourcify | Hamburg | Aims to dramatically reduce waste in companies through waste management and recycling. | €14M Series A | Careers.
smatch | Hamburg | Focuses on stock management, specifically addressing surplus inventory in the textile sector. | €2.5M | Careers.
Vamo | Köln | Specializes in heat pumps, offering planning, installation, and maintenance services. | €3M | Careers.
metergrid | Stuttgart | Aims to provide clean, affordable, and decentralized energy in multi-family homes. | €2.7M Seed | Careers.
Zeitstrom | Berlin | Charging infrastructure provider for electric vehicles. | €100M+ (unidsclosed & estimated) | Careers.
Habyt | Berlin | Provider of flexible housing solutions. | €40M | Careers.
Kranus Health | Berlin/Munich | Integrated digital healthcare solution focusing on urology | $8.5M for extended Series A | Careers.
Nexwafe | Freiburg | Aims to advance solar energy solutions through innovative wafer technology. | €150M | Careers.
getpaid | Düsseldorf | A pan-European infrastructure and payment company targeting platforms and marketplaces. | $6M | No careers.
Predium | Munich | All-in-one software solution for assessing ESG balance and CO2 reduction in buildings. | €4.5M | Careers.
happyhotel | Offenburg | Cloud-based software to maximize hotel revenues. | €2M | Careers.
Narravero | Münster | System solution for supply chain documentation, individualized marketing/packaging, and digital product passes. | €2M | No careers.
Kloster Kitchen | Reichenschwand | Fresh ginger in a bottle. | €1M | Careers.
Upvest | Berlin | Enables companies to offer digital investment products seamlessly | €86M Series C | Careers.
Lanch | Berlin | Partners with creators to launch their own restaurant delivery brands | €6.5M Series A | Careers.
Bable | Berlin | Community driving the Smart City movement | €5.7M | Careers.
TransactionLink | Berlin/London | Empowers companies to build tailored business onboarding processes in minutes | €5M Series A | Careers.
Deta | Berlin/New York | Offers a Personal Cloud Computer service, empowering users to control their apps and data | $3.6M Series A | Careers.
Varm | Berlin | Dedicated to reducing heating costs and CO2 emissions by up to 50% through home insulation | €1M+ Series A | Careers.
Kodex AI | Berlin | Developing an AI-based copilot tailored for the finance industry | €1.6M Series A | Careers.
SynthFlow AI | Berlin | AI Agents at Scale with No Code | €1.5M Seed | Careers.
Soluterials | Beelitz | High-performance aluminium, reducing EU's foreign resource dependency | €1M Seed | No careers.
Orbem | Munich | Uses MRI and AI to transform sectors like agriculture, construction, and healthcare | €30M Series B | Careers.
Neura Robotics | Metzingen | Focused on cognitive robots that can see, hear, and learn, aiming for broad applications | €15M Series B | Careers.
Dyno | Offenburg | All-in-one solution for corporate retirement planning | €1.5M Series A | No careers.
inuru | Berlin | Bringing paper to life through digital printing of OLED technology | €10M | Careers.
Cloover | Berlin | Empowering renewable energy tech providers with financing options | €7M | Careers.
Nala | Berlin | Software to measure and manage a company's impact on nature and biodiversity | €1.7M | Careers.
BLUU Seafood | Berlin | Developing cruelty-free, cell-based fish food as a sustainable alternative | €1.32M (Grant) | Careers.
Circadian | Berlin | Offering hardware and SaaS for energy management, focusing on underdeveloped African nations | €1.25M | Careers.
Zeedz | Berlin | A game focused on fighting carbon emissions by collecting plant-like creatures | $1M | Careers.
Numbat | Kempten | Aiming to accelerate e-mobility with a high-power charger and battery storage solution | €140M | Careers.
Schüttflix | Gütersloh | Offering a platform to select construction material with price comparison | €45M | Careers.
Lanes & Planes | Munich | All-in-one solution for travel bookings, approvals, and expense management | $35M | Careers.
Hey Holy | Marnheim | Subscription-based high-quality dog food | €2M | Careers.
Meet5 | Frankfurt am Main | Leisure app for people over 40 | €1M | Careers.
Likeminded | Berlin | Enhancing mental health in the B2B sector through comprehensive solutions | extended €1.5M Seed (€7.4M total) | Careers.
Empion | Berlin | Revolutionizing HR with automated AI-driven headhunting systems | €6M Seed | Careers.
HealthCaters | Berlin | Revolutionising healthcare with disease prevention tools | €1.2M Seed | No careers.
Quantum-Systems | Munich | Transforming the future of drones and robotics for a connected world | €63.6M Series B | Careers.
The Landbanking Group | Munich | Enabling land managers and businesses to open Natural Capital accounts. | $11M Series A | Careers.
mybacs | Munich | Setting new standards in microbiome health with synbiotic supplements; focusing on diversification and growth. | €5.6M Series A | Careers.
FarmInsect | Oberbergkirchen in Bavaria | Specialising in insect breeding to support sustainable agriculture | €8M Series A | Careers.
VisionAI | Bielefeld | Equipping online retailers with AI software to compete against Amazon | €5M | Careers.
OXOLO | Hamburg | Transforming text to video through AI-powered platforms | €13M Series A | Careers.
GoodBytz | Hamburg | Developing robotic kitchen technologies | €12M Series A | Careers.
the nu company | Leipzig | Revolutionising the chocolate market with sustainable and eco-friendly products | Mid-single-digit millions | Careers.
Capsitec | Munich | Capturing and neutralising viruses at the nanoscale with DNA-Origami technology | €2.5M | Careers.
Lillian Care | Heidelberg | Transforming primary care through innovative digital solutions | $2.6M Pre-Seed | Careers.
Happy Ocean Foods | Munich | Creating plant-based seafood alternatives | €1.5M Seed | Careers.