The startup association has five demands for the next state government and promises billions in potential for the capital.
On September 20th, Berlin will elect a new House of Representatives. This is no minor matter for the startup scene: nowhere in Germany are there as many founders and tech companies as in the capital.
The startup association does not give any election recommendations. To this end, Chris Rehse and Maximilian von der Ahé from the Berlin state group have formulated five demands for future state policy. We publish them here.
1. More scaleups, more tax revenue
“Anyone who prevents the migration of scaleups today will secure the budget of tomorrow.”
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100,000 additional jobs in scaleups are possible by 2031. The estimated nine billion euros in wage payments are also a generous source for the Berlin state budget.
There are currently 90,000 startup jobs in the city. A real economic factor: “It’s no longer just about startups as a trendy term, but about economic fundamentals and the question of what Berlin will live on in the 2030s.”
2. Enable rather than manage
“If we want to survive in global competition, the Berlin administration must fundamentally change: from an authority landscape that manages and checks to a partner ecosystem that enables and accelerates.”
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There are already points of contact for international skilled workers. But the association still sees room for improvement: “We must recognize that English is the lingua franca in the global tech economy.” Knowledge of English must become the nationwide standard in all relevant authorities.
There are also still too many brakes in terms of bureaucracy. Scaleups should be able to be classified as a trusted company “in order to radically accelerate visa procedures and qualification tests for new employees.”
And last but not least, new Berliners also have to be able to live affordably, travel by train and need daycare centers and so on. The status quo of Berlin’s infrastructure is alarming.
3. Promote private investments
“The state does not have to act as an investor itself in order to tie up capital. Its task is to reduce obstacles to investment and position Berlin as a reliable, professional partner for private capital.”
To achieve this, Berlin Partner is to be expanded. This merger of business and politics is already helping those who want to invest. The startup association would like to bring him even closer together with institutional investors such as pension funds or insurance companies.
4. Make the state a startup customer
“The public sector is rarely the better entrepreneur, but it has the potential to be the decisive customer. And business and urban society can benefit equally from this.”
Berlin should consciously use contracts from public authorities to promote startups. On the one hand, administration could be indirectly digitized, so to speak. On the other hand, money flows into young companies without the growth pressure of venture capital.
5. Make startup policy a top priority
“In order to make Berlin the leading location for technology and growth in Europe by 2031, the issue must be anchored at the center of political power.”
The association is considering bringing the topic of startups directly to the governing mayor. The incumbent Kai Wegner explained his vision of the Tegel armaments location to the founders scene. Startups are thematically addressed by Economics Senator Franziska Giffey.