2020 in Review: What Happened? Part 2

Let’s continue our lookback at the second half of 2020.

July

In July we launched our new-look Factory Berlin website. A representation of our diverse, energetic, innovative and creative community, the site was created in collaboration with Goldener Westen and Bleech. While you’re here – don’t forget to explore!

We hosted a special Stealth Mode Meet & Pitch, where the mentees presented their startups to our expert panel. The panelists also shared their perspective on overcoming the obstacles facing female founders. Read more of our takeaways from the insightful discussion.

Julia Palle from Formula E, joined us for a Masterclass on driving sustainable initiatives in businesses and embedding this mindset into company values. Read her interview.

News of the month

zKsystems secured an estimated €3m funding

August

In August we launched WAVES, a series of online workshops, talks, interviews and panel discussions around music and audio technology, supported by Beats by Dr. Dre.

Jill and Julia from Bear Radio joined us for the first episode, ‘Podcasting 101’. Take a look if you’re thinking of kicking off your own podcasting career in the new year.

For the second episode we were joined by Tacka77 for a Modern Pop & Hip-Hop Production workshop.

News of the month

AI startup Apheris secured €2.5m investment

Former members, Masterplan raised a ‘single-digit million’ in funding

Lubomila Jordanova, Founder of PlanA was listed as one of 80 European founders shaping the post-pandemic world.

September

The Next Bite Show, held in partnership with KitchenTown Berlin, saw the likes of Sanity Group, Vly Foods, beets&roots, Katjiesgreenfood, infarm, Too Good To Go, and Motatos sit down and talk about circularity, alternative protein, tech solutions and the future of hospitality. Check out the full livestream, or read our top takeaways.

Our partners Sónar+D hosted a special two-day event of remote, digital and hybrid events across Europe. As well as the live Berlin <> Barcelona workshop hosted by Artist in Residence alumni Maotik, and members Protopixel, we were joined by Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst. They interviewed Richie Hawtin from Factory Berlin for a special video episode of their Interdependence podcast.

Listen of the month

Our CRO Catherine Bischoff was joined by Lubomila Jordanova from Plan A, and Matthew Klimpke from Vyking, on BBC’s Tech Tent. They met Rory Cellan-Jones to discuss the Berlin tech community’s pathway back to normality in the lull of the COVID-19 pandemic.

News of the month

3 community startups, Vly Foods, Gitti and not less but better were on Höhle der Löwen

Phantasma Labs secured an undisclosed 7-digit investment

Gitti closed a €3m seed round

October

We were featured as the October cover story on Business Punk. Catherine Bischoff spoke to Samsung President, Young Sohn, for The Next Wave interview series, where they discussed building an inclusive, innovative and collaborative tech ecosystem.

LA-based artist, Jen Stark, was On The Red Couch powered by Beats by Dr. Dre, in a conversation moderated by former Artist in Residence, Tabitha Swanson. The second edition of our Artist in Residence program with Sónar+D and supported by Beats by Dr. Dre officially kicked off. A group of 10 artists and collectives migrated to Berlin for the program.

Our Corporate Venturing Masterclass with Christian Lindener, Head of Airbus Bizlab, gave insight into the corporate perspective on startup-corporate partnerships, and how to secure them. Re-watch the livestream, or read our event highlights.

We returned to our Founder Focus with Kleiderly Founder, Alina Bassi. As well as talking about Kleiderly, Alina discussed her time on Google for Startups’ Female Founders program, and the project she’s set up with Deborah Choi – Tech In Colour – which supports female founders of colour in getting access to finance and investment. Watch the interview.

News of the month

Medtech startup born at Factory Berlin, Kianava launches

November

To kick off our partnership with Black Brown Berlin, and to learn more about their work building a community of Black and Brown individuals in the city, we featured them in our second episode of CHANGEMAKERS. Get to know the founders Chanel, Femi and Rhea, and learn more about how we’ll be collaborating in the future.

Back on our Founder Focus series we spoke to Vly Foods’ Nicolas Hartmann, straight from TV’s Höhle der Löwen, and Xibit’s Zakaria Jaiathe. We learned how they got to found their own businesses, and what advice they have for other budding entrepreneurs.

Trivago founder Rolf Schrömgens joined us for the Fireside Chat ‘Unlocking Intrinsic Motivation’. Watch the livestream, or get further insights from his interview with Stealth Mode mentee, Emily McDonnell.

Tony Cruise from the second edition of the Factory Berlin x Sonar+D Artist in Residence program supported by Beats by Dr. Dre played an amazing Virtual Check Out Drinks. And we hosted our first Investors Day, a curated event matching startups with investors to get feedback and explore collaboration opportunities.

Read of the month

Leeway: Factoring ESG into FinTech

Rolf Schrömgens: Tips To Become A Better Leader

News of the month

Community startup twinwin raised €285k in seed funding

TIER Mobility, which counts Stealth Mode Mentors Georgie Smallwood and Tinia Muhlfenzl in the team, raises $250 million in Series C funding

December

At the end of a tough year we launched The Startup Gift Guide, a catalog of 27 products built by the startups and small businesses in the Factory Berlin network.

We jumped into ‘By Appointment Only’ the series of exhibitions from our second cohort of resident artists, shown in a COVID-19-safe environment that presents the projects and collaborations they’ve conducted in the residency.

First up we had Ania Catherine & Dejha Ti’s ‘I’d rather be in dark silence than…’, followed by Tony Cruise’s ‘Dark Spring’. Stay tuned for more exhibitions and installations to come early 2021.

To wrap up the second round of our Stealth Mode program, the 10 mentees took to the stage at our Demo Day to pitch their startups to our community, network and panel. Experts Sophie Chung and Bettine Schmitz led a discussion on how every founder can find investors, make their pitch and ultimately win investment.

Read of the month

Sex Tech Stars: Berlin’s Sex-Positive Startup Industry

NewSchool: Educating A Generation Of Tech Talents

News of the month

Gorillas secured €40m investment

Neufund secured €4m including backing from Factory Berlin founder, Udo Schloemer

Bolt closed funding round of €150m