November: One Step Closer To 2021

The second lockdown didn’t hold us back as we blitzed through more brilliant virtual events and online content. Our Artist in Residence, Tony Cruise played a phenomenal Check Out Drinks in the 360 XR Room in Factory Berlin Görlitzer Park, with visuals and collaborations with fellow artists on the residency. If you’re looking for a podcast highlight – our CEO, Martin Eyerer, spoke to John Kampfner, author of ‘Why The Germans Do It Better’, for the BBC World Service’s ‘The Compass’. Check it out.

We also launched The Startup Gift Guide this November. At the end of a rough year, we’re celebrating and supporting the startups and small-businesses in our community and network. Factory Berlin’s Startup Gift Guide is a catalog of products from our community that make for perfect gifts this holiday season. Check out the catalog, and get involved in our Advent Competition to win your favorite products from the guide. Head to our Instagram to discover more and participate.

Founders’ 101

It was a month full of events for the startup founders and entrepreneurs-in-the-making from our community and network. Stephan Weber, Head of Product at Payfit Germany, held a Payroll for Founders Masterclass, giving us an in-depth insight into the step-by-step processes necessary to start your hiring and payroll on the right foot. You can tune into the Masterclass over on Factory Berlin TV, or read our top takeaways.

Later in the month our CRO, Catherine Bischoff, moderated a Fireside Chat ‘Unlocking Intrinsic Motivation’ with trivago founder Rolf Schromgens, about his experience building a holacratic team with alternative incentivisation structures, and his newest project Leadership Sprouts. It’s a must-watch for any leaders who want to grow a successful team and build motivational company culture.

Worth A Read. Worth A Watch.

Our blog has played host to some great articles this month, including Leeway founder and Stealth Mod participant, Emma Philipp’s advice on the importance of ESGs in investment decisions. Plus, we featured highlights from Airbus Bizlab’s Christian Lindener’s Corporate Venturing Masterclass. Get insights on how to pitch a potential corporate partner as a startup, or how your corporate innovation unit should operate.

Take a break from Netflix and catch some essential Factory Berlin viewing this week. Our latest CHANGEMAKERS episode spotlights Chanel, Femi and Rhea – the three founders of our newest partner, Black Brown Berlin. As well as discussing their work and the mission behind our partnership, they shared their visions for the future with us – further consolidating the team as changemakers in Berlin and beyond.

We held Founder Focus interviews with Xibit CEO & Founder, Zakaria Jaiathe, and Vly Foods’ Managing Director, Nicolas Hartmann. Watch the full interviews over on our Facebook page. Plus, our Artists in Residence have been holding a host of takeovers on our Instagram Stories. Stay tuned for more updates from The Creators Lab.

Tales of Success

The hustlers of our community have powered through the last few months. ‘Talk To Me’, which helps people to communicate with conspiracy-minded humans in a more constructive way, was featured on rbb’s Abendschau, when app creator Victoria Schrank was interviewed by fellow member Ana-Marija Bilandzija. Head to her crowdfunding page to support the project.

Sustainable coffee capsule company, UniCaps, won the consumer survey ‘Product of the Year 2020/21’ for the coffee category, and HR & Legal startup twinwin closed a seed funding round of €285k. At ADE Online Kalam Ali and Portrait XO’s company, Sound Obsessed Lab, (both alumni of the Artist in Residence program) collaborated with Pan-Pot on an innovative VR Livestream concept, connected through our partnership with Riverside Studios and our CEO Martin Eyerer. Find out how they’re tackling live music in the lockdown era.

What’s next?

There’s plenty of activity at Factory Berlin this December. Artists in Residence Ania Catherine & Dejha Ti present their latest exhibition ‘I’d rather be in a dark silence than’ as part of the By Appointment Only series of exhibitions, shows and events from the 10 artists, creatives and collectives on the program. Stay tuned for more from Tony Cruise this month, and work from the rest of the residents in Q1 2021.

The Startup Gift Guide is still available into the New Year so check it out if you’re looking for a small-business, local or startup-built gift for your loved ones over the holidays. The advent competition continues every day until the 24th December – don’t miss your chance to win gifts from our community.

This week, the 10 fxmale founders from our Stealth Mode program will present their startups at our Demo Day on Wednesday 9th December. RSVP Now.