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10/23/12 | Uncategorized

Berlin Geekettes: Building A Collective Strength In Germany

Here are 5 ambitious female founders and the organizations that actively support women in the Berlin tech scene.

By Jess Erickson (Founder, Berlin Geekettes)

Women in Berlin’s tech scene have contributed to our unique edge. There’s never been a better time to be an entrepreneur in Berlin. Financial conditions in Germany are strong and a vibrant tech cluster has emerged with no signs of slowing down. I arrived nearly two years ago to Berlin and seen this city quickly evolve and grow.

In short, I’ve witnessed the following:

  1. A critical mass of talented and creative people are arriving with hopes of building a cohesive ecosystem that is sustainable.
  2. Capital resources are expanding along with a community of experienced entrepreneurs willing to offer advice and tutelage.
  3. Greater ambition from female leaders along with deepening faith in female leadership inspires more women to enter tech fields.

Just as a company or product needs an edge, so does the startup ecosystem. Women in Berlin’s tech scene have contributed to our unique edge, as argued in this recent New York Times piece.

Female Founders In Berlin

Verena Delius (Founder & CEO, Goodbeans)
Europe’s leading web and mobile gaming company Goodbeans is led by CEO Verena Delius since September 2010. Before Goodbeans, she was the head of sales of Bertelsmann’s e-learning venture Scoyo. Follow her on Twitter at @VerenaDE.

Daniela Schiffer (Co-Founder, Changers)
Berlin-based Changers was co-founded by Daniela Schiffer in 2010, introducing the portable solar charging system at a recent Web 2.0 Summit. The product aims to end global warming by shifting to a new currency backed by the sun. Follow her on Twitter at @DanisTweet.

Caitlin Winner (Co-Founder & CPO, Amen)
An app for creating, sharing and discovering the best of everything, Amen was co-founded by Caitlin Winner. She holds degrees in Economics and Studio Art from Wellesley College, and has worked at the MIT Media Lab, Plum and Nokia. Follow her on Twitter at @caitlinwinner.

Zoe Adamovicz (Co-Founder & CEO, Xyologic)
An angel investor and entrepreneur, Zoe Adamovicz founded her sixth mobile technology venture, Xyologic. Since founding her first company in 1999, she has extensive experience in mobile software/content, B2C products and services. Follow her on Twitter at @imthejoy.

Stefanie Hoffmann (Co-Founder, Gabi)
A founding member of the MLOVE advisory board, honorary judge at the Lovie Awards, and Europe´s leading mind in Facebook companion apps, Stephanie Hoffman launched Gabi to gabbing about your daily Facebook gossip. Follow her on Twitter at @nanou.

Organizations encouraging & supporting women in tech in Berlin

Berlin Geekettes (English)
Berlin Geekettes (BG) is an organization uniting, mentoring and promoting women in tech. BG offers the weekly blog series Berlin Geekette of the Week, monthly meet-ups, and connects women from all areas of tech expertise – spinning professional and personal relationships which provide support, connections, and inspiration for all members. BG is launching a mentorship program to connect current professionals with aspiring students in late November.

Rails Girls Berlin (English)
Rails Girls rovides great first experiences building web apps. Offers workshops in sketching, prototyping, basic programming paradigms and a quick introduction to the world of Rails. The workshop is perfect for girls and women who want to take a look under the hood of technology and web development.

OpenTechSchool (English/German)
OpenTechSchool (OTS) is a community initiative started spontaneously after the wonderful success of the first RailsGirls workshop in Berlin. The idea to provide similar workshops for other technologies quickly grew into an open movement aiming to empower learners with hands-on workshops in a safe environment.

Digital Media Women Berlin (German)
Digital Media Women (DMW) is a local business women’s network in Hamburg, now also launching in Berlin. Their aim is to improve conditions for women in social media management, design, online journalism, blogs programming, and enhance their visibility in the professional environment.

 

Women 2.0 readers: What female founders and supporting organizations in Berlin do you flock to? Let us know in the comments.

About the guest blogger: Jessica Erickson is the Founder of Berlin Geekettes, a non-profit uniting, mentoring and promoting women in tech of Berlin, Germany. She is also the Berlin Producer for General Assembly, a campus that helps individuals create opportunities through community and education in technology, entrepreneurship and design. Jessica holds a MSc in Media and Communications from the London School of Economics. Follow her on Twitter at @jessjerickson.

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