Berlin meets NY City and San Francisco
The US is one of the German capital’s most important economic partners – and to deepen this partnership and promote Berlin, Berlin Partner Managing Director Stefan Franzke visited New York together with Franziska Giffey, Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises. The aim of the trip: new company settlements and the exploration of a partnership that will lead to the installation of a quantum computer at the innovation location Berlin. Visits included Berlin Business Office USA, as well as meetings with representatives of the New York tech community, including community builders and experts from VCs, science, business and politics, to discuss how the relationship between these two vibrant cities can be strengthened in the spirit of what unites them: the pursuit of innovation.
From New York, the trip continues to San Francisco to take part in the Games Developer Conference (GDC) together with a delegation of Berlin-based companies. A focus on the topic of games will be to organise meetings with international games studios together with Berlin Partner, a tour of the GDC trade fair and a visit to the Germany stand. Giffey will also start a new digital health cooperation project in the west coast metropolis. It is intended to network innovative companies and research institutes from Berlin and California and promote the development and use of digital technologies to improve the living conditions of older people. The project is supported with EU and state funds via the Internationalisation Programme of the Senate Economic Administration. Talks are also scheduled in Silicon Valley at the Netflix headquarters and at the food tech company Kitchen Town.
The US is the most important sales market for products made in Berlin. Most recently, the export volume totalled 1.56 billion euros, with Berlin companies selling machinery and electronics in particular to the US. The world’s largest economy is also one of the most important investors in Berlin. Over the past five years, Berlin Partner has supported a total of 63 US companies in Berlin, most of them from the information and communications sector (32). The investments amounted to over 120 million euros and resulted in 3,900 new jobs in Berlin. In addition, more than a third of the total venture capital for Berlin startups in 2023 came from investors in the US. The State of Berlin has been operating the Berlin Business Office (BBO) in New York since 2019. The office acts as a link between Berlin and the US market. It supports Berlin companies with networking and market entry in the US and promotes relocations to Berlin.
