When you’re living in Berlin to attend a language school, it can be difficult to navigate the professional landscape. That’s why we’re going to give you the low down on the Berlin’s booming startup and technology scene.

A Brief Overview

It is estimated that a new startup is founded here every 20 minutes. Back in 2015, Berlin received the most venture capital investment of any city in Europe. This bloomed its current reputation as one of the fastest-growing startup ecosystems in the world — and it’s not going anywhere.

“We turn out innovative, productive businesses with global impact (SoundCloud, 6Wunderkinder, ResearchGate) and we’re only going to see more success like this,” said blogger James Glazebrook on Überlin (http://www.uberlin.co.uk/).

Companies Housed Here

As Glazebrook mentioned, there are some big international players headquartered in Berlin including Delivery Hero and HelloFresh. Additionally, many American startups run their European operations from Berlin, such as HERE Technologies and Wayfair.

Thriving on Diversity

Just under 17% of Berlin’s population is foreign and within the startup scene, that percentage is nearly tripled. Those looking to dive into the tech industry see Berlin as a vibrant and affordable alternative to other hubs, like London or San Francisco.

“It’s a very diverse scene compared to what I experienced in the United States,” said Ryan Henderson, machine intelligence engineer at Merantix and former Kapitel Zwei student.

Furthermore, many companies operate in English and offer to handle visa paperwork. Then once you’re in, you have access to a wide network of young professionals to learn from and befriend. All of this helps takes the edge off of relocating, adding an extra layer of appeal to life in Berlin.

Never Stop Learning

While you may not need it during your work day, a majority of companies encourage learning German and some will even pay for it. Kapitel Zwei offers courses at a variety of times, including evenings — so with the flexible schedules often associated with startups, continuing your language development is no problem.