DigiHub with two Hub Locations
© Factory Berlin
The biggest hubs for financial technology (FinTech) and the Internet of Things (IoT) in Europe are currently being established in Berlin. In these hubs, well-established companies, founders and researchers can bring together their skills to develop new business areas.
The IoT hub will open at a new location in the former Agfa factory at Görlitzer Park. This is where company builders such as NBT and startups will be evaluating and assessing the marketability of research-based IoT solutions.
With the FinTech hub “H32”, FinLeap is going to establish the center of Berlin’s FinTech ecosystem. At the former headquarters of Berliner Bank in Hardenbergstraße, the biggest FinTech hub in Europe is developing.
Both hubs strengthen Berlin as an IoT and FinTech location in the context of the Federal Ministry for Economics and Energy’s (BMWi) hub initiative. Just like in Silicon Valley, startups, companies, research institutions, and established SMEs will work on digital flagship projects for Berlin at these hub locations in the eastern and western parts of Berlin.
Senator Ramona Pop introduced the DigiHub consortium, saying “Berlin is taking part in the hub initiative of the BMWi with the consortium consisting of Factory, FinLeap, NBT and Fraunhofer High Performance Centers. In this way, we are creating international ‘beacons of digitalization’ in the field of IoT and FinTech. Startup companies, science, SMEs, and large-sized companies will be joining forces at the two new hub locations. The hubs will help us to make the Berlin ecosystem accessible to established SMEs and to strengthen the business location Berlin in the field of IoT and FinTech”.
The consortium consisting of Factory, FinLeap, Next Big Thing and Fraunhofer High Performance Center on digital networking, has been appointed as part of a contest for the representation of DigiHubs “IoT” and “FinTech”. The parties to the consortium have relevant specialist expertise that also affects places far beyond the city of Berlin.
Together with the federal state of Berlin, the consortium will be initiating activities that bring together the “old” and the “new economy” on the one hand, and Berlin’s SMEs with digital transformation on the other.
With the implementation of the DigiHub initiative, the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises has engaged partners in the field of business and technology. Business development experts will organize events at both new hub locations in order to support digital transformation projects.
By the end of the year 2017, there will be three kick-off events of DigiHub Berlin. One of them will take place on 22nd November on the Startup Stage powered by DigiHub at Factory Berlin as part of Tel Aviv Week 2017. This event aims at connecting the startup scene with SMEs. Moreover, two events in the field of Fintech Hub will take place at the end of this year – one “regulatory roundtable” and an event called “Medium-sized businesses meet Fintech”.
