Berlin Startup Founder 101

Most innovation hubs and economic development programs underperform for the same structural reason: not enough promising applicants. The result? Empty incubators, freelancer-occupied co-working spaces, and funding going to a small number of un-promising companies. Drawing on lessons from 17 years running global incubators and accelerators, Jonathan Greechan (Co-Founder and CEO of the Founder Institute) will walk through strategies that successful entrepreneurship programs use to generate large volumes of applicants and companies.

AI can help founders move from an idea to something testable faster. That journey starts with defining the problem, understanding how it might be solved, and then determining what to build.

This discussion is designed for both technical and non-technical founders. Amanda Fornal and Leander Neiss will explore how AI can support the early startup journey, from refining customer problems to prototyping, testing, and iterating on solutions. They will share practical use cases, selected tools, and real examples of AI-assisted product development, including what worked, what did not, and when engineering expertise becomes important.

❯❯ Guest Speakers include:

• Amanda Fornal (Founder, Founder Buddies | Orange SFM)
• Leander Neiss (Senior Software Engineer, DBOS)

❯ What You’ll Learn

• 🤖 Where AI can add value for early-stage founders
• 🔎 How AI can accelerate customer discovery and product experimentation
• 🛠️ What non-technical founders can do with AI before bringing in technical expertise
• 💡 Lessons from real-world AI-assisted product builds

Pitching your startup ideas effectively is a crucial skill that will help you acquire financing, customers, partners, and top talent. This intensive, collaborative workshop is designed to help you understand the key ingredients of a successful pitch. Then, you can apply that learning and get feedback on your startup pitch.

❯ Guest Speakers include:

• Rikke Klitskov (CoDirector, Founder Institute Berlin)

Looking for the right people to support you with your next step? Looking for the right co-founder? Just have a question?

We are proud to continue this event series with guided networking and great people from different angles of the Berlin startup ecosystem with you at the KERB food hall!

If you have a startup idea or a growing company and you want to expand your network in Berlin, then join us for the in-person 'Founder Meet & Greet' event. At this informal networking event, you can connect with other early-stage entrepreneurs, startup mentors, and advisors from the Founder Institute Berlin network. Socialize over drinks with potential co-founders, advisors, mentors and partners. Most of all, get away from the computer and have fun!

❯ Your hosts of the day:

• Ferdinand Mühlhäuser (Managing Director @ Founder Institute Germany)

❯ Who should Attend?

• Anyone interested in entrepreneurship
• Anyone who has a pre-seed tech company or a startup idea
• Anyone interested in joining a startup accelerator
• Anyone who is looking for a cofounder or would want to join a startup as a cofounder

❯ What is the Agenda?

• (Guided) Networking, Socializing and Drinks

Code of conduct
We are committed to a respectful and inclusive environment for everyone. Discrimination, harassment, or inappropriate behavior of any kind will not be tolerated, and we reserve the right to remove attendees who violate this code of conduct.