September 2025
Berlin's Mayor visits The Delta Campus
Founders flag the pull of talent to San Francisco.
BAD1 Executive Think Tank
Turn momentum into action
The Executive Think Tank combines community insights with expert knowledge for Berlin's startups. We tackle founder challenges by gathering stakeholders to understand problems and develop solutions.
02 — From community to action
BAD1 is built around a bottom-up process
We unite founders, investors, researchers, corporates and policymakers to make Berlin the #1 city in Europe to build and scale technology companies.
October 2025At the Mayor's office
A delegation of founders explained challenges and growth opportunities.
February 2026BAD1 launch event
300+ ecosystem builders and policy makers in one room to take action.
February - April 2026Experts Ideation Workshop
- Regulation & Policy
- Market Access & Industry
- Capital & Funding
- Infrastructure & Ecosystem
- Talent, Education & Research
May 2026Hackathon
More than 100 participants worked on concrete solutions to the five challenges identified by the community.
June 2026BAD1 Conference
Berlin's broader startup ecosystem came together around a shared ambition for the city's entrepreneurial future. The Conference created the stage to discuss the challenges, solutions and opportunities identified through the BAD1 process.
June 2026From Idea to Industry
The work of the community was translated into a concrete policy agenda with actionable requests for Berlin.
Download the White Paper →
August 2026Administration and Ecosystem In One Room
Through five fireside chats with top candidates in the election, we highlighted community requests and discussed necessary changes for Berlin to emerge as Europe's leading startup hub.
05 - HACKATHON SOLUTIONS
What we have built so far
BAD1 brings together the people who want to actively shape Berlin's future as a technology and entrepreneurship hub. Stay connected, contribute to the conversation and get involved in upcoming BAD1 initiatives.
Regulation & PolicyA navigator designed to turn administrative communication into clear, personalized actions.
View demo →
Market Access & IndustryA concept that reverses traditional procurement by enabling established organizations to publish problems for startups to solve.
View demo →
Talent, Education & ResearchA concept for mobilizing more private capital into Berlin's startup ecosystem.
A concept for mobilizing more private capital into Berlin's startup ecosystem.
View demo →An AI-powered concierge designed to make Berlin's fragmented startup ecosystem easier to navigate.
View demo →04 - CURRENT WORKING TABLE
Current working tables
Who gets to become an entrepreneur in Berlin?
Our current working table focuses on access to entrepreneurship, including the barriers faced by underrepresented founders.
We are bringing together founders, experts and ecosystem stakeholders to understand where access breaks down, identify the most important barriers and develop concrete ways to make entrepreneurship in Berlin more accessible.
The process combines expert knowledge with the lived experiences and perspectives of the wider BAD1 community.
Community Event
We open the discussion to the broader BAD1 community to share findings, bring in additional perspectives and develop the work further.
05 — Knowledge base
What we learn, we share
Research, policy papers, perspectives and outputs generated through the BAD1 community.
From Idea to Industry
The output of BAD1's first community-driven process, translating the priorities of Berlin's startup ecosystem into concrete policy requests and actionable ideas.
Startupverband
The Startup-Verband's Berlin chapter wants Berlin to become Europe's top scale-up hub by 2031, so that the startups it helps launch stay in the city as they grow.
Startup Unit
Berlin's review of its 2022–2026 Startup Agenda says it built trust with startups, and that the Startup Unit running it now needs more staff and funding.
Our partners and sponsors
BAD1 unites those shaping Berlin's tech and entrepreneurship future. Stay connected, join the conversation, and engage in BAD1 initiatives.
Founding partners
Main conference sponsors
Conference partners
Community partners
Stay connected
Contribute to the conversation and get involved in upcoming BAD1 initiatives.