#portadi

OneLogin acquires Portadi to automate Login Onboarding

OneLogin, the startup making signing up process easier for the enterprises, has announced its acquisition of Portadi, San Jose based startup which was started in early 2015 for an undisclosed sum. Portadi helps automate the sign-in process for the complex applications and at the same time, OneLogin helps the big enterprises authenticate the user credentials at any given point with a single…

I just came back from a one week business trip in Berlin, where I have went to do some networking, look for new opportunities and spread the word about our company Smartsupp.com. We do live chat with visitor recording.

I decided to not write a standard article, but rather a list of short notes about my thoughts and experiences in Berlin. I was writing the notes on my return bus journey from Berlin, so they are kind of random and not chronological. The short notes format is an inspiration from Rastislav Turek’s blog post on SxSW from few years ago, which was really addictive to read. I do some comparisons of Berlin startup scene to Brno in Czech Republic. I will be happy if someone provides comparison of Berlin startup scene to his home country in comments. 

I would like to thank Dusan and Tomas from Portadi.com (app for managing access to cloud apps in teams. It basically replaces all passwords for work accounts with a single key) for accommodating me for the whole week for free and giving me advice regarding Berlin startup scene.

So here we go: 

- arrival to Berlin by bus is not the best UX. On bus station, there is no free (working) wifi, no sign how to get to the metro and it’s far from city center. 

- when you look around Berlin bus station, you realize immediately how small Czech Republic is, as Student Agency (best bus company in Czech, give it a try if you ever go there) has like one bus there out of 50 and it's probably the only bus company that doesn’t have a ticket booth there or any street sign. 

- it’s absolutely no problem to speak (only) English everywhere you go. There is a huge number of people from all over world who speak English and German guys have no problem with it as well 

- English is no problem not only at business and startup events. Even people at grocery stores and Kebab places speak at least some elementary level of English. I really haven’t had a single experience for the whole week where I would get stuck because of language barrier. 

- metro stinks as in most European capitals

- the networking and global reach of Berlin is on a totally different level than in Czech. You meet international people everywhere, different vibe compared to Czech, where you basically meet only Czech guys 

- there is big number of foreign guys working in every startup. Interesting thing is, the description “immigrants” or “expats” somehow doesn’t feel right here. Berlin is just one big melting pot of nationalities. It somehow feels completely natural meeting foreign people everywhere. I have met guys from Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, Serbia but also from UK, USA, Italy, Spain and other countries east and west of Germany. You hear english almost everywhere - in Metro, in the streets, in workplaces. I would say English is present fifty fifty with German, and that goes same for non-tourist areas. Some events are actually organized by foreign people 

- there is a huge number of startup and networking events. There is literally a startup event EVERY DAY. I chose a date for my trip more or less random, not focused on any particular event, and I still found a startup event for almost every day of the week.

- events I attended in Berlin in one week :     

Monday : G-Force : idea evaluation (cca 15 attendees, free entry)     

Tuesday : Silicon Allee breakfast meetup (cca 30 attendees, free entry) 

Tuesday : Startupgrind Berlin (cca 70 attendees, 30 EUR, free food and drinks)

Thursday : Berlin Tech Meetup (cca 100 attendees, free entry, free drinks)

Friday : Idea challenge at Betahaus (free entry, wasn’t actually there)

Friday : Silicon Drinkabout (cca 100 attendees, free entry, free drinks and finger food) 

- lot of the mentioned events is done frequently. IMHO the best for networking was Startupgrind and Berlin Tech Meetup

- all presentations were in English except for Startupgrind. Networking in English wasn’t a problem anywhere

- at lot of events there is free food and alcohol, even the entry is for free. At Startupgrind, which costs 30 EUR, the buffet was really high-society with bar selection as Ron Zacapa, Ciroq Vodka and other smooth drinks for free 

- if you want to visit Berlin to do some networking, here is a list where to look for events. Some events in Berlin are paid or limit number of attendees and you need to buy a ticket, so it’s good to look for events ahead of time.

https://www.startupdigest.com/digests/berlin

www.meetup.com (you will find most startup events here)

http://www.betahaus.com/berlin/program/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/159595270791268/?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/groups/176959035703574/?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/berlinstartup.events.page?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/SiliconDrinkaboutBerlin?fref=ts

websites of Axel Springer and Hub:Raum accelerators

http://startupberlin.org/

- off-topic : almost no one knows Ron Zacapa rum in Berlin (?!) 

- if you want to do advertising focused on Berlin to promote your startup, it’s good to sponsor Silicon Drinkabout event. It’s basically a party/networking event every Friday, where every event is sponsored by a different company/startup. Tim Lydford told me it’s good to have a budget of cca 2 000 EUR for the event sponsorship and it gets you bigger reach for your bucks compared to Google PPC or other advertising channels, if you want to reach solely Berlin audience (of course it’s suitable only for targeting startups or young people in general). 

- the guys who were sponsoring this week’s event - Roundhere - had it really worked out. In order to get free shot or a beer, you had to download their application. The target group for them was perfect as they are an application, kind of a “local social network” built around places instead of people. The party was hosted in their office with all employees present. They had a projector in the main room where they were streaming images from their app (imagine Twitter wall, but in this case “Roundhere wall”). In the bathroom they had printed A4 job offers sticked on the mirror (clever !). I was also surprised how much alcohol they had prepared. Cca 30 cases with beer, each case holding 20 beers, coolers for the beer, and a Jagermeister machine (!) (really cool, had like 4 shots).

- ok, I will stop talking about the Silicon Drinkabout now. But it was really smooth party execution 

- even there is a lot of buzz around Berlin becoming the Silicon Valley of Europe, no one has a magic stick for making money. No startup I have met is actually cash flow positive, lot of them make no money at all, being in Beta. But from what I have seen I am confident they will really become a technology hub in Europe. 

- I met guys from startup named VoiceDrop, recording mouse movement and voice through Javascript. They told me it’s not a problem to get up to 100k EUR in funding if you are a startup without revenue, but that it’s nearly impossible to get VC grade funding of 500k EUR or more if you don’t have any revenues 

- almost every startup in Berlin is hiring developers. If I was a developer in IBM or Redhat in Brno (they have big development/support centers here), I would be on my way to Berlin right now (permanently). Monthly salary for a senior developer in Berlin is 3 000 - 5 000 EUR and 2 000 - 3 000 EUR for a junior guy. In Czech Republic the salary is approximately half of that. 

- some startups are hiring business guys too. Even though its in smaller numbers than developers and in business job position German language might be necessary, I think even for business guys looking to join a startup it can be a could call to try their chances in Berlin. 

- not so many people are bootstrapping compared to Czech Republic. Most startups I have met either have funding or are trying to raise funding. I think in Czech bootstrapping is caused partially by more difficult access to capital and disbelieve of some entrepreneurs in added value of having an investor. In Berlin I could see the investment process is more streamlined an it’s a usual thing to have funding 

- most of the week I was sitting with guys from Portadi in Microsoft Ventures offices, where they are accelerated. There are on Unter den Linden street in Microsoft building. One of the most prestigious addresses in Berlin you can have (downside is it’s quite difficult to find startup-style-priced lunch around there, as it’s mostly 5 star hotels and guys driving Porsche cars everywhere you look). The office are on top floor with rooftop terrace (yes, they have barbecues there) and several balconies. One of the best office spaces I have seen so far. Comparable to Google offices in Prague. 

- Microsoft Ventures is currently running a 3rd batch while running two to three batches per year, 4 months each. What’s interesting, they don’t take any equity (also they don’t give you any funding). From what I know they provide consulting, free office space and good external network. 

- other accelerators in Berlin are Hub:raum, ran by Deutsche Telekom, and Axel Springer. I heard a rumor that Axel Springer will close down since it has had no successful startups from their existing batches. There will be an opening of new accelerator in GTEC campus (Berlin Academy) which is part of a university and it will focus on connecting commercial sector and Academia. Also I heard Deutsche Bahn (or Deutsche Post…it was Deutsche something for sure) wants to open a new accelerator in Berlin.

- if you ever want to establish an office in Berlin or just want to freelance here, I can recommend Betahaus coworking space. It’s just 160 EUR for a chair per month, plus you can get a mailbox and other services there for a little extra money. For comparison, Impact Hub coworking in Brno is 90 EUR per month.

- one week ticket for Metro and buses costs 30 EUR 

- guys from Portadi are renting a fully furnished apartment for 2 people for 1 100 EUR per month in Kreuzberg with all services (internet, cable TV, electricity, heating, water etc.) included

- Kreuzberg is 15 minutes to the city centre with good metro connection. It’s one of the cheaper neighbourhoods. There is a lot people from Turkey and middle-east.

- although Kreuzberg is kind of an “immigrant neighbourhood”, I had much better feel there than in London or other european capitals, where you pay like double for rent and you kind of feel on the outskirt of the society. Here it just somehow felt much better, like you are more embedded in the society. I could actually imagine living there. From my experience the neighbourhood is safe and completely ok. 

- data SIM card with 500 MB data limit costs 10 EUR. I bought O2 Sim card and the connectivity was quite poor. There was just Edge everywhere I went, on bus from Berlin to Prague the connection was not working at all. T-mobile has also data for 10 EUR, I don’t know how is the connectivity, gonna try it next time in Berlin. Vodafone had cheapest data for 50 EUR. 

- everything in Lidl is 10 to 50 % cheaper compared to Czech lidl (same tuna can, which costs 1.5 EUR in Brno, is for 70 cents. It almost makes you angry considering the Czech salaries :) 

- eating out is relatively cheap. You can get Kebab for 3 EUR in Islamic part’s of town (that’s where you will live if you decide to move to Berlin). In the expensive part of town where Microsoft offices are you can find good restaurants where lunch is around 7 EUR (of course there are restaurants too where it’s 70 EUR). Berlin is really low cost compared to other western european capitals. 

- idea of establishing an office in Berlin (renting a chair in Betahaus coworking space and moving there myself to represent Smartsupp) crossed my mind several times while I was there.