Thinking of working in a startup?  If so, we at Job Coconut suggest looking into these European cities!  Which city do you think can give Silicon Valley a run for its money?

Berlin:

A decade ago Berlin’s mayor Klaus Woweralt tried to attract creative types to Berlin declaring “Berlin ist arm, aber sexy” (poor but sexy). And it worked.  Berlin has now become a hub for artsy and techie people with global recognition it terms of startup success. McKinsey (a world leading consultancy firm) has quoted Berlin as “perfectly placed to become Europe’s leading startup hub”. They estimate that by 2020, Berlin could deliver more than 100,000 new jobs thanks to startups. 

The city has already produced some famous startup success stories such as music sharing service SoundCloud and games company Wooga.  The city currently boasts 2,500 tech startups and €133 million in funding from German and international venture capitalist funds.  This momentum has been building steadily in the past few years with Microsoft founder Bill Gates leading a €35m investment in ResearchGate, a global network for scientists. 

Want to work in Berlin? Check out our live jobs here. For more advice on living in Germany click here.

London

London’s tech startup scene has been steadily growing over the past few years. “Tech City” is a name for the London tech scene, which is growing both organically and inorganically.  The UK government is investing £50 million into building Tech City and attracting tech cities to the region.  There are currently over 3,000 tech companies in the East London tech cluster. 

London’s unique slant to the start-up wave is its adjacent London financial sector.  Also, internet giants such as Google and Facebook have offices in London.  This includes Google Campus, which is Google’s East London “startup hub”. It contains co-working spaces where tech people and entrepreneurs can gather and spin things up.

Some of the biggest home-grown startups, include game company Mind Candy, mobile taxi-hailing app Hailo and music recognition company Shazam.  London’s startup cluster is gearing up for its biggest IPO so far. The online delivery service Just Eat is readying itself for a London listing in April or May at a valuation between £700m and £900.

Interested in working in London? Why not have a look at our job opportunities in London right here.

Paris

Paris’s advantage in terms of its startup ecosystem is its software development and engineering talent.  This competitive edge is thanks to its superior universities that produce waves of qualified engineers.  France is currently focusing on this edge by increasing the number of engineering graduates each year.  Additionally, Xavier Niel, one of the country’s most successful businessmen has co-founded 42; a school offering training in coding for free. 

Paris has healthy network of incubators. Silicon Sentier is perhaps the best-known player in the Paris startup scene.  It’s essentially an ecosystem whose mission is the care and feeding of innovation.  Among other activities and programs, Silicon Sentier runs La Cantine, a co-working centre and hangout for Paris’s techies and a bustling hub for Paris tech events.

Paris is now home to a number of tech clusters, notably Cap Digital and System@tic.  The boards of these organisations include large companies, local and regional government organisations, universities/public research labs and SMEs.

Have a look at our current job opportunities in Paris here.

Barcelona

Workers are attracted to Barcelona for its mix of creative inspiration, business opportunities and lifestyle.  In one day you can have an engaging business meeting, take a quick ride on the metro, take a swim in the Med after work and meet international people at any hour of the day or night.

Yes, there is an economic crisis in Spain.  However it has had less on an impact on the tech sector.  Barcelona has established a solid digital ecosystem that includes more than 200 active digital startups across eCommerce, mobile, B2B, gaming and travel.  It is home to some of Europe’s hottest startups including the classified search engine Trovit, which has over 30 million users.  There are also startup incubators such as Seedrocket and Wayra.

The startup scene is bolstered by some of the world’s top ranked business schools and design schools, cheap office locations and an international airport.  All these elements are attracting both local and international talent.

Looking for a job in Barcelona? Click here for job vacancies.  For information on living and working in Spain click here.

Dublin

The digital startup scene may be small in Ireland compared to its European counterparts but its alive and kicking.  Since the recession, there is a major push by the Irish government to invigorate smaller, home-grown Irish companies.  The hope is that a more robust tech sector can cement the country’s economic recovery.

The Grand Canal Docks (nicknamed “Silicon Docks”) is a business district in the centre of Dublin, which is home to companies like Google and Facebook.  Beyond the docks, other major players like LinkedIn, Paypal, Amazon, Twitter and Zinga are all packed into a city that’s roughly one-fifth the size of San Francisco. Despite the country’s on-going struggles, a slew of successful startups are flocking to Ireland, for example, Dropbox, Indeed.com and Hubspot. 

Ireland’s major selling points include its low corporate tax rate of just 12.5%, its young local talent pool and its improving seed funding opportunities (thanks to Enterprise Ireland’s Competitive Start Fund).  There are also a handful of accelerators in the city offering startups much needed funding. 

To see our live opportunities in Dublin please click here.  For a more information on living in Ireland click here. 

Amsterdam

Amsterdam may be leagues away from Silicon Valley, but its close proximity to other European countries, liberal tax laws and the city’s overall vibe of tolerance and adaptability make it a natural startup environment.

Amsterdam is ranked as the fourth most creative global city and the Netherlands is the most entrepreneurial country in the EU, with 7.2% of Dutch adults owning or planning their own startup.  The Amsterdam region also has the world’s largest, most stable digital exchange platform, which has been a major draw for ICT companies from around the world as well as for startups.

Sound tempting?  Check out Job Coconut’s job availabilities in Amsterdam here.

Like this article? Go ahead and share it with your friends. Remember sharing is caring! Think we’re missing a city?  Please don’t hesitate to let us know and we can add it in! 

As always, if you have any questions get in touch with us by email info@jobcoconut.com or on our social media platforms.

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