Challenges

Outcomes

Quantitative Results

5-day intensive study program delivered in Berlin, combining training, ecosystem visits, networking and pitching activities.
5+ key Berlin ecosystem organizations activated, including MotionLab, EUREF Campus, Berlin Partner, Germany Trade & Invest and Impact Hub Berlin.
4 core startup training areas covered: Business Plan Development, Operational Management, Fundraising and Investment Pitch Preparation.
Multiple direct networking formats delivered, including working lunches with founders and investors, an ecosystem roundtable, a community networking event and a dedicated Demo Day.
1 dedicated Demo Day providing participating founders with an opportunity to pitch directly to Berlin-based founders and investors.

Qualitative Impact

The program gave SMARTNET participants first-hand access to Berlin’s startup and innovation ecosystem, moving beyond theoretical learning through direct interaction with founders, investors, innovation hubs and economic development organizations.

Participants strengthened their understanding of business development, fundraising, investment readiness and entering the German market, while putting these learnings into practice through pitch preparation and the Demo Day. Berlin Acceleration Program Gui…

From betahausX’s perspective, a key outcome was the creation of meaningful connections between the visiting entrepreneurs and Berlin’s local ecosystem. Informal working lunches, community events and hub visits were deliberately used to facilitate knowledge exchange, peer learning and potential future collaboration rather than limiting engagement to formal presentations. Berlin Acceleration Program Gui…

The program also demonstrated betahausX’s ability to activate multiple parts of the Berlin ecosystem and translate them into one coherent international startup learning journey—combining content, community, market access and real-world networking within a compact five-day format.

Connecting Turkish tech entrepreneurs with Berlin’s startup ecosystem through hands-on learning, expert mentoring, networking and market access.

What is this initiative?

The project aims to strengthen cooperation between technology transfer organizations, entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, technoparks, incubation centers and universities, using an AI-supported network to accelerate the commercialization of technology-oriented business ideas. Its broader ambition is to increase Türkiye’s capacity for intellectual property creation, technology commercialization and international market expansion.

Key areas of focus include supporting Turkish startups entering European markets, strengthening mentor capacity, providing patent support and improving collaboration between technology transfer intermediaries.

Berlin Study Program

As part of SMARTNET, betahausX designed and delivered a one-week Berlin startup ecosystem exploration and acceleration program from 7–11 April 2025.

The program was designed for technology-oriented entrepreneurs and startup founders participating in SMARTNET, providing practical exposure to one of Europe’s leading startup ecosystems. It combined expert-led training and workshops with ecosystem visits, founder and investor networking, market-entry insights and a dedicated Demo Day.

betahausX was responsible for the end-to-end design and implementation of the Berlin program, including program development, partner and ecosystem activation, mentor and expert sourcing, provision of training and event space, coordination of ecosystem visits and networking opportunities, and on-site program execution.

Primary Goals

Introduce participants to the Berlin and German startup ecosystem and its key actors.
Strengthen participants' capabilities in business development, operational management, fundraising and investment pitching.
Connect participating entrepreneurs with Berlin-based founders, investors, innovation hubs and market-entry organizations.
Provide practical insights into internationalization and entering the German/European market.
Enable participants to test and improve their investment pitches and present their businesses to the local ecosystem through a dedicated Demo Day.
Build relationships that could support future collaboration, investment and international expansion.

Overall Strategy

betahausX is partnership with Crafted Learning designed and implemented the SMARTNET Study Visit in Berlin as an immersive, ecosystem-driven learning program, combining practical startup education with direct access to Berlin’s founders, investors, innovation hubs and public-sector market-entry organizations.

Rather than delivering the program primarily through classroom sessions, betahausX used Berlin itself as the learning environment. The five-day program combined expert-led training, ecosystem visits, founder and investor exchanges, networking formats and pitching opportunities, taking participants from understanding the Berlin startup ecosystem to preparing and presenting their own investment pitches. Berlin Acceleration Program Gui…

betahausX managed the implementation end-to-end: program design and scheduling, partner activation, speaker and mentor acquisition, venue provision, ecosystem access, participant coordination and on-site execution. betahaus Moritzplatz served as an important program base for the training and networking components, while selected external locations gave participants first-hand exposure to different parts of Berlin’s innovation ecosystem.

Key Tactics Used

Program Design & Learning Journey: Developed a structured five-day journey balancing education, ecosystem exposure and networking. The agenda progressed from ecosystem discovery and business fundamentals through investment readiness to a Demo Day where participants could apply what they had learned.
Berlin Ecosystem & Partner Activation: Activated betahausX's local network to secure relevant visits and exchanges with organizations including MotionLab, EUREF Campus, Berlin Partner, Germany Trade & Invest and Impact Hub Berlin, connecting participants with startup communities, investors, innovation actors and market-entry experts.
Mentor & Expert Activation: Curated practitioners and experts to deliver hands-on sessions covering business plan development, operational management, fundraising and investment pitch preparation, complemented by a roundtable with founders and investor-community representatives.
Space & Event Infrastructure: Provided betahaus Moritzplatz as a central learning and networking venue, creating a startup-oriented environment for the full-day training program and evening community activities.
Community Integration & Networking: Embedded SMARTNET participants directly into Berlin’s startup community through working lunches, hub visits and networking events. The working-lunch format was intentionally designed to create informal interaction with founders and investors and support potential collaboration and investment connections.
Access to Existing Community Formats: Connected the delegation with an existing Notion x Founder Institute x betahaus networking event, giving selected participants an opportunity to pitch while exposing the wider group to founders, investors and other actors from Berlin’s startup scene.
Pitch Preparation & Real-World Application: Linked the educational content directly to execution: participants received investment-pitch training and subsequently presented their businesses at a dedicated Demo Day in front of founders and investors, followed by networking.
End-to-End Program Execution: Coordinated the operational delivery across multiple Berlin locations, ensuring that training sessions, partner visits, networking activities and the Demo Day worked together as one coherent study program rather than as isolated activities.

About d.quarks and betahausX

Auf diese Fragen müssen alle Unternehmen und Organisationen schnell eine Antwort finden: Wie bleiben wir zukunftsfähig? Wie werden wir nachhaltiger? Mit welchen Geschäftsmodellen sind wir im digitalen Zeitalter genauso erfolgreich wie in der Vergangenheit? Unsere Partnerschaft hilft Antworten zu geben, denn wir verbinden den Zugang und das Wissen von Berlins ältester Startup-Community betahaus mit der Transformationserfahrung im Mittelstand und bei Familienunternehmen von d.quarks.

Mit Haltung gehen wir neue Wege.Wir machen Mut, mit den Veränderungen jetzt anzufangen und befähigen Menschen die Transformation selber durchzuführen.Dafür teilen wir unser Wissen, damit sich unsere Kunden in ihrer eigenen Geschwindigkeit verändern können. Dazu schaffen wir Dialogräume und entwickeln positive besetzte Zukunftsbilder.Wir arbeiten mit anderen kollaborativ, partizipativ und kokreativ zusammen.

SMARTNET - Berlin Ecosystem Immersion Week