EEC Connects with Entrepreneurship Programs in Berlin, Germany

​During the third week of September, EEC team members Deb Hoover and Reka Barabas traveled to Berlin, Germany with a group of 23 Northeast Ohio leaders organized by Cleveland Leadership Center.

​Leadership Berlin hosted our group for five days of intense learning focused on German education, business/entrepreneurship, religious and refugee communities, city planning, government, and history. 

Reka and Deb tailored their trip to learn about the Berlin startup community and German higher education system.

At the Berlin School of Economics and Law, they explored Cooperative Study Programs involving simultaneous university enrollment and a student-company agreement for experiential learning (700 companies engaged for this university). Interestingly, they also learned about the 14-member DHSD (Duales Hochschulstudium Deutschland), an association of universities offering applied science programs and cooperative study programs.

Founded in 2019, DHSD meets four times a year, seeking to establish standards for cooperative study programs. 

Other entrepreneurship/business visits included a Siemens plant, the EUREF, a sustainable energy and mobility accelerator campus, and the Entrepreneurship Foundation, offering a master class, competition, and annual summit in Berlin (all supported by a tea company and revenues from other startups).

​Berlin demonstrates a vibrant culture of invention and reinvention that infuses the city with kinetic energy. Leadership Berlin’s warm welcome and careful attention to detail brought this culture to life providing our Northeast Ohio contingent with an insider’s view of modern day life in Berlin.

Not only did we learn from our German hosts and exciting site visits, we also gained new colleagues with whom we shared our mutual interest in advancing the inclusivity and prosperity of Northeast Ohio.

Special Note: Reka and Deb supported most of the cost of the trip with their own resources -- we are truly grateful for them!