Berlin Startups to Watch in 2027: Verified Companies and What Founders Can Learn From Them
Berlin is still one of Europe's busiest startup cities, but lists of "startups to watch" age fast: companies get bought, move, change their product or close. For this 2027 edition we checked every company on its own website, legal notice (Impressum) and press page in October 2026: that it still operates, that it is still based in Berlin, what it actually sells, and which funding round it officially announced. We removed valuations, user numbers and growth figures we could not source, and the startups from the old list that were sold, moved or went quiet are in a separate section at the end.
Quick answer: the Berlin startups to watch in 2027 are n8n (AI workflow automation), Parloa (AI agents for customer service), Langdock (an EU-hosted AI platform for companies), Vay (remote-driven rental cars), Nelly (software and payments for medical practices), Project Eaden (plant-based meat made with textile fibre technology), cargo.one (freight booking), Kenjo (workforce management) and Clue (a women-led cycle tracking app). The common lesson: solve one concrete, expensive problem for a clearly defined customer, then expand.
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Why Berlin Still Matters for Founders in 2027
Berlin combines a large international talent pool, English-speaking teams, many investors and a dense calendar of meetups, which makes it a practical place to test an idea and hire your first people. Most of the companies below are registered at the Berlin local court (Amtsgericht Charlottenburg), which you can see in their legal notices. If you are thinking about founding there, compare Berlin with other cities in our guide to the best deep tech cities in Europe and with other countries in our list of the best countries for startups in Europe.
Berlin Startups to Watch in 2027 Compared
Sources: each company's official website, legal notice and press or blog page, checked 27 October 2026; Parloa's Series D from TechCrunch. "None cited" means we found no official funding announcement we could link.
The Berlin Startups to Watch in 2027
1. n8n: AI agents and workflow automation
n8n lets teams build automations and AI agents that connect their tools, with more than 500 native integrations, any API over HTTP and human approval steps where needed. You can use the hosted version or deploy it yourself on-premises or with Docker, and the source code is on GitHub. The company, n8n GmbH, is registered in Berlin. On 9 October 2025 n8n announced a $180 million Series C led by Accel, with NVIDIA's venture arm NVentures and T.Capital joining.
Lesson for founders: a free, self-hostable product builds a developer community that later buys the paid and enterprise versions.
2. Parloa: AI agents for customer service
Parloa builds a platform for creating, testing and running AI agents that answer customer conversations, including solutions such as replacing phone menus (IVR). Its homepage shows customers such as Booking.com, Zalando and SAP, and Parloa GmbH is registered in Berlin. According to TechCrunch, the Berlin-based company raised a $350 million Series D led by General Catalyst in January 2026.
Lesson for founders: pick one expensive, repetitive process (here, the customer service call) and automate it end to end before you broaden the product.
3. Langdock: an AI platform for companies, hosted in Europe
Langdock gives a whole company one AI workspace: chat that works with all leading models, agents for recurring tasks, workflows, integrations and an API, plus desktop, Excel and Outlook add-ins and mobile apps. It can run managed, in your own cloud or on-premises, and it stresses EU hosting, GDPR compliance, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II. There is a 7-day free trial. Langdock GmbH is registered in Berlin; we found no funding announcement on its site, so we cite none.
Lesson for founders: in Europe, data protection and model choice are selling points in their own right, not just compliance work.
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4. Vay: remote-driven rental cars
Vay rents electric cars by the minute: a remote driver in a control station delivers the car to you, you drive it yourself, and a remote driver parks it afterwards. The service is live in Las Vegas. Vay says it is headquartered in Berlin, with offices in Las Vegas and Hamburg. On 10 November 2025 Vay announced an investment by Grab: $60 million in cash, with the option for Grab to invest up to $350 million more if Vay reaches agreed milestones.
Lesson for founders: you do not have to wait for full automation. Vay launched with remote driving, which works today, and went to the market where the rules allowed it first.
5. Nelly: software and payments for medical practices
Nelly automates the paperwork of medical and dental practices: digital patient intake and documents, an AI scribe that documents treatments, an AI agent that follows up on treatment plans, and factoring (billing and payment protection) with partner banks. Its homepage says more than 2,500 practices use it. Nelly Solutions GmbH is based in Berlin. In January 2025 Nelly announced a €50 million Series B led by Cathay Innovation and Notion Capital, and it has also entered Italy.
Lesson for founders: a narrow customer group with a painful daily workflow can carry a big company. Nelly started with intake forms and added payments, where the revenue is.
6. Project Eaden: plant-based meat made with textile technology
Project Eaden is a food-tech company, not a fashion company as some older lists say: it spins plant proteins into fibres that copy the structure and bite of animal muscle. Its consumer brand LEKKA (plant-based ham and sausages) launched at REWE in May 2025, and the company's technology page says LEKKA is now in more than 4,500 supermarkets across Europe. Its press page lists a €15 million Series A in January 2025. Project Eaden GmbH is registered in Berlin.
Lesson for founders: borrowing a technology from another industry can be your edge, and one strong retail partner can open a whole market.
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7. cargo.one: online booking for air and ocean freight
cargo.one replaces phone and email freight quotes with software: forwarders compare rates and book, and carriers sell capacity, with AI agents for rate management, quoting, booking and support. Its homepage mentions e-booking with more than 75 airlines and partners such as Lufthansa Cargo. Its press page says Cargo One GmbH was founded in Berlin in 2017 and gives a Berlin address.
Lesson for founders: old-fashioned B2B industries that still run on email and spreadsheets are good markets for software, if you win a few respected first customers.
8. Kenjo: workforce management for small businesses
Kenjo combines shift planning, time tracking, absence management, payroll preparation and employee files in one app for small and growing businesses, with a focus on deskless teams in retail, health, manufacturing, logistics and hospitality. Kenjo GmbH lists offices in Berlin, Zurich and Madrid.
Lesson for founders: the people who do not sit at a desk are often ignored by software. Designing for their phones can be a clear market position.
9. Clue: a women-led cycle tracking app
Clue is a period and cycle tracking app co-founded in 2012 by Ida Tin; it calls itself the #1 women-led period and cycle tracker app. It has modes for period tracking, trying to conceive, pregnancy and perimenopause, and a paid Clue Plus subscription with advanced insights and cycle sharing. Clue promises never to sell health data, and its homepage cites more than 100 million app downloads. Its legal notice names BioWink GmbH in Berlin, with Rhiannon White as managing director.
Lesson for founders: in health, trust is the product. A clear privacy promise can be a reason to choose you over bigger competitors.
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Berlin Startups From Older Lists That Changed
The 2026 version of this article listed ten companies. Here is what happened to the ones that are no longer in the main list:
- Gorillas: the grocery delivery startup was bought by Getir at the end of 2022, and according to Trending Topics Getir and Gorillas stopped deliveries in Germany in mid-May 2024. The gorillas.io domain now says the app is no longer active.
- Matter Labs: still active, but its website now presents it as the company behind Prividium, a blockchain platform for banks, and the ZKsync network. It no longer names a Berlin office, so we moved it out of the Berlin list.
- Formo: still working on precision-fermented casein, which its site says is in FDA GRAS review. Its legal notice now gives an office in Frankfurt am Main, with the registered seat still in Berlin.
- Lanch: LANCH GmbH is still registered in Berlin, but its website now mainly recruits franchise and ghost-kitchen partners for its Loco Chicken and Happy Slice brands, and its footer still says 2024.
- Lumaly: its website describes a shopping assistant, but names no company or location we could check, so we removed it.
We also corrected the old description of Project Eaden: it makes plant-based meat, not textiles, and its €15 million was a Series A in January 2025.
Which Berlin Startup Should You Learn From?
- You are building developer or AI tools: study n8n (community and self-hosting first) and Langdock (EU hosting and model choice).
- You sell to large companies: study Parloa, which focused on one process with clear savings.
- You sell to a niche profession: study Nelly (medical practices) and cargo.one (freight forwarders).
- You build hardware, food or mobility: study Vay and Project Eaden, which went to market early with a partner or a city that let them launch.
- You build a consumer health app: study Clue and its privacy promise.
- You serve small businesses: study Kenjo and its focus on deskless teams.
Comparing ecosystems? Our sibling list of China startups to watch covers the other big market, and our guide to the European startup ecosystem puts Berlin in context. For other German cities, see our list of startups in Frankfurt.
How Founders Use Berlin's Startup Scene
You do not need to live in Berlin to learn from it, but if you plan to build there, start with people and money. Meet founders and investors at the events in our guide to must-attend startup events in Berlin and the wider list of startup events in Germany. Before you raise, check non-dilutive money in our startup grants in Germany guide and the news piece on how Berlin startups can navigate grant deadlines; then look at angel investors in Germany and early-stage VC firms.
For structure and support, compare startup incubators in Europe. Founding a GmbH? Our sister site explains online notarisation for GmbH share transfers in Germany, and self-employed women should read about maternity pay for self-employed women in Germany. When you are ready to get noticed, list your startup in the F/MS marketing directories and write about your product with the F/MS AI SEO Tool so customers and AI assistants can find you.
FAQ About Berlin Startups to Watch in 2027
Which Berlin startups should I watch in 2027?
Our verified list: n8n, Parloa, Langdock, Vay, Nelly, Project Eaden, cargo.one, Kenjo and Clue. Each one still operates and gives a Berlin address or headquarters on its official site, checked in October 2026.
Which Berlin startup raised the most recently?
Of the rounds we cite, Parloa's $350 million Series D in January 2026 (reported by TechCrunch) is the largest and most recent. n8n announced a $180 million Series C in October 2025.
Is Gorillas still operating in Berlin?
No. Getir bought Gorillas at the end of 2022, and according to Trending Topics the two stopped deliveries in Germany in mid-May 2024. The gorillas.io domain now says the app is no longer active.
Is Matter Labs still a Berlin startup?
Matter Labs is still active, but its website now presents it as the company behind Prividium and ZKsync and no longer names a Berlin office, so we removed it from this Berlin list.
What does Project Eaden make?
Plant-based meat. It spins plant proteins into fibres, a method borrowed from the textile industry, and sells ham and sausages under its LEKKA brand. It announced a €15 million Series A in January 2025.
Is there a women-led startup on the list?
Yes. Clue was co-founded by Ida Tin in 2012 and calls itself the #1 women-led period and cycle tracker app; its legal notice names Rhiannon White as managing director.
What can founders learn from Berlin startups?
Pick one concrete problem for a clearly defined customer, launch early where rules and partners allow it, and turn trust, privacy or EU hosting into a selling point.
How do I find investors for a startup in Berlin?
Start with our guides to angel investors in Germany, early-stage VC firms and startup grants in Germany, and meet investors at the Berlin startup events in our events guide.
Where can I get a backlink by writing about my startup?
You can publish a guest post in one of the Fe/male Switch startup blogs, which rank in Google and in AI tools. Get a quality backlink.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
