Founder of GCC-German Capital, Uta Gruda: "Berlin, the Place to Be" 
In 2001 as I was moving from Munich to Berlin my boss and my friends suggested not to go to Berlin. At that time Berlin was an IT black hole making it impossible for me to advance my career or find a similar excellent job as Java programmer to the one I had in Munich. And they were right! In terms of training and experience I was overqualified and too expensive for Berlin. However, early in 2001, I very soon realized that Berlin was also the right city in Germany to set up my own company. Not Munich, Frankfurt or Hamburg but Berlin was the place to be for entrepreneurs. Why is that? Berlin as the capital of Germany is completely different from other cities in Germany. It is international, free from judgment and people think very progressively. My decision to create my own company in 2002 is one the best decision I ever made in life. Today my company GCC-German Business Invest has grown meanwhile into a family business, is growing fast, healthy and continuous. I am very thankful to Berlin for that. Also the direction that our business took in terms of investment is connected to the fact that in Berlin you will find all government offices, embassies, big German organizations and support from local government as well. But most important are the "Berliner" who are very openminded and generally great people. Today, with our headquarters at the famous Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz next to The Ritz-Carlton Berlin, surely we have recognized the investment potential of Berlin about one decade ago. We are proud of this achievement and excited about the future paths that Berlin has to offer. After more as a decade, Berlin continue to be European's hottest start-up-city, the "place to be" and the right place for creative people, young entrepreneurs, international companies. These were all lacking in early 2001 when I first moved here. Today, Berlin has new opportunities to attract more Europe's startups or established entrepreneurs to set up in Berlin. In 2015, Berlin's start-up scene grew to 2.1 billion investments, hereby securing the first place in the European start-up scene; second place was London with 1.7 billion. With the highest GNP and the largest population in the European Union, Germany is Europe's most important market. And Berlin is Germany's most important market, standing for innovation, advanced technologies, high levels of productivity and an excellent infrastructure. Berlin long has been the leader in fintech and is home to many well-known innovative German companies in the finance sector. Nowadays, Berlin is probably the richest, strongest and most stable metropolis in Europe. It offers its citizens newest technologies, a multicultural environment, an impressive history and amazing high life quality. Berlin has now the chance to become Europe's fintech capital and be number one fintech in Europe. However, Berlin does not need the Brexit to become what it is today or what it is going to be soon. Only very few cities in the world have the image of Berlin and can offer what Berlin does. This is the reason that UHNW investors are increasingly interested in Berlin after the rising of market activity in the last years, especially in the property sector. The rental demand in German cities like Berlin is extremely high because "Berliner" do not put a strong emphasis a owning a home. They much rather rent and for this reason Berlin has the lowest rate of home-ownership in Germany (approx. 15%). Not only European investors are turning to Berlin and German properties but also GCC and international investors who are looking to invest in solid, low-risk investments.  Our investment boutique GCC-German Capital GCCGC, as the only one of its kind in Germany Europe and the GCC, offers direct investments to UHNWi, Fam. Offices and family owned businesses. We are not a boutique for every investor, but only for investors who are looking for high quality, trust and low risk. We do not have a one-size-fits-all approach but rather target specific investments. GCC-German Capital recognizes investment trends and defines where/when an investment is most likely to pay off at a low risk. Key to all of that is the right investment strategy. Uta Gruda Founder| GCC-German Capital Contact us directly, our business address: GCC-German Business Invest & GCC-German Capital, Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz, Bellevuestrasse 1, 10785 Berlin (next to The Ritz-Carlton Berlin) | capital@gccgbi.com | www.gccgbi.com |