The German Hub is an office community between eight German organizations in the heart of San Francisco’s Financial District. When we moved into our brand new facilities in the spring of 2019, our vision was to create a vibrant co-working space for our German-American community. Little did we know that only one year later the pandemic would force us all to work from home, having left the German Hub deserted for over a year. Despite collaborating throughout the pandemic, we are excited to return to our office space and even welcome new members to the German Hub. In this series, we want to introduce the organizations and their valuable services to our transatlantic community. First up, Germany Trade & Invest:
Text by Heiko Steinacher & Angelika Geiger
Promoting German business in a special environment
Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) is the economic development agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. With more than 50 offices in Germany and abroad, and its network of partners throughout the world, GTAI supports German companies setting up in foreign markets, promotes Germany as a business location and assists foreign companies setting up in Germany.
The GTAI office in San Francisco is staffed with a team of three: Angelika Geiger, Heiko Steinacher and Dominik Baer. Angelika is our investment consultant, Heiko reports on economic developments in the U.S. and Dominik is our project coordinator.
We were delighted to participate when seven German organizations joined forces to form a new office community in Silicon Valley in March 2019. Prior to that, there was no central point of contact in San Francisco for either German companies or North American ones that want to become active in Germany.
Sharing knowledge, ideas and contacts is the Silicon Valley mindset
This new concept provided an opportunity for synergies. Angelika works with energy and IT companies across North America and is glad to share her insights on industry trends with the other Hub partners, for example, during a GTAI lunch briefing in Los Angeles. The same applies to Heiko who can share his expertise and market knowledge within our team and with business delegations from Germany. On the flip side, we can learn directly from colleagues in the Hub about developments in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and northern Germany. Apart from that, no one likes to work in isolation. We all profit from an open exchange of ideas.
Last year, when the Corona health pandemic hit, it was a big challenge for us all. Delegation visits, trade shows and conferences went virtual which required new approaches to both reach and best serve our customers. Now, more than a year after its outbreak, due to new digital tools, we can even say that it has strengthened our relationships.
Heiko Steinacher, Director, San Francisco
A trained economist, Heiko has been reporting for Germany Trade & Invest out of San Francisco since November 2018, with a focus on fast-growing and disruptive companies. Previously, Heiko reported for GTAI from Warsaw, covering current economic developments in Poland (2006 to 2012) and from Stockholm, covering economic trends in Sweden, Norway and Denmark (2012 to 2017). While studying in Mainz and Glasgow in the late 1990s (Diplom, M.A. Soc.Sc. respectively), he focused mostly on foreign trade and international economic relations.
Angelika Geiger, Director, San Francisco
Angelika is a global expert with extensive experience in corporate location strategy/site selection, economic development, business & government relations, and international trade & development. As the Director of the San Francisco office of Germany Trade and Invest, she advises companies in the cleantech and information technology industries on selecting a facility location in Germany that optimizes talent recruitment, logistics, investment incentives, opportunities for collaboration and other factors specific to each client. She is particularly interested in the intersection of IT and Energy.
And then there were eight – and the trend is rising!
We are looking forward to welcoming new members to the Hub. Not just virtually but also physically – taking into account all necessary safety measures, of course. The current vaccine progress here gives reason to hope for a cautious reopening of our co-working space in San Francisco’s Financial District in the near future.
The San Francisco Bay Area is very innovative and disruptive. We see that disruption, the replacement of existing technologies and services through innovative new ones, everywhere. And as Heiko explains in various articles, this trend has even intensified during the pandemic. Technology is the clear winner of the crisis. Companies are investing heavily in digitalization. More and more global players use AI, advanced analytics and other IoT technologies for supply chain management, creating an efficient system that is, however, also more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Healthtech, edtech, fintech and e-commerce also offer great opportunities.
High Level Visit from Berlin
Keeping up with these trends is essential for Germany to maintain economic momentum. During his visit to San Francisco in July 2019, the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Peter Altmaier, made it clear that he wants to rev up the transition to future technologies like AI and machine learning. The German Hub wants to actively accompany, support and promote such processes.
Planning on expanding in either direction?
Are you looking to invest in the German market or do you want to know more about current trends in the U.S. economy? Reach out to our GTAI staff!
