London School of Economics to Bring Entrepreneurship to Berlin

The London School of Economics (LSE) is launching a Berlin hub for its entrepreneur center, LSE Generate, in collaboration with Google’s newly opened AI Center. LSE alumni Duke Tam, the project’s ambassador, told Tagesspiegel that the LSE is “deliberately investing heavily in Berlin,” positioning the city as a central hub for AI and European entrepreneurship.

The initiative aims to build a “permanent bridge between London’s world-class research and Berlin’s innovation ecosystem.”

While the LSE will not establish a permanent office with fixed positions in Berlin, the project is long-term and of great importance to the university. The LSE chose Berlin over other European cities like Rome or Amsterdam for this strategic expansion.

The hub will host regular events, mentoring programs, and pitch competitions in Berlin, supported by partners such as the Hertie School, Lufthansa, the Humboldt Forum, and BCG. The focus will be on AI applications, climate tech, fintech, digital logistics, and social entrepreneurship—areas where Berlin already demonstrates strong momentum.

LSE Generate, which supports students and alumni worldwide in founding startups, will bring its global expertise to the German capital. This expansion comes as Berlin-Brandenburg institutions increasingly prioritize technology transfer, with platforms like JUNI (formerly Unite) aiming to launch 365 deep-tech startups annually.

The LSE’s Berlin hub will compete with local university incubators, which Tam notes are currently struggling with significant budget cuts, limiting their ability to support emerging founders.

LSE Generate has already produced several “unicorns” and currently ranks 26th in the Financial Times’ list of leading startup hubs, behind TU Munich and Berlin’s Science & Startups hub. To strengthen its presence, the LSE will leverage its connection with Google, co-hosting a conference on responsible AI in June at the Google AI Center.