The Delta Blog
Insights, stories, and updates from Europe's leading startup ecosystem
Felix Ohswald on Brutal.AI, Offline Tutoring, and Opening Schools
After GoStudent’s hardest year, Felix Ohswald bought an offline tutoring chain, spun out Brutal.AI, and is now preparing to open GoStudent’s first schools in 2027. At the 11th edition of Gründerszene x The Delta, he shared his practical rules for finding customers and why kids still need people in the age of AI.
Stephanie Frenzel: Warum Kommunikation die eigentliche Aufgabe der People-Funktion ist
Beim People People Fireside auf der Dachterrasse des Delta Campus erklärte Stephanie Frenzel, Chief People Officer bei HomeToGo, warum Kommunikation die eigentliche Aufgabe der People-Funktion ist und warum Führungskräfte die Kultur prägen, nicht HR.
The ROI of a Great Office: How the Right Space Can Improve Collaboration, Creativity, and Even Revenue
Great office design isn't decoration, it's infrastructure that shows up in outcomes. Space changes how a team behaves: it speeds up decisions, sharpens alignment, and boosts founder energy, often the most under-measured asset in an early company. It's also the first physical proof that a company is real, investors and clients notice whether the environment supports focus and whether the team seems organized before anyone says a word. At The Delta Campus, we see teams move faster when space supports their rhythm, not because the office is beautiful, but because it's designed for real work.
Felix Ohswald on Building GoStudent, Cutting 90%, and Starting Again
From making five figures a month on the darknet at 12 to building one of Europe’s best-known edtech companies, Felix Ohswald shared the full GoStudent story at the 11th edition of Gründerszene x The Delta. He covered the phone calls that cracked online tutoring and the London breakfast that led to cutting 90% of the team.
Oliver Merkel on the Cloud Bill That Became Blocks
Beim zehnten Gründerszene × The Delta sprach Oliver Merkel über Angel-Investing, Fundraising und Recruiting, das Unicorn, das er verpasst hat, und wie aus einer Cloud-Rechnung, die bei Flink niemand erklären konnte, Blocks wurde, heute nach fünf Monaten bei 10 Mio. € Run Rate.
Why Premium Matters: The Shift Toward High-Quality Event Environments in Berlin’s Startup Scene
For a long time, startup events in Berlin followed a simple logic: keep costs low, maximise attendance, focus on content. Space was an afterthought. That logic no longer holds. Founders are more selective about where they spend their time, and the bar has shifted. Premium no longer means luxury. It means intention, quality, and respect for people's attention.
Why Your Office Is Now Part of Your Employer Brand Especially in Early-Stage Startups
In 2026, your office is part of your employer brand, whether you plan it that way or not. Talent isn't just evaluating salary or mission, they're reading the space itself: is this a team built for focus, or one running on chaos? Candidates use the physical environment as a proxy for what's usually hardest to see in an interview, decision-making, maturity, care for the people doing the work. At The Delta Campus, we see it firsthand: founders who invest in environments that support their people recruit faster and hold onto talent longer. Your space isn't just where work happens, it's proof of the company you're building.
Oliver Merkel on Building Flink Into a Unicorn in Seven Months
Oliver Merkel spent years preparing decisions for CEOs before realising he wanted to make them himself. At the 10th edition of Gründerszene x The Delta, the Flink co-founder walked us through becoming a co-founder of Flaconi by accident, the three conditions he set before launching Flink, doing the deliveries himself, and the investor who pulled out a week before Christmas. It's a founder story about building on fundamentals while the rest of the market chased the money.
Tipps vor deinem Studio Open Day
Bevor du dich für den Studio Open Day von The Delta bewirbst: Lies zuerst unsere Investmentthese. Verzichte auf KI-polierte Texte und sag in einem klaren Satz, was du baust. Zeig uns Kundenvalidierungen statt nur einen Prototyp, und kenne deine tatsächliche Marktgröße und deine Wettbewerber. Kapital macht dich nicht zu jemandem, der umsetzt. Eine gute Antwort bekommen die Gründer, die ihre Energie in Gespräche mit Kunden gesteckt haben, nicht in das Feilen an Formulierungen.