Well in terms of amount of VC capital invested the UK is head and shoulder ahead of Germany and France... So "Berlin is Europe's silicon valley" is largely wish

Well in terms of amount of VC capital invested the UK is head and shoulder ahead of Germany and France... So "Berlin is Europe's silicon valley" is largely wishful thinking or a sales pitch. Those "makerspaces" are, IMHO, totally irrelevant. Ease of access to capital, of setting up a company, of structuring it, of doing business, taxes, are what makes the difference and most EU countries rank consistently lower than the UK on any of those aspects.