Tech-Szene: 500.000 Dollar aufwärts im Jahr: Was junge Deutsche in San Francisco erwartet

In San Francisco's Mission District, the Standard Deviant brewery offers Dunkelbiere, India Pale Ales, and Pilsener on its menu, with a "German Founder Mixer" featuring Oktoberfest beer in September. Marvin Gabler, a young German with short hair and glasses, sits at a wooden bench during a networking event for founders and investors, calculating profits: "If a 25-year-old can take 400,000 dollars in cash and add millions in stock shares, why start at Bosch?"

Gabler uses Bosch as an example of a traditional corporate career, deeming it a general issue. At 30 years old, he has already made his decisions and has been living in San Francisco for two and a half months to build a new company. The specifics remain undisclosed, but he aims to simulate the physical world using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop new materials, such as "machines that invent machines."

Gabler and his colleagues are searching for capital and talented individuals in this endeavor. In Europe, Gabler found no alternative in 2022 when he founded his first startup, Jua. Despite outstanding universities training AI experts, Gabler is convinced that the wave from the Atlantic will gain even more momentum. He knows postgraduate 20-somethings from his surroundings who are often paid millions by American AI labs.

"They all leave," he states. KI (Artificial Intelligence) is different from all previous cycles. Whether at tech events, startups, or AI labs, young Germans are increasingly appearing at these locations, often seeking their luck as founders or programmers in California before even completing their studies. German venture capitalists confirm this exodus, even though there are currently no studies or official statistics.

Some representatives from funds like Pointnine or 468 Capital regularly travel from Berlin, Munich, and Stuttgart to the West Coast to invest directly in local teams. The never-before-seen gold rush is attracting them.