4 interesting companies in Berlin you should know about
This is the second article in my series on under-the-radar Berlin companies. I track them closely when curating the job board and consider them solid employers worth knowing about, at least from what I can imagine by observing from the outside.
If you would like to read the first article in the series:
/5-major-companies-in-berlin-you-should-know/
Carl Zeiss Meditec (medical technology)
Carl Zeiss Meditec (Instagram) is one of the subsidiaries of the much bigger Carl Zeiss Group in Berlin and is one of the world’s leading developers of ophthalmic (eye-related) and microsurgical devices. They design and manufacture imaging and diagnostic systems used in hospitals and clinics, and are #2 in ophthalmology globally and have over 60% market share in microsurgery equipment. They are a public company, so you can check their investor reports.
You’d be joining around 5,700 colleagues worldwide (it’s not disclosed publicly how many of those are in Berlin), with R&D and manufacturing presence in Berlin focused on optics and medical engineering. In April 2024, they acquired DORC (Dutch Ophthalmic Research Center), which added approximately 800 employees globally. Career pages are merged, so you might also land in their much bigger majority owner or in any of their other subsidiaries.
Some jobs don’t REQUIRE German, but you will clearly have an advantage if you speak it.
GE Vernova (energy infrastructure)
GE Vernova (Instagram), the energy arm spun out of General Electric in April 2024. The company’s Berlin site works on grid and renewable-energy integration, including HVDC (High-voltage direct current) systems and power-conversion technology. In November 2024, GE Vernova officially launched an HVDC Competence Center in Berlin, promising 500 new highly skilled jobs through 2025, which, by now, probably are already filled.
GE Vernova employs over 75k people globally and positions Berlin as a hub for electrification and decarbonization projects in Europe. The work here connects directly to Germany’s Energiewende, the intended transition to clean power.
In short, HVDC projects are crucial to move huge amounts of renewable power, for example, wind from the north, to where people or industry actually use it in the south, without wasting energy or overloading the grid. Without this infrastructure, much of the renewable power produced couldn’t reach the end consumers.
They need a lot of technical expertise, and German will be a plus.
Bundesdruckerei (secure identity & cybersecurity)
Bundesdruckerei is the federal government’s security and identity tech company, headquartered in Berlin. It handles passports, ID systems, and digital certificates for the German state. Beyond printing, it has evolved into a digital infrastructure and cybersecurity provider, developing cryptography, public key infrastructure (PKI), and digital-sovereignty systems for public agencies.
They employ around 3,700 people across the parent company and subsidiaries, including D-Trust (PKI services), genua (IT security), Xecuro and Maurer Electronics. This makes it one of the few places in Europe where software engineers can work on large-scale, state-level identity infrastructure rather than consumer tech. Salaries are probably a bit lower than the average Berlin tech company, but the jobs are much more stable.
They usually hire a lot in tech, but you will mostly need German, B2 and upwards.
Camunda (enterprise software)
Camunda is one of Berlin’s most successful homegrown software companies. Founded in 2008, it builds workflow and process-automation software used by global enterprises. Its technology is invisible to end users, but it powers business processes for banks, insurers, and logistics firms worldwide. This includes NASA, Goldman Sachs, Atlassian, Vodafone and others. They last raised Series B (€82M) in 2021.
They employ 500+ globally and are headquartered in Berlin, but they operate as a 100% remote company across 80+ countries. In September 2024, they crossed the $100 million annual recurring revenue. Unlike most startups that stay small or get acquired, Camunda built a sustainable enterprise business and remains independent. It is tipped to be one of Germany’s next unicorns.
Engineering and product roles are primarily English-speaking.
You can pitch your company! Read next: How to find a great company to work for?
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