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Christoph Fahle
May 29, 2012

Knowable

Knowable is a social business network in Berlin, created by Simon Höher, Ansgar Schürmann and Emanuel Schwarz. Simon is responsible for the network, business development and contacts with partners; Emanuel knows front end website design; and Ansgar is specialized in backend web development. They are interested in creating and summarising practical knowledge, which could be accessible for everyone. They started to develop the project in January. Recently they got the 1st place at the betapitch and moved into the betahaus.

What is the aim of Knowable?

Actually, it is going to be a platform for makers, no matter where they are from. And we want to make it as accessible as possible, not only online, but also through the mobile phone. So we are looking for people, who have this kind of do-it-yourself spirit and are into fun, joy, ready to share practical ideas.

Does the name ‘Knowable’ have any special meaning for you, or have you randomly decided to pick it up?

Actually, choosing the name was quite a long process, we brainstormed and in the end we’ve found a good match. It is about a simple knowledge which is available to people. Plus “knowable” means “something you could know, but don’t know yet”.

How did you get to know about the betapitch?

We got to know about it through the betahaus network. We’ve already been here in the Open Design City and knew some guys. We also checked the news and mails from the betahaus. And it was our personal “deadline” for moving further with the project as well.

About betapitch, we were surprised; we didn’t expect our victory, since there were a lot of great pitches. The presentation evening was very inspiring - the audience was awesome as well as the jury. We really liked the betapitch.

Do you have any expectations about working in betahaus co-working space?

We got some experience working in another co-working space, Social Impact Lab in Berlin, where the main focus is on social business. Before that we were working in our living rooms. So, as we think, the idea of the co-working space is to get in touch with other people doing similar stuffs, working together, teaching each other, getting possibilities for collaboration and enjoying company in the café during a lunch or coffee.

We are really happy to be here, especially close to Open Design City, which is a good match for us. There are a lot of potential opportunities that we can work on together, and “the makers” are already here. So, we are really looking forward to collaboration.

 You are a young startup company, what kind of advice would you give to those who wish to create their own startup?

Well, we think the most important advice is just to get started. Try, if you have an idea, don’t be afraid to realize it and just see if it works.

So, what are your plans for the future?

We will team up with the ODC guys for the MakerLab on Human Rights, in the context of the DMY International Design Festival early June. Knowable will serve as a partner for documentation, offering a platform to present ideas and concepts to be further discussed and collaborated on even after the actual MakerLab. This will also make projects and ideas accessible for a wider audience than just the Berlin participants.

Want to become a member at betahaus l Belrin? More information here!