Free Business Advice in Berlin: Who Helps with Digital
Short answer: In 2026, free advice on digital projects in Berlin comes mainly from the state-funded Digitalagentur Berlin, the innovation and technology advisers at the Handwerkskammer, the IHK Berlin and IBB's customer service for funding questions. The federally funded Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Berlin stopped its work on 30 September 2026.
Until the end of September 2026, the standard answer to “where can I get free help going digital in Berlin” was the Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum. Its website now carries one line: the centre was part of the federal network from 1 September 2021 to 30 September 2026, and the funding has run out.
That leaves a handful of services that cost nothing and sell nothing. Most of them work in German first. Several are less known to international founders than they should be.
The free options at a glance
| Criterion | Who it serves | Focus | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digitalagentur Berlin (DAB) | any Berlin business | orientation, IT security, AI, funding | call, hotline, district events |
| Handwerkskammer Berlin, BIT advisers | craft businesses | digital tools, AI, online presence, funding | in person, Blücherstraße 68 |
| IHK Berlin | commercial businesses | funding programmes, events | phone, Ludwig-Erhard-Haus |
| IBB customer service | founders and SMEs | grants and loans | phone, online workshops |
| Berlin police, ZAC | businesses | cyber attacks, criminal complaints | phone, emergencies |
Source: Websites of the organisations listed, retrieved October 2026
Digitalagentur Berlin: start here
The name misleads people. The Digitalagentur Berlin is not a marketing agency but “an instrument of the Berlin Senate’s business development”, funded entirely by the state. Because it serves every sector, it is the obvious first call for most small firms.
It offers a free orientation meeting in which advisers assess how digital your business already is and where the gaps are. There is a cyber hotline on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00 that gives first aid in an IT emergency and refers you to specialists from its network. And it runs events in the districts. The autumn 2026 calendar included a digitalisation breakfast in Marzahn-Hellersdorf, a “Digitalsalon” for Pankow and Mitte and a hands-on session on phishing.
If you want a self-assessment first, the agency’s online Digitalisierungsnavigator asks about online marketing, AI and data handling, then suggests where to look.
Our view: book the orientation meeting before you spend money on consultants or software. One hour often stops you from solving the wrong problem first.
Handwerkskammer: free advisers for craft businesses
If you run a registered craft business, from a bakery to a bike workshop to a tiling company, the Beratungsstelle für Innovation und Technologie (BIT) at the Handwerkskammer Berlin advises you free of charge. The service is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and meetings take place at the chamber on Blücherstraße 68 in Kreuzberg.
Topics include AI in daily operations, online presence and search, and new obligations. During autumn 2026 the BIT pages covered the stricter rules on environmental claims in advertising from 27 September 2026 and the EU packaging regulation that applies in stages from 12 August 2026. There is also a peer group called “Berliner KI-Netzwerk Handwerk”.
The BIT advisers will also tell you plainly which funding still exists. The chamber’s own page admits that the programmes for digital investments were discontinued.
IHK Berlin: funding contacts and networks
The Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce sits in the Ludwig-Erhard-Haus at Fasanenstraße 85. Its digital pages collect events and funding information, and its finance team has a named contact for digitalisation funding. Its video series “Durchblick im Förderdschungel” walks through the common programmes, in German.
The IHK matters for one specific step. Companies no older than one year when they apply for the BAFA consulting subsidy must hold a free information talk with a regional contact, at most three months before the application. Our guide to the BAFA consulting grant explains that sequence.
IBB: when money is the question
IBB, Berlin’s development bank, runs a free customer advice service on grants and loans. It also hosts a regular online “Förder- und Finanzierungsworkshop” on its start-up programmes, free with registration. To see which programmes are still open at all, read our overview of digitalisation grants in Berlin.
What the Mittelstand-Digital centre used to do
The centre focused on artificial intelligence. It ran open webinars of about an hour and longer online workshops lasting several hours with coaches, where places were drawn by lottery. Its Berlin base included a showroom and an “AI escape room” for trying tools hands-on.
Nothing local fully replaces that. The national network at mittelstand-digital.de lists other centres, and some may keep online formats open to companies anywhere in Germany. Check each centre’s own page for whether it continues beyond 2026.
Free self-checks
Two tools give you a first read before you talk to anyone.
KfW’s online digitalisation check is free. It is also mandatory if you later apply for KfW’s ERP digitalisation loan at the basic level, because your bank will want the result.
The CyberRisikoCheck under the DIN SPEC 27076 standard is an interview with an IT service provider rather than a self-test. According to the BSI, Germany’s federal cyber security agency, it takes one to two hours and checks 27 requirements across six areas, designed for small and micro businesses. The BSI gives providers the software for free. What the provider charges you is up to them, so ask first.
When it is already an emergency
If machines are encrypted or money has gone to a fraudster’s account, call the Zentrale Ansprechstelle Cybercrime (ZAC) at the Berlin State Criminal Police Office: 030 4664-972972. It serves businesses and public institutions, offers a first assessment and helps you file a complaint.
- ZAC, Berlin police: 030 4664-972972
- Digitalagentur Berlin cyber hotline: weekdays 9:00–17:00, number on digitalagentur.berlin
- Your IT provider: name and mobile number
- Your bank's card and account blocking line
- Data protection: check whether you must notify Berlin's data protection authority within 72 hours
The 72-hour deadline comes from Article 33 GDPR and applies when personal data is affected. Prevention is covered in our guide to cyber security for small businesses.
What free advice will not do
None of these services will set up your till, build your website or look after your laptops. That is deliberate. Advisers stay neutral by not selling anything. Expect to leave a good meeting with a to-do list that you work through yourself or with paid providers.
For the paid part, get at least two quotes broken down into work packages with hours. If the project goes beyond standard software, such as connecting a shop to an inventory system, a technical second opinion helps. Studios like OnlineBuilders offer a free initial technical consultation for that.
Plan the meeting like a short project. Name the one problem that costs you the most time each week, list what you already pay for, and bring a rough budget, even if it is only a range. Advisers can only be specific when you are.
Your next step: book the orientation meeting at the Digitalagentur, or the BIT advisers if you run a craft business. Before you go, write down which tools you use today and what they cost per month. The two obligations with fixed dates that most small firms face right now are e-invoicing and registering electronic tills with the tax office.
Questions people ask
Do I have to be a member of the IHK to get advice?
Most commercial businesses registered in Berlin are IHK members by law, so you probably already are. Freelancers in liberal professions, such as designers or consultants, are often not members and should start with the Digitalagentur instead.
Is the Digitalagentur Berlin a private agency?
No. Despite the name it is part of the Senate's business development and, according to its website, fully financed by the state of Berlin. It does not sell implementation services.
What happened to the Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Berlin?
Its federal funding ran from 1 September 2021 to 30 September 2026 and was not extended. Other centres in the national network may still run online events, listed at mittelstand-digital.de.
Who do I call after a ransomware attack?
The Central Cybercrime Contact Point (ZAC) at Berlin's State Criminal Police Office, on 030 4664-972972. It handles businesses and public bodies, not private individuals.
