The German capital is changing fast and it looks like the city is arguably shedding its “poor but sexy” reputation. Last year, German startups had a record year of investment with an increase of 88 percent to €4.3 billion. Startups based in the capital received 70 percent of this total.

The city’s experimental spirit and unconventional ways also make it feel freer than other major cities around the world. What’s more, living costs are still relatively low in Berlin compared to other global metropolises like London, New York, Paris and San Francisco.

To get you in the know, we’ve put together a list of the Berlin startups you should definitely keep on your radar, including their elevator pitches. All of the startups are featured in our Startup Guide Berlin Vol. 4 book; if you want to know more about them you can buy the book here.

assistr aims to develop the technologies of tomorrow to help society care for elderly people. It develops technical solutions in the area of medicine, care and health tech.

BigchainDB aims to give people more power in a data economy. It gives creators the ability to claim their property in a borderless way.

Bunch is a team management platform that enables high-growth companies to build, manage and scale organizational culture with workflow data, psychology and machine learning.

Codepan is an innovation lab that develops a scalable general-purpose anomaly-detection tool called Streem.ai. It provides real-time analytics and helps discover abnormalities in vast amounts of data, turning them into valuable business insights.

Coworkies says it’s the first professional network for freelancers, startups, and small companies working out of coworking spaces. It aims to help its users to connect and share experiences with other people in coworking spaces as well as identify work opportunities and events.

GlassDollar is an investor-discovery tool for founders who’d rather be creating than wasting time on the fundraising process.

Green City Solutions has developed the CityTree, a product which they claim is the world’s first biotech filter to quantifiably improve air quality in urban habitats.

Grover offers a fresh alternative to owning things. It makes technology accessible by enabling people to subscribe to tech products instead of buying them.

Infarm aims to transform farming as a service to provide urban communities with fresh, nutritious produce at affordable prices. By distributing farms in the city, it cuts the long supply chain, improving the quality and environmental footprint of produce.

Kontist is a banking solution designed exclusively for the self-employed. It aims to empower independent workers with a fresh take on business banking in Germany.

Just so you’re aware of how we selected these startups in Berlin, we sorted through hundreds of nominations from the community before a local advisory board helped us curate the final list.

All photos: Daniela Carducci / Startup Guide

*This article was originally published on October 17th, 2018 and updated on January 15th, 2019.