On May 9, just eight days before their next club night, Berlin queer collective Body Language made a troubling announcement: their venue SEZ in Friedrichshain was closed with immediate effect, the lease dissolved and the keys handed back to the city. Despite there having been no clear demolition date, the government had decided they wanted the venue back for “housing or cultural use”, and that was that.
Another venue where people once gathered to party lies disused and empty. It’s a familiar story: with the closure of city stalwart Watergate and impending shuttering of Renate, and a recent Club Commission study finding that roughly 46% of the city’s clubs were considering closing their doors, it’s no secret that the foundations of Berlin’s nightlife feel shakier than ever.
We all know that nightlife is struggling. The question is: what can we do about it?
Ask anyone in the industry about the causes of this crisis and you’ll be met with a whole host of suggestions, from rising rents to gentrification to the changing behaviour of the next generation of clubbers. Fingers have been pointed, think-pieces have been written, and protests to the government have fallen on deaf ears. We all know that nightlife is struggling. The question is: what can we do about it? While policy or protest are solutions, impact fund Best Nights VC is betting on building grassroots-support systems for nightlife – by funding tech‑enabled, community‑led ventures.
This is a subject that Berlin’s Club Commission has been tackling since its conception in 2001, acting as both a united voice for the industry and a research hub for actionable solutions. Its latest output, titled “Nighttime Economy Strategy”, is “the first strategy paper of this kind”, says spokesperson Emiko Gejic. “We held interviews with different stakeholders all over the city to understand problems at night, and formulated recommendations for actions.” These include support services for nightlife workers, tenancy reform for cultural venues, and a BVG liaison office to improve transit safety.
While it’s unclear which proposals will actually be implemented, the Club Commission has already seen success – most notably securing a €1 million grant from the Berlin Senate for club noise insulation. Still, the current political climate is making its work increasingly difficult. “As politics are changing in Berlin it does make it harder to be this intermediary agent,” notes Gejic.
With the newly-installed State Culture Minister Sarah Wedl-Wilson yet to do anything to reverse her predecessor Joe Chialo’s relatively ruthless stance on the budget cuts, it’s clear that if nightlife workers are looking to the city’s Senate for help, they might be waiting some time. “I think it’s important for the scene to be independent and to find different ways to be financially stable in the long term, without governmental funds, because we cannot count on them,” says Gejic.
As nightlife searches for other forms of economic support, the answer may come from a surprising bedfellow. Best Nights VC is a venture capital firm that prioritises what others overlook, providing financial support to startups attempting to make the global nightlife industry more accessible and sustainable. While the term ‘venture capital’ may raise some eyebrows, Best Nights VC was built by people with a close connection to the scene and a deep understanding of its values; portfolio manager Andrea Rosen has spent a decade within Berlin’s music scene, performing as a DJ under the alias Androosh and working as a producer.
The question of whether tech can have a positive cultural impact is a pressing one – particularly in scenes built on grassroots values. Best Nights VC’s focus on community-led, tech-enabled ventures suggests that thoughtful innovation is already shaping a more resilient, inclusive nightlife future. “As a DJ, I see the joy and the burnout,” she told The Berliner. “We are prioritising what others overlook. We invest in community-tech startups shaping the global nightlife industry through ‘Business to Community’ ventures that enhance social interactions and create unforgettable experiences.”
Launched in 2021, Best Nights VC uses a time-honoured funding model, issuing cheques ranging from $300,000 to $1 million. So far, it has backed 14 companies across Europe and the US that it sees as pioneers of a new wave in nightlife, enhancing social interactions and creating experiences. “There’s often a stigma around VC – seen as purely profit-driven,” says Adrian Andjelkovic, the firm’s Marketing and Communications Manager. “As an impact-driven fund, financial return isn’t our primary focus.”
The desire to gather, dance and connect is too deeply human to be wiped out
Instead the organisation measures success in terms of “Best Nights given”, of which they’re currently generating 25 million a year. Reimagining VC as a tool for cultural preservation and innovation could be a helpful step toward upholding and evolving the scene. Destigmatising investment in nightlife can open the door to sustainable growth, empowering communities to build without compromising their value.
As well as providing vital financial support for the scene, Best Nights VC is particularly interested in supporting organisations that encourage Gen Z to take to the dancefloor. However, Andjelkovic is quick to note that he and his fellow Gen Zers are not quite the homebodies they’ve been made out to be. “Yes, the traditional club model may not resonate with our generation in the same way it did with previous generations, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t partying,” he argues. “We’re more likely to attend pop-ups, raves in unconventional spaces, or curated gatherings centered around identity.”
This is a theory echoed by the Club Commission. “There’s more interest in sober raves, and more events that focus on certain communities, for example queer, FLINTA* or POC collectives. The scene is changing,” says Gejic. “This is completely normal. What we need to focus on is giving people the resources they need to create the spaces for their communities.” Best Nights VC aims to provide those resources. “We’re here to support those founders with capital, strategic support and long-term belief – not to sanitize nightlife, but to strengthen the infrastructure behind it so the culture can thrive on its own terms,” says Rosen.
Rosen believes that a thriving future for nightlife is possible. “I don’t have fear that nightlife will disappear. Culture is cyclical. Scenes evolve, reinvent themselves, and often come back stronger in new forms. … the desire to gather, dance and connect is too deeply human to be wiped out. But what is at risk is the quality, accessibility and diversity of those experiences if we don’t intervene,” she says.“The danger isn’t extinction – it’s erosion. And that’s exactly why now is the time to back the people building new models that protect what matters.”
Berlin’s nightlife has had to fight for its existence for as long as people have been gathering in dark buildings to dance. While the current crisis may seem overwhelming, perhaps this particular moment could be turned into an opportunity to build a different scene.
After their last-minute cancellation, Body Language announced in May that they had seen the closure as a “personal rally cry to do something different” and were moving back to their roots as an underground rave. While their organisation may seem worlds apart from Best Nights VC, what unites the two is a desire to return to the core values that shaped Berlin’s nightlife at its inception: community and connection.
If you’re building something in nightlife – a platform, a collective, an idea – and looking for support, advice or someone who shares your vision, Best Nights VC wants to hear from you.
- Find out more on the Best Night VC website and check them out on Instagram, where you can also follow the Berlin Club Commission.
