Service Design Drinks Berlin
Service Design Drinks Berlin is a volunteer-run community initiative that hosts free monthly meetups for service designers, UX/UI, and product designers in Berlin, organized by a five-person volunteer team and supported by partner organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Service Design Drinks Berlin does
Service Design Drinks Berlin is a volunteer-run, non-legal-entity community initiative founded around 2015 in Berlin that hosts free, recurring monthly meetups for service designers, UX/UI practitioners, and product designers. The program has run 80+ events since inception, drawing 50 to 150 attendees per session and featuring 70+ speakers over its history. Its social footprint includes approximately 3,000 LinkedIn followers and 1,500 Instagram followers. The initiative operates without paid employees; a five-person volunteer core team organizes programming, and event costs are covered through venue sponsorships and partnerships with organizations such as SAP, ThoughtWorks, and BCG X, totaling 19+ documented partners.
The "product" is the meetup itself — a physical gathering with curated talks, networking, and community knowledge exchange. There is no proprietary technology platform, software stack, or digital product; distribution occurs through LinkedIn, Instagram, Eventbrite-style RSVP tools, and word of mouth within the Berlin design community. Service Design Drinks Berlin is also part of a broader global SDD network with independently organized counterparts in cities including Munich, India, Cologne, and Helsinki, enabling cross-pollination of speakers and content.
The business model is non-monetized: events are free for attendees, and the initiative generates no revenue. Costs (venue, refreshments, speaker hospitality) are absorbed by sponsor partners. In 2024, the initiative received the Berlin Senate Design Community Prize, conferring public-sector recognition. There is no fundraising, equity structure, or path to monetization described.
Service Design Drinks Berlin firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Service Design Drinks Berlin
- Legal name
- Service Design Drinks Berlin
- Website
- https://sddberlin.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Service Design Drinks Berlin is a volunteer-run community initiative that hosts free monthly meetups for service designers, UX/UI, and product designers in Berlin, organized by a five-person volunteer team and supported by partner organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Service Design Drinks Berlin industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Community Events
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Meeting & Conference Planning & Coordination (HSACADAA)
Keywords
Where Service Design Drinks Berlin is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Service Design Drinks Berlin business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others
Revenue model
- Community Events (Free): All SDD Berlin events are free for attendees. The organization is volunteer-run and not a registered legal entity. Revenue is not generated; events are funded through partnerships, venue sponsorships, and occasional Berlin Senate prize money.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free community events |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Service Design Drinks Berlin product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SDD Berlin organizes free monthly in-person meetups for service designers, product designers, UX/UI designers, and tech enthusiasts in Berlin. Each event combines talks, panel discussions, round tables, hands-on sessions, and networking opportunities, hosted at partner venues across the city. The community is funded through corporate sponsorships and venue partnerships rather than ticket sales, and special editions include collaborations with UXcamp Europe and UX360 Europe.
Product overview
Service Design Drinks Berlin (SDD Berlin) is a community organization that facilitates networking, knowledge exchange, and professional growth among service designers, UX/UI designers, product designers, and tech enthusiasts in Berlin. The organization hosts monthly meetups, panel discussions, workshops, and special events featuring talks from industry professionals. SDD Berlin operates as an independent, volunteer-organized community initiative focused on connecting design professionals rather than offering software products or technology services. Their events are free community gatherings that include presentations, discussions, networking activities, and social interactions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SDD Berlin Monthly Meetup Series Free monthly in-person meetups for service designers, product designers, UX/UI designers, and tech enthusiasts in Berlin, combining talks, panel discussions, round tables, hands-on sessions, and networking. Events are held at partner venues across Berlin and require registration for capacity management.
- SDD Berlin Special Edition Events Themed special edition events hosted in collaboration with partners such as UXcamp Europe and UX360 Europe, including topics like Transforming the Public Sector, Circular by Design, AI meets Service Design, and the SDD Summer Exchange Party. These events expand the community programming beyond the standard monthly meetup.
Companies that use Service Design Drinks Berlin
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Service Design Drinks Berlin technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Service Design Drinks Berlin partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
27 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- ThoughtWorkscoreVenue sponsor and speaker contributor. Core team member Genevieve Brechel is Senior Service & Experience Designer at ThoughtWorks. ThoughtWorks has supported SDD Berlin events as a host and partner.
- SAPcoreCorporate partner supporting SDD Berlin events. Part of the ecosystem of partners that have hosted and sponsored events over the organization's 10+ year history.
- BCG XcoreVenue sponsor and speaker contributor. Core team member Felicitas Schmittinger is Strategic & Service Designer at BCG X. Core team member Akanksha Gupta is Senior Strategic Designer at BCGX.
- FuturicecoreVenue sponsor and speaker contributor. Core team member Christian Smirnow is Lead Service Designer & Researcher at Futurice.
- UXcamp EuropecoreAnnual collaboration partner for public sector design events. SDD Berlin x UXcamp Europe Edition No. 4 on Transforming the Public Sector (May 2025). Four years of ongoing partnership with Stefanie & Holger.
- UX360 Europe / Merlien InstitutecoreOfficial pre-event partner for UX360 Europe 2026. Joint event on June 22, 2026 at CUPRA City Garage Berlin exploring design roles and careers. 15% discount code offered to SDD Berlin community.
- MAAYA Garden BerlincoreVenue partner hosting SDD Summer Exchange Party 2026 on July 16, 2026 at RAW Gelände, Revaler Str. 99, Friedrichshain. Open-air garden venue for community networking events.
- CUPRA City Garage BerlinmajorVenue host for SDD Berlin x UX360 Europe event on June 22, 2026. Urban venue hosting design community events.
- Wikimedia DeutschlandmajorVenue host for SDD Berlin x UXcamp Europe event on May 20, 2025 at Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24, Berlin. First-time venue partnership for public sector transformation event.
- LaunchLabs BerlinmajorVenue host for 'From Hype to Habit: AI meets Service Design' event on April 29, 2026. Co-working space supporting design community events.
- IBM iXcoreCorporate partner that has supported SDD Berlin events as a host and sponsor over the organization's history.
- HelloFreshcoreCorporate partner supporting Berlin design community events. Part of the ecosystem of companies enabling free community events.
- Delivery HerocoreCorporate partner that has hosted and supported SDD Berlin events as part of their employer branding and design community engagement.
- Factory BerlincoreTech campus and innovation hub that has hosted SDD Berlin events. Part of Berlin's design and startup ecosystem.
- N26coreDigital bank and tech company that has supported SDD Berlin events as a corporate partner.
- adessocoreIT consulting company that has supported SDD Berlin events as a corporate partner.
- CityLAB BerlincoreBerlin's municipal innovation lab that has partnered with SDD Berlin for design community events.
- Edenspiekermann GmbHmajorDesign agency venue host for SDD Berlin X SDN Next Gen Special Edition event on April 11, 2024.
- Engelnest BerlinmajorCoworking venue host for Circular by Design events including January 2026 event on circular economy featuring Circular Berlin and Ibrida Birra.
- DAYONEcoreCorporate partner that has supported SDD Berlin events as part of Berlin's design ecosystem.
- Service Design Jam Berlin & SDN Bln ChaptercoreJoint winners with SDD Berlin of Berlin Senate prize money supporting design communities. Long-standing partnership in the service design community.
- DigitalService BundmajorFederal digital service agency. Speaker Nadine Stammen (Senior Designer) presented at SDD Berlin x UXcamp Europe on public sector infrastructure design.
- DigitalAgentur BrandenburgmajorState digital agency. Speakers Simone Carrier (Head of Digital Administration) and Adrian Gelep (Managing Director) presented on public sector transformation at SDD Berlin x UXcamp Europe.
- TH WildaumajorTechnical University Wildau. Speaker Monika Molin (Strategy & Creativity) presented on university transformation as service for society at SDD Berlin x UXcamp Europe.
- employed.worldmajorSocial impact employment platform. Collaboration partner for Circular by Design event in January 2026 on circular economy.
- Circular BerlinmajorCircular economy organization. Speaker Xenia presented on repairing denim at Circular by Design event featuring circular economy themes.
- Ibrida BirramajorCraft beer brewery. Speaker Akanksha Gupta presented on turning leftover bread into craft beer at Circular by Design event.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Service Design Drinks Berlin competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mind the Product: Community-led event and content platform for product managers and designers, with similar monthly-meetup and conference formats targeting overlapping UX/product audiences.
- Creative Mornings: Global breakfast-lecture community for creatives, with an active Berlin chapter; shares the free, monthly, volunteer-organized meetup model for the creative community.
- Service Design Drinks Munich: Sister chapter in SDD's global network running the same monthly-meetup format for service designers in Munich; same brand system, audience, and operating model.
- UXcamp Europe: Berlin-based, volunteer-run barcamp/unconference for UX professionals. Closest analog — same city, same volunteer culture, overlapping audience, and SDD Berlin has a multi-year co-event partnership.
Others
- Factory Berlin: Berlin tech campus and community hub that has hosted SDD Berlin events; relevant ecosystem peer as both venue partner and overlapping community organizer for Berlin's tech/creative class.
Regional players
- Berlin Design Week: Berlin's flagship annual design festival; shares the city's design-community ecosystem and overlapping sponsor/venue network, but operates at a larger, time-boxed event scale rather than monthly cadence.
- Service Design Drinks Helsinki: Sister SDD chapter in Helsinki operating the same community-led meetup model for service designers in a different geography.
Emerging players
- ADPList: Global mentorship platform for design professionals. Compared to SDD Berlin's offline meetups, ADPList provides the online, scalable version of design community/networking that SDD Berlin operates locally.
Broad incumbents
- Interaction Design Foundation (IxDA): Global IxDA local groups run free design meetups in many cities including Berlin, serving the same UX/service-design professional audience at broader scale.
- Service Design Network (SDN): Global membership organization for service design professionals. SDN Berlin Chapter co-won the 2024 Berlin Senate prize with SDD Berlin — overlapping mission at much larger institutional scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Service Design Drinks Berlin social profiles
Digital presenceService Design Drinks Berlin financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Service Design Drinks Berlin leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Service Design Drinks Berlin funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Service Design Drinks Berlin M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Service Design Drinks Berlin
What does Service Design Drinks Berlin do?
SDD Berlin organizes free monthly in-person meetups for service designers, product designers, UX/UI designers, and tech enthusiasts in Berlin. Each event combines talks, panel discussions, round tables, hands-on sessions, and networking opportunities, hosted at partner venues across the city. The community is funded through corporate sponsorships and venue partnerships rather than ticket sales, and special editions include collaborations with UXcamp Europe and UX360 Europe.
Is Service Design Drinks Berlin a public or private company?
Service Design Drinks Berlin is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Service Design Drinks Berlin founded?
Service Design Drinks Berlin was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Service Design Drinks Berlin based?
Service Design Drinks Berlin is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Service Design Drinks Berlin make money?
One revenue line is on record: community Events (Free).
Who are Service Design Drinks Berlin's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mind the Product, Creative Mornings, Service Design Drinks Munich and UXcamp Europe. Factory Berlin is listed as an others. Regional players are Berlin Design Week and Service Design Drinks Helsinki. ADPList is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Interaction Design Foundation (IxDA) and Service Design Network (SDN).
Does Service Design Drinks Berlin have an API?
No public API is recorded for Service Design Drinks Berlin.
What industry is Service Design Drinks Berlin in?
Service Design Drinks Berlin's product category is Professional Community Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACADAA, Meeting & Conference Planning & Coordination. Its NAICS code is 561920 and its SIC code is 8600.