Samwer brothers

Barba once wrote a playful clone manifesto. Among its laws: "If you can't answer how you got the idea for your startup, you might be a clone." Instead of releasing the manifesto, he launched co-found.me, a group that matches people with ideas to people who can provide the technology. Even Reber, the founder of the anti-copycat movement, agrees that clones have served a useful purpose. "The reason we exist is because of the Samwers, because they have demonstrated that we are able to create fast-growing startups [in Berlin]," he says. But, he adds, "The way they do it at the moment is the old way and now there is a new way: working on innovative ideas."

Oliver Samwer and Stefan Glaenzer both mention the Japanese automobile sector when explaining how copying can foster innovation. "People talk about the Toyota Prius, but what about all the other cars Toyota made?" Oliver asks. "Were they the first? No. Before, Toyota copied the German cars. The Japanese copied everything, then [it came up with] the Prius." Glaenzer says: "I

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