Incubators and accelerators

Corporate incubators are separate development units operated by businesses, which aim to develop and commercialize radical innovations, frequently outside their core operations. Such units bring together two worlds: the structured, highly professionalized, security-oriented corporate world and the creative, agile world of entrepreneurs and startups. This allows established businesses to build on their strengths by adding those of startups and to gain access to external sources of knowledge, technology and ideas.

New challenges from digital transformation, shifting trends and short innovation cycles

Cross-sectoral matter such as digital transformation, shifting trends and ever-shorter innovation cycles pose a great challenge to businesses which are often unable to handle these applying their traditional development strengths and paradigms. Radical innovation pushes businesses out of their comfort zones of efficiency, risk minimization and freedom from conflict. As autonomous spaces promoting innovation, corporate incubators are an ideal venue for this.

More and more businesses choose to launch their own corporate startups: Practically all DAX30 companies promote such initiatives. However, so far there are only very few recognized best practice approaches and guidelines for developing and operating corporate incubators.

Designing a business’s own corporate incubator

In this regard, we work with our clients on new and individual solutions for their corporate incubators. A study grounded in daily practice serves as our holistic framework allowing targeted application to a range of different fields. We advise our clients on matters pertaining to the status quo and future developments and outline both barriers to as well as patterns of success in setting up their own corporate incubators.

Our services

• Support in specifying an incubator
• Design of a holistic framework to set up your incubator
• Consulting on implementation of your incubator and process support
• Support in choosing ideas (products, business models, etc.) for the incubator