Warum viele Unternehmen lieber Kunde als Investor werden
Beteiligungen an jungen Firmen bringen oft nicht den erhofften Innovationsschub. Nun steuern Konzerne und Mittelständler um – und wollen Start-ups stärker zu Lieferanten machen. Spezielle Abteilungen sollen für das nötige Tempo sorgen.
Eine erste Arbeitsprobe der neuen Abteilung ist bereits für alle sichtbar: Seit dem Herbst zeigt Otto im Onlineshop an, wie viel Kohlendioxid (CO2) bei der Fertigung eines Multimediaproduktes anfällt, Kunden können die Emissionen auf Wunsch durch eine zusätzliche Zahlung kompensieren.
Here in advance: A presentation with a selection of startups that we met on the trip and consider interesting can be found at the end of the article. If you would like to find out more or get in touch, please get in touch with us.
It's not just Otto that is hoping for new impetus from start-ups within its own ranks. Whether BMW, Siemens, Bosch or Telefónica: more and more companies are setting up so-called venture client units. The term is based on venture capital. However, instead of a financial investment, it is about the risk of turning start-ups into suppliers - even if their solutions are not yet fully developed. In return, established companies hope to gain early access to new technologies.
BMW and Telefónica lead the way
Gregor Gimmy is convinced that this new approach will increasingly displace venture capital activities among established companies. „For a long time, corporations have mainly relied on accelerator programs or strategic minority investments in start-ups“, says Gimmy, who advises companies such as Otto on setting up venture client units with his company 27 Pilots. „That all cost a lot of money, but the hoped-for technology transfer failed to materialize.“ What was missing above all was the connection to the specialist departments, which then often opted for established suppliers.
The BMW Start-up Garage is a blueprint for the new approach: under Gimmy's leadership at the time, the car manufacturer set up the Venture Client unit in 2015. This has resulted in many collaborations: For example, BMW uses software from the Israeli tech company Tactile Mobility to analyze the road surface and condition of cars using sensors. Another example is Wandelbots, a Dresden-based start-up from which BMW purchases robotics software.</p
One of the venture client pioneers is Telefónica Deutschland, primarily known for its mobile phone brand O2. When it was founded ten years ago, its innovation unit Wayra still saw itself as the company's venture capital arm. Today, the main focus is on purchasing products and services from start-ups. Instead of generating costs, the company is helping the Group to achieve efficiency gains and new business areas, says Florian Bogenschütz, who took over the management of Wayra in 2020. And unlike in the past, there is now close coordination with the specialist departments: „We don't turn anyone on to some hip technology that nobody needs.“
Wayra offers start-ups the prospect of six-figure annual sales with a large corporation and promises to shorten the contract initiation process. The purchasing process will be shortened from the usual six months to four weeks. The ten-strong team currently supports a total of 50 start-ups. There are collaborations, for example, with the AI-based communication trainer Vcoach and the Cobrainer training platform.
Medium-sized companies go in search of partners together
In addition to listed large corporations, medium-sized companies also want to open up more to cooperation with start-ups. Within the innovation network It’s OWL the household appliance manufacturer Miele, the food company Dr. Oetker and the connection technology specialist Wago launched Stratosfare last summer as a joint venture client initiative. „We are thus leveraging synergies“, says It’s OWL Managing Director Günter Korder. „If we are looking for a technology for company A, but the identified and pre-qualified start-up is not a perfect fit, it may be a perfect fit for company B.“
Together, the initiators also want to develop more appeal in the scene: start-ups are attracted by the fact that they can potentially win over several manufacturing companies in the region as potential customers. Cooperation partners are sought worldwide. The Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronics Design Technology in Paderborn is providing scientific support for the project and will prepare other companies from the network for collaboration with start-ups.
Whether at Stratosfare or in the large corporations: the new start-up teams see themselves as mediators between the worlds. Established companies and start-ups often do not work together, although they can benefit from each other," says Dock 6 manager Kunstmann. The typical hurdles: Founders do not get through to the right contacts in the Group. Their buyers, on the other hand, barely have start-ups on their radar - or they kill them with strict contractual conditions.
„Traditional purchasing processes of large corporations drag on for months or even years,
says 27 Pilots boss Gimmy. This slows down innovation processes. He advises corporations to adapt their requirements for start-ups and not apply the same standards as for established suppliers. This could affect certifications or supply agreements, for example, says Gimmy: „It's about quickly getting into a practical implementation of unique and strategically relevant technologies.“
However, not all venture client units limit themselves to bringing specialist departments together with start-ups. Wayra, for example, continues to act as an investor - even if, unlike in the past, the investment is only the second step. „The customer relationship gives us deep insights into the start-ups“, says Bogenschütz. „Why should we not invest if we believe in the business model?" Wayra even stipulates the option to invest in the contract.
<p
Wrestling for company shares
Start-ups usually welcome the prospect of a capital injection. However, bringing the important reference customer into the circle of shareholders can also be a hindrance to the company's development. For example, the sales department may find it difficult to acquire direct competitors of the investor as customers. And: not every founder likes the idea of committing to further collaborations in a pilot project.</p
For example, Benjamin Ferreau, head of Kurts Toolbox, is keen to be independent. The start-up rents out tools via vending machines that resemble a packing station. DIY enthusiasts can rent drills, jigsaws or sanders around the clock via an app. Since December, one of the ten stations across Germany has been located in the parking lot of a Kölner Obi store. This was initiated by the DIY chain's new Venture Client unit.</p
The collaboration offers the start-up the opportunity to open up new locations more quickly, says Ferreau: "However, it was important to us that this is not necessarily linked to an investment." The cooperation is a good opportunity for both sides to get to know each other's intentions better. The business model itself harbors potential for conflict: if the rental service from Kurt's Toolbox is successful, fewer new tools will be purchased - as an investor, Obi must therefore be prepared to compete with itself to some extent.
More on the topic: Together against the Goliaths: This start-up provides services for medium-sized businesses