Corporate Startup Partnership – Why companies and startups should work together
Cooperations between startups and companies are no longer a rarity. Whether we are talking about large corporations or SMEs, many companies have already recognised the potential of start-ups and are working successfully with them. Why is that? In our article, we report on the advantages of corporate startup partnerships, explain how best to get in touch with startups and offer some examples of successful startup collaborations to illustrate the point.
Why should I enter into a startup partnership?
The simple answer to this question is that a startup partnership is a win-win. The startups can learn from the experience of the companies and, as partners, benefit from its resources and contacts. For the companies, a corporate startup partnership also offers numerous advantages. For example, startups can offer them fast, innovative solutions that they can improve further based on feedback. Often, a product can be developed jointly that can be individually adapted to the company’s own needs. You don’t usually get such customised solutions from large providers. In addition, companies can learn from the way startups work. They are flexible, agile and innovative – characteristics that you should not do without if you want to keep up with the developments on the market.
How can I get to know the right startup for a partnership?
Especially as a newcomer to the startup scene, it can be a bit confusing. There are various formats for getting to know startups. Whether it’s speed dating, an innovation contest, via an intermediary or a startup challenge, it’s easy to lose track. To provide some clarity at this point, we dedicate a separate article to each way of getting to know each other in our series “Get to know Startups” . Regardless of which format you choose now, the goal when looking for a partner is always to find the startup that most closely matches your needs. Therefore, it makes sense to define these needs concretely. Ideally, this is done before the actual search begins. For a needs assessment, it can also be useful to consult an intermediary.
Case studies – EverReal, RYSTA, Polyteia and Wandelbots cooperate successfully
A great case study for a successful cooperation is that of the startup EverReal and Calenberger Immobilien GmbH. EverReal was founded in 2017 with the goal of making processes in the real estate industry digital and thus more efficient. They offer a platform for this and have already been able to cooperate with a number of companies. One of them is Calenberger Immobilien GmbH, which owns around 1,600 residential units. With EverReal, they were able to map their rental process completely digitally. Jan-Hendrik Schönfeld, founder of Calenberger Immobilien GmbH, reports on the cooperation: “The exchange is absolutely dynamic, based on partnership and trust. In addition, I must say, the support is absolutely brilliant, you don’t know that from other software solutions.” Read more about the partnership between EverReal and Calenberger Immobilien GmbH in the PropTech interview with Nessim Djerboua, co-founder of EverReal.
Another exciting case study is that of the startup RYSTA. Here, Christoph Baier from Ambivation conducted an interview with Jordan Hills from RYSTA as part of our PropTech cooperation interviews. He talks about the collaboration with the cooperation partner TM Ausbau and gives tips and tricks for startups and companies.
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Startup partnerships are not only interesting for privately managed companies. There is now also an increasing trend toward cooperation in the GovTech sector. The term GovTech refers to “government technology”. This refers to startups that offer solutions for the federal government, states and government with their innovative technologies. Since they bring plenty of potential for the digitization of politics and administration, this is a growing sector. An exciting example from the GovTech sector is the startup Polyteia. This supports German cities in data management with its solution. Polyteia collects and manages the cities’ data, brings it together and thus makes it efficiently usable. The city of Goslar, among others, is already taking advantage of this help with all public administration processes. In 2019, the Berlin-based startup received a visit from German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz. In this context, an exchange about digital solutions in public administration took place, and an important sign was also set for the cooperation of politics with startups. In an interview with Ambivation, Polyteia co-founder and CEO Faruk Tuncer talks about partnerships with municipalities.
Even large corporations benefit from a corporate startup partnership. At this point, we would like to report on the collaboration between the Dresden-based startup Wandelbots and Volkswagen. Wandelbots has developed a solution to simplify the programming of industrial robots using intelligent clothing. The clothing is worn while the movement to be learned by the robot is executed. The robot can then imitate it. Currently, Volkswagen is using the startup’s technology at its Transparent Factory in Dresden to install speakers in car doors. Here, Christian Pichnick from Wandelbots talks about the cooperation in an interview with Ambivation.
At this point you will also find further cooperation examples on Corporate Startup Partnerships.
| Corporate | Startup | Collaboration |
| Deutsche Bahn AG | Bytebuzzer | Link |
| John Deer | Solorrow | Link |
| Deutsche Wohnen | KIWI | Link |
Corporate startup partnerships can therefore offer great added value for both sides. While the startups can benefit from the experience and resources of the sub-entities, the companies can learn a lot from the startup’s working culture and innovative strength. To find the partner that really suits your own company, it makes sense to conduct a needs analysis in advance. If you have further questions about cooperation, partnerships and the right startup, contact us here!
About Ambivation
Ambivation connects innovative companies and startups for cooperation and innovation partnerships. As an innovation consultancy and matchmaker, Ambivation promotes cooperation between established companies and startups within the framework of concrete customer, supplier and research partnerships. We support companies in the identification of needs, startup identification, startup evaluation and cooperation initiation with startups. Formats such as research on relevant startups, startup monitoring, strategic cooperation consulting or event formats such as startup tours serve this purpose. Our monthly newsletter also provides information on current examples of cooperation and events.
