Built to connect innovation partners
At Ambivation, we bring structure, clarity, and momentum to startup collaboration – so established companies and startups can do what they do best: shape the future, together.
Why Ambivation?
Innovation succeeds when the right partners connect – but finding them is often complex and time-consuming. That’s why Ambivation exists: to make startup collaboration easier, faster, and more effective.
☑ For companies: We help you discover and connect with the most relevant innovation partners, saving valuable time and increasing your success rate.
☑ For startups: We open doors to new clients and partnerships, helping startups grow and learn faster.
☑ For society: We strengthen the innovation ecosystem, boosting competitiveness, sustainability, and economic development.
By combining technology with human expertise, we create win-win partnerships that drive real progress – for businesses, startups, and society as a whole
How we work
At Ambivation, partnership comes first. We combine technology with human insight, using our proprietary tools and proven methodology to deliver tangible results. Our process is transparent, modular, and designed around your needs – whether you want full-service support, specific project-based scouting, or to empower your own teams with our tools. Throughout every step, we prioritize open communication, expectation management, and a hands-on, entrepreneurial spirit. We believe in creating value together: listening closely, adapting flexibly, and always focusing on outcomes that matter.
What we offer
At Ambivation, we connect established organizations with innovative startups by offering systematic startup scouting, open innovation challenges, ongoing market monitoring, and support for pilot projects. With a blend of technology and human expertise, we make it easier for you to find, evaluate, and collaborate with the right partners to drive real innovation forward.
Vision
We see a future in which every company and startup can easily find the right partners to drive innovation forward. With Ambivation, we are actively shaping a more connected business landscape – one where impactful partnerships and open collaboration are the norm, not the exception. Our goal: to make win-win innovation accessible and scalable, across industries and borders.
Mission
At Ambivation, our mission is to empower innovation managers, business developers, and ecosystem builders to achieve real results. We do this by providing systematic startup scouting and tailored innovation matchmaking services, combining technology with human expertise. We are committed to building bridges between established companies and startups, enabling open innovation and measurable progress for all partners involved.
Ambition
We strive to be the most trusted partner for startup scouting and open innovation matchmaking – recognized for creating real impact, accelerating collaboration, and making innovation partnerships work in practice.
Our Values
These principles guide how we work - with clients, startups, and each other.
Partnership First
We serve as true partners - working closely with all stakeholders to build trust, alignment, and shared success.
Creating Value Together
We believe in synergetic value creation. By designing open innovation partnerships, we enable mutual growth and measurable progress.
Win–Win by Design
Every collaboration is structured for impact and benefit - for corporates, startups and Ambivation alike.
Impact Matters
We align our work with meaningful goals and global challenges (SDGs) - because innovation should contribute to long-term, positive change.
Entrepreneurial Spirit
We live innovation ourselves: proactive, solution-oriented, and unafraid to challenge the status quo.
Open by Default
We foster a culture of transparency, learning, and honest communication - even when things don’t go as planned.
Professional & Purpose-Driven
We hold ourselves to high standards - through clear responsibility, service quality and a shared focus on outcomes that matter.
Innovation is not just about technology; it's about people, processes, and partnerships.
Judith Estrin, Entrepreneur and Former CTO of Cisco Systems
Our Team
Paul Schroeter
Business Development & Startup Scouting
Niklas Voege
Startup Scouting
Christoph Baier
Managing Director
Martin Gressler
Software Development & Automation
Anne Schwerin
Editorial Services
Work with us on the future of innovation
Current open positions
Our partner ecosystem
Research with real-world impact
We’re proud to support students and researchers working on innovation, startup collaboration, B2B business development and related topics. Whether you’re writing a thesis or testing new tools, we’re open to sparring, co-developing, and supporting ideas that push the field forward.
Topics we’re excited to explore:
- Startup collaboration / Open Innovation / Venture Clienting
- AI Automation
- Improving and testing our tools (e.g. Coopsaas, Challenge Plattforms, Collaboration Canvas, Business Case Calculator)
- Or: surprise us with your own idea!I’ll get back to you shortly with a detailed overview.
Have an idea? Reach out and pitch your topic.
