Progress, yes, but not yet a unicorn — that's the conclusion of a study that systematically examined the digital units of large German corporations and medium-sized companies. The strategy consultancy Infront Consulting and the business magazine Capital took a closer look at the innovation labs, company builders, and accelerators of large companies. The innovation labs of Lufthansa, Linde, Daimler, and ProSiebenSat.1 currently perform best in Germany.
ProSiebenSat.1, SAP, VW, and Linde—many large German corporations now have digital units designed to help them achieve the necessary innovation boosts. The will of top management to see companies prosper in the digital world is therefore there. According to the current study by Infront Consulting and Capital, outstanding new business models are not yet on the horizon. German companies also have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to developing "unicorns," projects with a market value of one billion dollars.
"Compared to last year, the established large companies have made progress, but are still far from reaching their goal. The corporations are increasingly gearing their laboratories to deliver more results,"
says Thomas Sindemann, partner at Infront and head of the study. He continues:
“The study reveals exciting solutions and recurring success patterns, provides surprising insights, and offers insight into new trends.”
DigiLabs Awards 2018
Germany's best Digital Innovation Units were selected in a two-stage evaluation process consisting of an online survey and personal interviews. The Lufthansa Innovation Hub, founded in 2014, continues to be one of the pioneers and, following its 2017 win, was again recognized as the best Innovation Lab (Service) with a "DigiLabs Award 2018." Daimler, Linde, and ProSiebenSat.1 secured top spots in other categories:
Innovation Labs (Industry):
- Linde Digital Base Camp
- VW Data:Lab
- Daimler Fleetboard Innovation Hub
Innovation Labs (Service):
- Lufthansa Innovation Hub
- SAP Innovation Center Network
- EnBW Innovation Management
Accelerators:
- ProSiebenSat1 Accelerator
- SAP Startup Accelerator
- DB Mindbox
Company Builder:
- Daimler Lab1886
- Viessmann Wattx
- Savings Banks Innovation Hub
Munich in second place
There are over 150 Corporate Digital Innovation Units throughout Germany. Berlin (28 percent) is the most important location, followed by Munich (15 percent), the Rhine-Ruhr region (13 percent), Hamburg and the Rhine-Main region (9 percent each), and Stuttgart (5 percent).
