“INNOVATIONS meet INNOVATIONS” – knowledge exchange, discussions, networking. Last Monday, the network event for German corporate innovators entered its second round. etventure was a guest at the event: Phillip Brandts, Head of etventure’s Business Ignition, presented the results from the Germany survey on the subject of digital transformation.

The startup media Deutsche Startups, Gründermetropole Berlin and Venture TV, the collaboration platform FOUNDERIO Innovation and the media service providers KNY Photographieand SPREEFACTORY invited innovation managers and program directors from numerous large companies to the  Innovationshub SPIELFELD Berlin . More than 20 company representatives, incl. from Deloitte Greenhouse, the Deutsche Bank and DHL innovation labs, Roland Berger Digital and Siemens, attended specialist lectures and exchanged their experiences with one another.

How does digital transformation work and how can digital innovations be successfully integrated into large companies? Questions such as these were the subject of lively discussions between the participants. The following was also revealed in the process: The difficulty lies primarily in transferring innovations into companies’ day-to-day business. Digital transformation often breaks down due to internal obstacles. This was the result found in the Germany survey that etventure recently carried out with the support of GfK Nuremberg. According to those polled, the most significant hurdle by far is the “defense of existing structures within the company.” Further results from the study, i.e. on the collaboration of startups and companies, were also confirmed by the participants from their own daily business lives. The study had revealed that although companies were actively seeking to network with startups, the actual collaboration failed too often due to different attitudes and company cultures.

Phillip Brandts, Head of etventure’s Business Ignition, introduced these and other results from the Germany survey at the event. As part of the survey, Boards of Directors and Management staff from 2,000 corporates in Germany with an annual turnover of at least EURO 250 million answered questions on digital transformation. The study reveals that many companies, sometimes contrary to their own assessment, are not yet adequately prepared for digitization. It is not only the adherence to existing processes and structures which is hindering digitization. A lack of leadership by Boards of Directors and Managing Directors makes it difficult to implement agile innovation processes.

Besides Phillip Brandts, Michael Hoffmann from VISA Europe Collab presented the payment service provider’s innovation process. Co-host Prof. Dr. Björn Bloching, Head of the Roland Berger Digital Department, also reported on his experiences as the Head of a Digital Department. Furthermore, SPIELFELD Director Tobias Rappers provided the participants with a glimpse into the work carried out by the Berlin-based innovation hub as part of a tour.

Photo Credit to Gründermetropole/ Stefan Kny

Additional reports from Gründermetropole Berlin and deutsche startups.