We Innovate
Together.

As a leading open innovation incubator, we bring together people, industries and organizations across all boundaries to encourage positive change together through sustainable, future-oriented innovations.
Trusted by the best in the industry

We don't just generate ideas
We create sustainable innovations

Together with our partners from politics, industry and society, we identify and define relevant questions and search fields, which we drive forward within the framework of our unique Open Innovation programs. Through our ecosystems of universities, research institutions, and startup networks, we enable innovators and future shapers worldwide to work together to develop new solutions in the form of products, applications, processes, or business models and bring them to fruition.
100+
challenges have been successfully carried out on our platform since 2018.
15.000+
innovators and future shapers have already participated in our innovation programs.
300+
educational institutions collaborate with ekipa to provide practice transfer for their students and research groups.
>90%
of all selected solutions were followed up by our partners after the project.
Innovation Programs
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We know your industry

In the over 100 open innovation projects we have become familiar with the unique selling propositions and problems of a wide variety of industries. With our open innovation processes, we can identify specifics and develop viable solutions – for any industry.

We are ekipa - Let's innovate together.

Diverse perspectives are the foundation for innovation. With our different programs, we bring together the most relevant players in our ecosystems and drive new innovations with the ekipa method.

Universities
Corporates
Innovators
Let's transfer academic knowledge into entrepreneurial practice!
In close collaboration with universities, companies and political partners, we design holistic thinking and ecosystems in which smart solutions for real problems emerge.
Coachings, workshops and master classes in the context of university teaching
Personality and competence development for students and lecturers
Support of collaborations and start-ups out of the university
Curious?
Groundbreaking innovations from technology and science for your business.
Together with our customers, we promote and implement marketable innovations and help you unlock new solutions in the form of products, applications, processes, or business models.
Access to a global network of universities, research institutes and startup institutions
Developing relevant solutions and innovations for your problems and challenges
Positioning as an innovation driver in the areas of digitalization and sustainability
Highway to Innovation
Accelerate your career, your ideas or your startup!
Become part of a global movement of future shapers and change the world for good together with us in an innovative and cooperative, social and ecological, sustainable and economic way.
Prize money, grants and cooperation programs with companies & politics for sustainable impact
Lift your reputation and networks to the next level
Exclusive events, goal-oriented coachings and selected keynotes by international experts
Shaping the Future?

ekipa in a Nutshell

As a young and dynamic startup, we breathe open innovation every day. From large to small, we have accompanied the most diverse projects and brought them to success.
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Powerful connections
We bring together the experience and knowledge of stakeholders from politics, industry and academia to empower entirely new projects.
Excellent network
Through our stable network of universities, research institutes and startup partners, we are able to find the best innovators for each challenge.
Support, empowerment & acceleration
We get actively involved in the open innovation process and accompany participants with intensive coaching, workshops and feedback sessions. Things pick up speed with ekipa.
Expertise & experience
Still young but with the know-how of more than 100 implemented open innovation projects. And we are looking forward to knowing more because there are more projects to come.
Sustainable innovations
Nowhere lacks ideas. In our programs, long lasting innovations are created to positively change the world.
Team is key
Our interdisciplinary and diverse team brings together expertise from different sectors and disciplines to our projects – we like to share with our clients & innovators.

Running & upcoming innovation programs & challenges

We offer a variety of challenges. Register now for free on our innovation platform to stay up to date about current & upcoming open innovation challenges. Let's innovate together.
INNOVATE2030
HealthTech Innovation Program
AI & Data Science Innovation Program
Deutschland 4.0
Upcoming Challenges
Let's create impactful solutions together

Our INNOVATE2030 open innovation program calls upon researchers, young professionals, students and startups to develop new approaches or to apply existing solutions in order to create impactful innovation. Collaborate closely with leading companies like Boehringer Ingelheim, Rossmann, SOLARIMO and a major swiss watch manufacturer.

Do you want to be involved in achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals? Take the chance and work on real-life problems that not only bring in prize money, but also real partnership models, investments and pilot projects.

Check out the challenges and create real impact - together.

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Past Projects
Let's create ONE holistic health together!

The HealthTech Innovation Program calls upon researchers, young professionals, students and startups to develop new approaches or to apply existing solutions in order to build a sustainable & digital healthcare together.

Collaborate with two of the most innovative healthcare companies in Bayer & Gerresheimer to improve people's health and lives.

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Past Projects
Let's shape the future of AI together!

Our AI & Data Science Innovation Program calls upon researchers, young professionals, students and startups to develop new approaches or to apply existing solutions, using 2 real-world challenges from established corporations like APG and a leading multinational retail-group.

Get Started
Past Projects
Are you ready to shape digital Germany?

The program takes place in German.

With our Open Innovation Program Deutschland 4.0, we aim to "dare more digitalization." Together with bold innovators like yourself, we are shaping the digital future of Germany! Based on real challenges from the economy and society, our goal is to develop solutions for a more digital Germany. Be daring: register on the platform, submit your ideas, and become part of the digital transformation in Germany.

Get Started
Past Projects
Stay tuned for upcoming challenges!

Fancy a challenge? Our platform has got you covered! From AI to HealthTech and Finance, we offer plenty of challenges to foster sustainability, digitization and social impact. Plus, it's totally free to register - just scroll down for our past challenges or find programs that tickle your fancy. Let's innovate together - join us today for an opportunity not to be missed!

Stay tuned!
Past Projects

ekipa Case Studies

Discover the innovation potential, variety of topics and diversity of industries through our completed innovation programs & challenges.
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Look behind the scenes

Dive deep into the background of ekipa and our learnings about open innovation.
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THE POWER OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE WITH INNOVATION
In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technology with the potential to revolutionize various industries. Its ability to mimic human intelligence and perform complex tasks has opened doors to new possibilities and sparked exciting innovations. But this of course also sparked a lot of controversy, fears and questions. What if AI […]
OPEN INNOVATION & COLLABORATION AT LBBW: WHERE IMPACT INVESTING, BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY STRIKE AT THE HEART
Reading time: 2-3 minutes Summary: This story is related to the LBBW Finance Challenge, focusing on Impact Investing & Sustainability Transformation. It explores how the challenge works within the context of SWIAT & dApps, highlighting its achievements and goals.The three key pillars of the challenge are collaboration, openness (in terms of transparency, but also related […]
THIS IS IT: OUR FINAL FRIDAY AT EKIPA
Today is not just any Friday; it will be the last Friday my colleagues and I visit the halls of ekipa, at least for a while. At ekipa, Bravery, one of our core values, is at the heart of everything we do. It's what propels us to continuously explore new horizons. And now, the time […]
EMBRACING DIVERSITY, EMPOWERING CHANGE
Like Madonna, society around us continually reinvents itself. In recent decades, technological innovations have increasingly highlighted this transformation, turning our lives upside down. The internet, smartphones, social media, and more recently, artificial intelligence have all revolutionized our daily routines. These technological breakthroughs not only change our tools but also reshape how we interact with one […]
RETHINK FINANCE & INNOVATE THE FINANCIAL WORLD
The world is constantly changing, and the financial industry is no exception. The digital transformation is proceeding at a rapid pace, reshaping the way businesses operate and challenging the financial sector in ways never seen before. We are at a turning point that is leading finance into a new and unexpected direction. However, with this […]
SHAPING THE FUTURE WITH CO-CREATION & SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION – YOUR ROADMAP TO OPEN INNOVATION
WANNA TAKE A SHORTCUT? HERE ARE YOUR KEY TAKEAWAYS! Open innovation allows companies to tap into a wider pool of expertise & knowledge to receive new, unpredictable ideas & breakthrough solutions than they would be able to with their internal capacities alone. By collaborating & cocreating with external partners, companies can access competences, technologies, and […]
Strategy Days – a simple concept with a big impact!
Sometimes you need to flip the script to get inspired and to obtain new perspectives. Then you can create something new and better. Recently our departments - Business Development (BizDev), Marketing, Projects & University Relations (UR) held their first strategy days. Learn more about our deep experiences; maybe we can inspire you to join us, our challenges or implement your own strategy days!
FROM A SKETCH IN A BERLIN BAR TO THE GLOBAL STAGE: HOW INNOVATION WITH IMPACT SUCCEEDS
In the beginning, sometimes it's a simple idea that lays the foundation for something great and the start of a successful journey. That's what happened to the Berlin-based startup Clurb when they summed up their founding idea in a statement in a Kreuzberg pub in June 2017: “We will do something simple and affordable, that cities can use with minimal external support”.
BETTER BEAT BURNOUT | Mental Health
8 rules to prevent total exhaustion - especially in a high-paced startup-founder environment (but not only)  With the new year, good intentions take a new turn, and we are particularly emphasizing health and wellbeing, both physical and mental. We are also trying to avoid unhealthy lifestyles and destructive behavioral patterns. This is a perfect moment […]
Our Year 2020 - A year in review
Hello dear ekipa - Crowd, Just in time for the launch of 2021, our designer Celine has created a year in review of the ekipa year 2020. In this you will find information about ekipa, the core of ekipa - the team, or our ecosystem. It also introduces our formats, recaps the past year, and […]

We provide growth  - grow with us!

To master our future growth and create an international impact, we are looking for innovation-hungry people to work with us and change the world for the better!

Contact Information

Justin Gemeri
Co-Founder & Co-CEO
hello@ekipa.de

Send us a message

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