Pioneers supported the development of the strategic direction for the corporate venture MOON POWER (Porsche Holding Salzburg).
Client Voices
Nives Bukovac
Senior Expert
Low Carbon Business Projects
" The Pioneers team helped us to set up a global intrapreneurship program and provided deep methodology know-how to guide our teams in the validation of new business models. "
Christian Huter
Innovation Manager
" Partnering with Pioneers to get our corporate venture studio, 120 Ventures, off the ground was a key move. Their practical approach to developing innovation & growth strategies and their supportive role in our venture building process really helped us move forward. It's been a collaborative effort all the way, blending their insights with our goals. "
Juan Rosenzweig
Innovation Manager
" Partnering with Pioneers for our product development from concept to prototype proved to be a strategic choice. Their deep knowledge in developing physical prototypes was evident every step of the way, paving the way form what has the potential to be a new product offering from RHIM after final client tests. "
Harald Asböck
Manager
" It was a pleasure to work with the Pioneers team on the ANDRITZ Ventures Startup Contest. They collaborated effectively with our intrapreneurs and provided valuable know-how around corporate venture building which was crucial for the success of our program. "
Wendy
van Leeuwen
van Leeuwen
Program Manager
" Pioneers are an ideal partner to support us in creating condensed, yet impactful programmes that will empower startups with the actionable plans and assistance they need to kickstart their further growth. "
Stefan Schlumberger
Business Innovation Manager
" Since the joint setup of our lab, Pioneers has supported the customer-centric development of several innovative ideas. The team's hands-on working style, deep methodology knowledge, and strategic competence bring great value to our projects. "
Franz Zöchbauer
Managing Director
" We are excited about the outcomes from our partnership with Pioneers. The joint project has been instrumental in unlocking future potential through collaboration and innovation with startups. Huge thanks to everyone at Pioneers for making this happen! "
Rey Buckman
Airbus Bizlab
" The wide variety and quality of Pioneers scale-ups provided an accurate overview of global innovative trends: great value for us. "
Tobias Weber
Head of SPAYCE
" The startup-driven mindset and style of working of Pioneers was a perfect match to support the launch of SPAYCE. Their methodological support and flexibility were essential to set the basis for our innovation lab. "
Florian Steiner
Head of Strategy
" With Pioneers' expertise PHS has successfully established a new innovation community. Their support in strategy development and innovation framework setup has been key to our effective implementation. "
Markus Tatzer
Geschäftsführer
" Pioneers helped us develop a clear picture of the e-mobility ecosystem, shaped our scaling strategy, and supported us in creating a comprehensive roadmap for implementation. Their extensive know-how and experience proved invaluable throughout the process. We especially appreciated their hands-on and practical approach, which ensured that we could move from strategy to action seamlessly. "
MOON – VENTURE SCALING STRATEGY
CHALLENGE
- The corporate venture MOON POWER wanted to find the right strategic direction for 2030 to continue scaling.
- Pioneers was engaged to map the ecosystem, collect hypotheses about future profit pools in e-mobility, define strategic options, and assess their potential.
OUR APPROACH
Pioneers developed the innovation strategy in a structured process:
- Status quo analysis and mapping the e-mobility ecosystem through desk research and internal and external expert interviews
- Deriving and evaluating fundamental strategic options
- Roadmap for implementation
OUTCOMES
- Clear picture of the future e-mobility ecosystem
- Defined scaling strategy until 2030
- Strategy and roadmap for implementation approved by PHS and MOON POWER management
SPAYCE – INNOLAB SETUP AND EXECUTION
Pioneers supported building an innovation lab from scratch with two big German banks and co-developed new payment solutions
CHALLENGE
- LBBW and S-Payment aimed to create a new innovation lab to foster innovative payment solutions outside the core
- Pioneers was engaged to support the organizational and strategic setup of the SPAYCE lab and guide the organization in developing and validating innovative payment ideas
OUR APPROACH
Pioneers supported in all project phases (strategy, setup, execution):
- Strategic and organizational setup of the SPAYCE lab
- Setting up the core team and processes
- Executing multiple ideas throughout the last five years
OUTCOMES
- Strategic and organizational setup of SPAYCE
- Three innovation training days hosted for employees from both banks
- Multiple design sprints executed and more than 500 ideas created
- Three incubation phases started and several projects already implemented (CardControl, Digital Receipt, etc.)
ANDRITZ – INTRAPRENEURSHIP
Pioneers supported the implementation of three rounds of the ANDRITZ Ventures Startup Contest with the goal to develop early-stage internal ideas into new business.
CHALLENGE
- Implement a global intrapreneurship program within ANDRITZ
- Empower internal employees to develop their own ideas with the help of external support
- Identify highly promising ideas and teams and support them in the validation and roll-out of their projects
OUR APPROACH
- Strategic and organizational setup of the program
- Idea sourcing, selection, and team formation
- Supporting individual teams in their idea development journey
OUTCOMES
- Activated 1000+ employees and received 300+ applications
- Identified 50+ highly promising ideas and teams
- Selected 15 teams for the prototyping phase and presentation in front of the top management board
- 10+ teams received further funding
- Multiple success stories with one venture already generating 100M order intake only after three years
VERBUND X – VENTURE CLIENTING
Pioneers supports VERBUND in the setup, implementation and moderation of the VERBUND X Accelerator, a multi-corporate startup collaboration program.
CHALLENGE
- Implement a venture clienting program for VERBUND and corporate partners
- Foster co-creation and innovation in the energy sector
- Match innovative startups solutions with corporate challenges with the aim of a long-term collaboration
OUR APPROACH
- Set up and structure a multi-corporate venture clienting program with 2 batches per year
- Define use cases with corporates and scout and select top-fitting startups
- Support pilot project implementation between startups and corporates
OUTCOMES
- 10 corporate partners and 12 innovative search fields
- 10 promising projects in the proof-of-concept phase
- 5 potential VC cases identified
ÖAMTC – VENTURE BUILDING
Pioneers supports 120Ventures – the corporate venture studio we jointly set up with ÖAMTC in building corporate ventures outside the core business.
CHALLENGE
- Set up a suitable framework for venture building
- Develop new business for ÖAMTC outside their core offering
- Generate ideas and develop ventures that bring ROI and generate a positive impact on society
OUR APPROACH
- Strategic and organizational setup 120Ventures – a venture studio
- Hiring of the 120Ventures core team (CEO and senior venture builders)
- Introduce processes and methodology for venture building
- Define topics and generate ideas for new ventures
- Validate and implement innovative solutions
OUTCOMES
- Hired the CEO + 4 core team members
- Generated 150+ ideas
- Tested 30+ ideas through data-driven validation methods
- Currently 3 ventures beyond problem-solution fit
Further references
Intrapreneurship Program
3 years venture development
3 new business streams
7+ tested pilots
3 launched new products
1000+ end customers reached
Intrapreneurship Program
6 missions
100+ intrapreneurs
6 teams coached and tutored
450+ participants in webinars
3 high-potential business concepts
Scaleup4Europe Accelerator Program
5 European partners
4 startup labs
45+ scale-ups and startups coached
55+ experts and mentors involved
25+ corporates connected
Strategy Scoping
- Defined the long-term goals for startup collaborations
- Analyzed the status quo projects and activities
- Jointly defined the startup collaboration process
Inno Governance Setup
- Defined the vision and long-term goals of “Viesure”
- Set up the resource and team structure
- Developed a roadmap for first activities
Innovation Fields of Play
- Analyzed the key tech and startup funding trends in Retail
- Identified 6 high-potential Tech use cases along the value chain
- Selected 8 scale-ups for potential collaboration with OBI
Scouting & Bootcamps
4 campuses around the world
150 startups scouted
61 startups coached in bootcamps
20 top startups selected for PoCs
0 dropouts of the accelerator
Startup Pilot Setup
6 use cases defined
60 top startups scouted
20 collaboration workshops
– Strategic decision guidance
– Support in pilot setup
Blueprint Startup Bootcamps
3 locations in Europe
30 top startups scouted
– Design of the selection bootcamp
– Top travel startups selected
– Several ongoing partnerships
