The 42 startups of innovate!mittelstand 2026

With VReedback

Employees practice customer conversations, presentations, and workplace communication realistically in VR.

Exercises can be completed flexibly and repeatedly, without requiring permanent training staff.

Employees receive immediate AI-supported feedback on language, delivery, and conversation skills.

Companies can track qualification levels and manage professional development more precisely.

With ansehn

Turn AI into a revenue-generating, scalable growth channel.

Identify where purchase intent emerges and convert it into pipeline and deals.

Find out which content is missing. Closing content gaps has a direct impact on revenue.

Gain market share in AI before your competitors do, using measures you can roll out and scale repeatedly.

With VoiceLine

Create visit reports by voice note—just speak instead of typing.

Voice2CRM: content is added to the CRM in a structured format, with no duplicate data entry.

Market and competitive signals are analyzed and made visible to management.

Coaching is based on real conversation data rather than assumptions.

With comdaily

Transparency on your current visibility in leading AI models.

A direct comparison with your most important competitors.

Individual recommendations for action rather than data analysis alone.

Continuous, long-term improvement of your brand visibility.

With ultrathink

Scattered information is consolidated into a unified competitor model.

Portfolios, variants, and technical specifications become directly comparable.

Customer personas and product-market fit connect features with purchasing decisions.

A growing knowledge base supports product strategy, roadmap, and sales.

With CompanyCheck AI

All German registers on one platform.

Ask questions about corporate structure and revenue via chat.

A watchlist automatically reports every change.

New filings or insolvencies come directly to you.

With 4EIGN Talents

Replace uncertainty with confidence.

Gain a clear overview instead of facing bureaucratic obstacles.

International recruitment becomes a strategic part of workforce planning.

One process. One platform. From recruitment through integration.

With teamdecoder

Live instead of once a year: roles and responsibilities become clear again immediately.

The structure continuously adapts, making change routine rather than exceptional.

Managers regain control of their hybrid teams.

AI agents receive their own roles and a defined place in the workflow.

With clockin

Using a simple app and AI, clockin automates back-office processes such as time tracking, shift planning, and documentation, without requiring additional headcount.

Employees speak or record video and AI does the rest: complete records, 100% compliance, in 25 languages.

You make decisions based on real-time data rather than intuition.

Administrative effort is reduced by up to 80%, allowing time to flow back into core business operations.

With deskly

Book a desk and parking space in just a few clicks.

The floor plan shows who is on site.

Measure actual utilization without any sensors.

Reduce unused space selectively and save money.

With Sentics

Runs on the IP cameras already installed in the hall.

Recognizes dangerous situations and intervenes before anything happens.

Loading operations and labels are captured the moment they occur.

No wearable on your people and no conversion of the equipment.

With Routewise

Automatic order entry using artificial intelligence or an interface.

Intelligent route and load planning to reduce transport costs.

Integrate your own transport partners and optionally access compliance-verified carriers.

Real-time tracking and centralized communication throughout the entire transport process.

With Conlio

Relevant data and documents are automatically read and processed using AI, regardless of their format or sender.

Every transport is automatically checked against order data and agreed terms, making completeness and accuracy transparent.

Based on this verified information, the entire billing process is automated—as an invoice or credit note—making it much faster and more reliable.

Over time, the structured data provides complete transparency on costs and discrepancies as a basis for informed decisions and further optimization.

With Doinstruct

Complete mandatory training flexibly on a smartphone.

Content is automatically available in more than 35 languages.

Use AI to create new training from your own documents.

Audit-ready records in just a few clicks.

With Halocline

The factory layout is created on the web using ready-made building blocks—in minutes and with full collaboration.

The entire company, not just the planning department, can see the layout and participate in decisions.

Changes can be experienced on site using an XR headset. Errors become visible before a machine is moved.

Layouts are evaluated automatically, revealing opportunities for improvement.

With Moduco

Keep presses and grinding machines productive during unmanned shifts.

Reconfigure the modular system in just a few steps.

Relieve employees of heavy, repetitive work.

A proven standard system keeps costs manageable.

With RSConnect

Machines report production status and results to different IT systems fully automatically.

Idle consumption is identified so immediate measures can save energy. Product costs can be calculated and effective controlling becomes possible.

We use existing technology and work with your technicians to develop the best utilization concept. This saves money and, above all, resources.

A customized data model enables machines to deliver comparable and interpretable data to IT.

With orbit Sensorfusion

Digitize existing systems without retrofitting and without interfering with the control system.

Machines and processes receive a continuous digital ECG.

Attach and connect multi-sensors to gain immediate visibility.

Gain transparency in no time with AI: detect anomalies, understand causes, and take better action.

With production.AI

All relevant shop-floor data from machines, employees, and orders is available automatically and in real time.

Productivity losses are identified early and can be resolved immediately, before valuable machine time is lost.

AI supports employees with specific recommended actions and makes experience-based knowledge available across the company.

Companies increase productivity and machine availability while creating the data foundation for continuously learning production.

With Juna AI

A digital representation of the factory: all plant data and process knowledge are held in one model and can be queried immediately via chat.

AI agents monitor quality and processes around the clock and keep them stable at the optimum.

Deviations are detected in real time and countermeasures are recommended before scrap is produced.

Operators work more efficiently: analyses and recommended actions come directly from the agent.

With foresAIght

Sales forecasting as a subscription service.

AI incorporates weather, public holidays, and economic conditions.

The right forecasting model is selected automatically for each item.

Forecasts are provided as Excel or CSV files, or via an interface.

With kubion

Machine data is analyzed automatically, allowing deviations to be predicted and identified earlier.

Machine learning provides specific parameter recommendations or controls the process directly.

Scrap and second-quality goods are detected and measurably reduced.

Process knowledge grows, creating greater independence from individual experts.

With Pyx AI

Upload documents and receive compliance data within minutes.

Send structured data directly to the ERP system without retyping it.

Accelerate product development by weeks.

Compare substitute materials more quickly.

With IronFlock

Employees chat directly with machine data via AI, reducing incident analysis times to minutes instead of days.

Alarms and real-time dashboards work out of the box, with no programming required.

Ready-made apps from the app store or custom AI workflows are rolled out across the entire machine fleet at the push of a button.

Secure remote access without VPNs or open ports, with every session fully logged and auditable.

With VPATH AI

Components, requirements and tests are linked end to end.

A defect can be traced back to the requirement.

Design and process FMEA are created with AI support.

Requirements and SysML models go back into Polarion and Cameo.

With ONE WARE

Upload your own images and specify the target hardware.

A suitable neural network is created automatically.

It even runs on ten-year-old industrial chips.

In the reference case, defect detection was ready within a few weeks.

With MARVIN

Emails, documents and images are read out automatically.

The software asks the sender itself for missing details.

The data goes structured into OTRS, ERP or CRM.

Runs in your own Azure account, so the data stays with you.

With innoGPT

The AI handles routine tasks such as drafting, summarizing, and analyzing, delivering results in seconds.

All company knowledge is connected centrally and available on request.

AI is used securely, in compliance with the GDPR, and transparently across all teams.

Managers and teams gain time for innovation and strategic work.

With Percol

AI process automation on sovereign EU infrastructure.

Interfaces to more than 800 tools, enabling them to communicate with one another.

Implement processes in a legally compliant way while data never leaves the EU.

Immediate, measurable value from every individual process.

With CWO

At least 80% of your orders are posted fully automatically and can be produced around the clock.

SAP Business One and other ERP systems are already connected to CWO via standard interfaces.

Unclear orders are marked in yellow, the AI identifies inconsistencies, and a draft is posted to the ERP system.

CWO supports your company's change process personally and on site.

With AION

All sustainability data in one place, with analysis.

A prioritized list of concrete measures instead of general advice.

Suitable providers are matched for the implementation.

The same data carries the report and the customer communication.

With Mittelstand-Zukunftslab

An AI-supported platform identifies digitalization opportunities with little effort.

Three-month AI pilot projects at predictable fixed prices.

Tangible results: prototypes, strategies, and analyses.

Direct access to a talent pool of more than 8,000 motivated students.

With LocateRisk

Risk monitoring of IT systems, immediately without installation.

Securing systems is faster, tasks can be easily delegated.

Documentation for auditors and insurance companies is generated automatically.

Automated assessment of third-party risks.

With TF-Industries

Return to full productivity within minutes using instant recovery.

Physical disconnection makes the backup inaccessible to attackers.

A modern alternative to tape.

Available as a subscription including hardware, software, backup service, and support.

With VGLNT

Clarity: regulations are interpreted and translated into clear requirements for each business unit.

Transparency: a centralized overview of compliance status across business units, with clear responsibilities.

Automation: requirements are implemented and managed by automating compliance processes.

With Cyberlope

AI-supported assistants significantly reduce the effort required to create and continuously maintain cybersecurity risk assessments.

Security knowledge is reused across product generations and continuously expanded.

The risk assessment provides specific recommendations for better and more secure product decisions.

Compliance is achieved as the result of a continuous development process rather than as an additional documentation burden.

The easy-to-use solution also supports vulnerability and supplier management.

With onu energy

The AI autopilot analyzes energy markets in real time and provides concrete procurement recommendations, fully automated and around the clock.

Companies purchase energy at the right time and demonstrably reduce their energy costs.

Risks are detected and managed automatically, without external consultants or in-house energy-market expertise.

All energy data, costs, and decisions are transparently available in one dashboard at any time and for every stakeholder.

With RCo-Energie

Continuous market monitoring instead of a fixed date in the calendar.

Purchasing is aligned with a target price.

A weekly market overview as a basis for decisions.

The PIET portal adds invoice checking and carbon accounting.

With avoltra

Data-driven energy procurement instead of gut instinct.

Price risks are actively managed and energy budgets become predictable.

Flexible loads automatically operate when energy is inexpensive.

One set of metrics for costs, savings, and CO₂.

With PlanPakt

Enter a quantity change and the office and shop floor immediately see the same status.

Move an order instead of rebuilding the entire spreadsheet.

Progress is recorded at the line and becomes immediately visible in the office.

Orders go straight into planning without being retyped.

With UMYNO

Recipes, raw materials, and project data in one place, connected to the ERP.

Import specifications, suggest recipes, and check briefings at the touch of a button.

Simulation and recipe optimization shorten the time-to-market.

Knowledge remains within the business, allowing R&D teams to focus on development again.

With Fungtastic

Vertical indoor farming cultivates gourmet mushrooms right in the middle of Osnabrück.

The mushrooms are harvested fresh on-site; fresh and dried products are planned.

During a live tasting at the RISE StartUp!Lab, the lion's mane was harvested and sautéed directly in front of the audience.

Feedback on taste, texture, and quality is fed back into product development.