Innovators Challenge
TOPIC
Transformation for
Medium-Sized Businesses
SUITABLE FOR
Medium-Sized Businesses
LOCATION
Frankfurt am Main
STATUS
Open for applications
LANGUAGE
German
Transformation für den Mittelstand:
Innovators Challenge
TOPIC
Transformation for
Medium-Sized Businesses
LOCATION
Frankfurt am Main
LANGUAGE
German
SUBTABLE FOR
Medium-Sized Businesses
Turn Challenges into Innovation Opportunities
The Innovators Challenge gives your SME the opportunity to identify and evaluate concrete innovation and transformation challenges. With our help, you can turn the results into implentations and develop and test suitable approaches.
What is it about?
The Innovators Challenge is a program for medium-sized companies from Hessen, designed to support you in navigating structural change.
The program starts with a 3-hour in-person workshop: a TechInfusion. Together, we work to identify key business challenges, explore potential solutions, and prioritize the most relevant action areas.
Based on the outcomes, you decide how to move forward and which partner best supports your next steps.
Together with Dreiraum, you can develop a transformation strategy in follow-up workshops and advisory sessions and translate it into a clear roadmap with concrete recommendations. Alternatively, if a challenge can be addressed through an external solution, TechQuartier supports you in identifying and selecting suitable startup partners.
>> Read: "TechQuartier and WIBank Celebrate Successful Innovators Challenge"
How we support you
01 Problem Definition
The TechInfusion serves as a starting point to sharpen the definition of potential obstacles and problems. This will be the base for internal coordination.
02 Know-How
We equip you with over a decade of practical knowledge and proven tools - tailored for your individual transformation journey.
03 Scouting & Matchmaking
Our targeted scouting and matchmaking process connects startups and companies based on their specific challenges and innovation goals.
Recap 2025: From Challenge to Change
The second edition of The Innovators Challenge, by Wirtschafts- und Infrastrukturbank Hessen (WIBank) in collaboration with TechQuartier concluded with impressive results and a celebratory dinner in Frankfurt. Over the course of eight weeks, six small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) partnered with six innovative startups to co-develop tailored solutions that are already showing strong implementation potential.
Designed to strengthen regional innovation capacity and foster practical startup–SME collaboration, the program helps companies navigate digital and structural transformation. From automating order management and third-party processes to building AI-ready infrastructures and modular e-commerce platforms, participating SMEs defined real business challenges that startups addressed through concrete, scalable solutions. Following a virtual kickoff and Match Day, seven active collaborations were formed — all supported by mentors.
Have Questions?
Contact us with all of your questions regarding the Innovators Challenge.
Carina Sauerwein
Alice Bucher
DISCOVER SIMILAR PROGRAMS
Platz der Einheit 2
60327 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
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