Our Ecosystem

We curate an ecosystem of courageous Mittelstand companies with other individuals and institutions at the forefront of innovation to bring out the best in German Mittelstand.

Empowering German Mittelstand

Maschinenraum unites the power of German Mittelstand to jointly create desirable futures for generations to come. In order to do so, we not only need the most courageous Mittelstand and family-owned businesses, but also the most talented, entrepreneurial, brave innovators and subject-matter experts across industries. That’s why we curate an ecosystem of individuals and institutions at the forefront of innovation. We firmly believe that only together we have impact.

Who can become a member?

Maschinenraum is an initiative by Mittelstand companies for Mittelstand companies. Organisations who are embracing new realities, are courageous, are striving to collaborate and are willing to give-and-take are most suited to become part of Maschinenraum.

Our Members

The family-run Viessmann Group is an international manufacturer of heating, industrial, and refrigeration systems headquartered in Allendorf, Germany. The company was founded in 1917 and employs over 12,000 people.

Knauf Gips KG is a multinational, family-owned company based in Iphofen, Germany, well known for drywall gypsum boards. The company was founded in 1932 and employs over 26,000 people.

The family-run FIEGE Group, headquartered in Greven, Germany, is a leading European logistics company that specialises in efficient supply chain solutions. The company was founded in 1873 and employs over 15,000 people.

The Schöck Group with its head office in Baden-Baden, Germany, is focusing on the development of ready-to-install components that are part of the structural design and make a substantial contribution to building physics. The company was founded in 1962 and employs over 1,000 people.

Paracelsus Kliniken is a group of excellent hospitals that provide reliable and innovative medical services. The company was founded in 1968 and employs over 5,200 people.

VESTNER Aufzüge GmbH is a worldwide active, family-owned company with its roots in Munich, known for elevators. The company was founded in 1930 and employs over 400 people.

PHOENIX CONTACT is an independent, global market leader with headquarters in Blomberg, Germany, developing, producing and selling creative solutions in connection technology, electronics, and automation. The company was founded in 1923 and employs over 17,400 people.

Gentner Verlag is a family-owned media house, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, that helps its customers in the building services engineering sector to achieve economic success with reliable products and solutions. The company was founded in 1927 and employs over 60 people.

LAVA ENERGY is an energy service provider with a holistic approach for digital energy efficiency management headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, that offers a big range of energy contracting, monitoring and optimization services throughout the whole supply and value chain. The company was founded in 2013 and employs 15 people.

4Germany, an independent nonprofit startup, is the tech and innovation task force for the German Federal Government. The programs are subsidized by the government and the company was founded in summer 2019.

TILCRA, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is revolutionising the online trade for building materials with digital service solutions. The company was founded in 2019 and currently employs one person.

Our Innovators Network

We join forces with courageous innovators and subject-matter experts - individuals or institutions at the forefront of innovation. Together, we can create an awareness for new realities and provide decision-makers with the right orientation to understand transformation issues, find solutions and make better decisions. Jointly, we support German Mittelstand to understand and shape the future of Germany. Our Innovator Network unlocks the door to German Mittelstand and is a purposeful platform with impact on the German economy.

“A huge value for our country lies in the cooperation between Mittelstand and startups. The Mittelstand is the backbone of our economy and startups are well on their way of fulfilling this role in future. But even more potential can be tapped if both worlds work together and learn from each other. This is where Maschinenraum comes into play. Mittelstand companies benefit from the speed and self-confidence of startups and startups can learn how to build a sustainable business that provides prosperity and work for entire generations.“

Christian Miele

Chairman of the German Startups Association

“Successful ventures are heavily relying on trusted partnerships and diversity within their teams. This does account for young startups as well as big corporates. Opening up and collaborating to learn is especially important for traditional companies such as German Mittelstand. At Maschinenraum, we have a perfect ecosystem to exchange and learn from each other. I am confident many best practices, organizational routines and technological understanding from my time at SoundCloud can be successfully applied at German Mittelstand and family-owned businesses.“

Eric Wahlforss

Co-Founder & CTO SoundCloud

“German family-owned companies stand for values, cohesion, long-term orientation and regional responsibility. As medium-sized companies and startups meet at eye level, their competencies and strengths complement each other. Modern companies can only meet the challenges of the present and the future through cooperation and openness; the individual company no longer has all the skills and technologies needed to be competitive in highly innovative sectors. With Maschinenraum, a platform that turns experiences and entrepreneurial curiosity into competitive advantages is born. I am pleased that this opens up another new path for SMEs of tomorrow.“

Prof. Dieter Kempf

President of the BDI

“The Mittelstand is Germany’s driving force for innovation. Companies of all sizes and industries need entrepreneurial mindsets who can responsibly implement new business models that can survive in the international digital environment. To achieve this, they must create new partnerships and empower employees to act innovatively. Maschinenraum offers exactly this ecosystem. As an education partner we are happy to contribute our extensive know-how from research, instruction and executive education to accelerate your change. At the same time our students look forward to collaborating on joint projects with the German Mittelstand.”