Digital Transformers by Boldheart

Struggling to reinvent your company for the digital age? Learn why traditional approaches to innovation often lead to dead ends and how to pivot towards methods that guarantee success. In this episode, we discuss essential strategies and governance structures that have propelled over 100 ventures to success.

Welcome to the Digital Transformers Podcast with Kilian Karrasch. On this podcast, you'll hear about the latest next-generation business opportunities, how to build products and business models around them, and how to create more revenue for your business. Plus, you'll learn about the many lessons Kilian and his guests have learned on their path to building and running multi-million euro businesses.

About the host: 

Kilian Karrasch is the founding partner at Boldheart, the leading next-generation product & venture builder. Together with his team, he helps ambitious corporates such as Valora, GEMA, and the International Chamber of Commerce identify, build, and scale successful next-generation digital products and business models.

Follow Kilian's socials: LinkedIn

About the guest:

Jan Sedlacek is the founder of one of the globally leading corporate venture builders - Stryber -, which has created over 100 ventures and worked for major companies such as Nestlé, ADQ, Migros, Generali, Vorwerk, and many more.

Follow Jan's socials: LinkedIn

Timeline:

(01:13) - The failure of traditional innovation methods

(04:32) - Choosing the right innovation tools and strategies for business model enhancement.

(06:35) - How to develop innovation capabilities and mindset within organizations.

(09:08) - The impact of corporate gravity on venture success.

(11:02) - Deciding between corporate venture building and M&A based on strategic needs.

(14:15) - How to establish a corporate venture building strategy with effective governance.

(22:11) - Designing governance structures to support venture success.

(33:22) - Managing ventures in adjacent areas for operational independence and strategic relevance.

(42:17) - Planning for long-term asset leverage in scale-up venture scenarios.

(43:43) - Risk mitigation by scaling ventures incognito before leveraging corporate assets.

(47:05) - Understanding future governance options for ventures, including integration or management as new business lines.

Teaser: How to Establish Effective Governance Structures for Venture Success

About the Episode:

Is your organization's digital transformation journey hitting roadblocks? This episode is your guide through the maze. From establishing direction to the nuances of ongoing engagement and value creation to protecting the vision and the team, this conversation sheds light on what it takes to sustain transformation efforts.

Check out the full Transformation Guide: Reflections on Organizational Transformation

About the Host:

Kilian Karrasch is a founding partner at Boldheart, the leading next-generation product & venture builder. Together with his team, he helps ambitious corporates identify, build, and scale successful next-generation digital products and business models. 

Follow Kilian's socials: LinkedIn

About the Guests:

Michael Rammelsberger and Franziska Jörg are seasoned experts in organizational transformation, each bringing a rich tapestry of experience from the world of retail, consumer goods, and e-commerce. As executives and change leaders, they have spearheaded strategic initiatives and operations overhauls in some of the leading SMEs and stock-listed companies in Europe.

Follow Michael's socials: LinkedIn;

Follow Franziska's socials: LinkedIn

Timeline: 

(0:58) - Introduction.

(4:36) - Unveiling key principles for successful change.

(9:18) - Effective communication strategies across diverse teams.

(15:00) - The necessity of engaging stakeholders at all organizational levels

(17:26) - How to manage complexity in large-scale transformations.

(20:11) - The significance of adding value and achieving early wins.

(30:56) - Persistence and adaptability as keys to sustaining efforts.

(37:43) - How to foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

(45:27) - How to protect transformations and personnel from negative factors.

(54:14) - Conclusion

About the Episode:

Embarking on a digital transformation but worried about the pitfalls? This episode is your guiding light. Richard and Joachim, with over 50 years of combined experience, share invaluable insights on setting a clear direction, the importance of sponsorship and choosing the right partners, and learning how to engage and motivate your team for a seamless transition.

Check out the full Transformation Guide: Reflections on Organizational Transformation

About the Host:

Kilian Karrasch is a founding partner at Boldheart, the leading next-generation product & venture builder. Together with his team, he helps ambitious corporates identify, build, and scale successful next-generation digital products and business models. 

Follow Kilian's socials: LinkedIn

About the Guests:

Richard and Joachim are esteemed figures in the realm of digital transformation, boasting over 50 years of collective experience. As former executives and current advisors to C-level teams, they've spearheaded major transformation projects across prominent companies and governmental organizations in Europe.

Follow Richard's socials: LinkedIn;

Follow Joachim's socials: LinkedIn"

Timeline: 

(00:50) - Introduction

(05:00) - Discussion on the inception of the "Reflections on Organizational Transformation" document.

(07:20) - The Importance of collaboration in digital transformation.

(09:40) - Organizational transformation vs. mere change.

(12:30) - Real-world examples of transformation: Nokia and Hugo Boss.

(14:55) - The necessity of transforming organizations and how to recognize existential threats to the business.

(17:10) - Discussion on the high failure rate of digital transformations and how to navigate it.

(19:45) - The role of clear direction and clarity in successful transformation.

(22:30) - The challenge of securing leadership sponsorship and alignment.

(25:00) - Selecting the right partners for transformation efforts.

(27:50) - Addressing internal dynamics and engaging the team for transformation.

(30:15) - Strategies for dealing with different mindsets within the organization towards transformation.

(33:00) - Importance of establishing credibility and showing early successes.

(35:45) - The continuous process of transformation beyond the initial stages.

(38:20) - Closing remarks and anticipation for the next episode on maintaining momentum in transformation.

Startup Founders!

If you are looking to gain access to markets and capital, a corporate partner can be a game changer. But how do you select the right opportunities and partners and avoid getting stuck in endless processes and "slow-boat mentality"?

In this third episode of the Boldheart x PwC Exclusive "Innovation Unbound - The Definite Guide to Corporate and Startup Collaborations", we dive into the key indicators to look out for and discuss the dos and don'ts from a startup perspective that will help you navigate the field.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, like, or share this podcast to spread the word. 🙏

And if you have questions about this episode or would like to discuss how to drive your innovation initiatives, reach out via LinkedIn or email to:

• Kilian Karrasch (Boldheart) for general inquiries about the episode and your questions related to ideation, market research, UI/UX design, MVP building and venture building: [email protected]

• Jannis Grube (Pwc) for general inquiries about the PwC Scale program and about finding the right corporate partners to accelerate your startup success journey: [email protected] 

About the hosts:

• Kilian Karrasch is founding partner at Boldheart, the leading next-generation product & venture builder. Together with his team, he has helped numerous ambitious corporate clients and high-growth startups identify, build and scale successful digital products and services for their next generation of customers.

• Jannis Grube is co-leader of the Scale Program at PwC Germany. He has worked with countless startups to help them collaborate more effectively with corporates.

Corporate Leaders!

Do you want to connect to startups? Identify new market opportunities? Learn about best practices to drive speed? Or simply foster a connected culture of innovation?

In this second episode of the Boldheart x PwC Exclusive "Innovation Unbound - The Definite Guide to Corporate and Startup Collaborations", we dive into the prerequisites you need to fulfill from a corporate side to accomplish those goals.

Step by step, we talk about the different innovation options (both internally and externally) and take a critical look at what it takes to go from "zero to hero".

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, like, or share this podcast to spread the word. 🙏

And if you have questions about this episode or would like to discuss how to drive your innovation initiatives, reach out via LinkedIn or email to:

• Kilian Karrasch (Boldheart) for general inquiries about the episode and your questions related to ideation, market research, UI/UX design, MVP building and venture building: [email protected]

• Stephan Hofnagel (PwC) for general inquiries about the PwC Scale program and about finding the right startups and technology to accelerate your corporate innovation journey: [email protected] 

About the hosts:

• Kilian Karrasch is founding partner at Boldheart, the leading Next Generation product & venture builder. Together with his team, he has helped numerous ambitious corporate clients and high-growth startups identify, build and scale successful digital products and services for their next generation of customers.

• Stephan Hofnagel is co-leader of the Scale Program at PwC Germany. Stephan has worked with countless major corporates to help them collaborate more effectively with startups.

Have you ever thought of collaborating with a corporate or startup to accelerate your innovation success?

In this Boldheart x PwC Exclusive "Innovation Unbound - The Definite Guide to Corporate and Startup Collaborations", we dive into dos and don'ts and reveal best practices when it comes to kickstarting and accelerating collaborative innovation at any stage.

Whether you are a corporate innovator or a startup founder, learn the ideal timing and prerequisite to drive innovation success through:

• Hackathons,
• Innovation challenges,
• Accelerator and incubator programs,
• Venture clienting,
• Digital units,
• Venture building and more...

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, like, or share this podcast to spread the word. 🙏

And if you have questions about this episode or would like to discuss how to drive your innovation initiatives, reach out via LinkedIn or email to:

• Kilian Karrasch (Boldheart) for general inquiries about the episode and your questions related to ideation, market research, UI/UX design, MVP building and venture building: [email protected]

• Jannis Grube and Stephan Hofnagel (PwC) for general inquiries about the PwC Scale program and collaborative innovation: [email protected] & [email protected] 

About the hosts:

• Kilian Karrasch is founding partner at Boldheart, the leading next-generation product & venture builder. Together with his team, he has helped numerous ambitious corporate clients and high-growth startups identify, build and scale successful digital products and services for their next generation of customers.

• Jannis Grube and Stephan Hofnagel are the leaders of the Scale Program at PwC Germany. Together, they have worked with hundreds of B2B startups, several family businesses and established corporations to foster successful collaborations in the innovation ecosystem. 

My name is Kilian Karrasch and in this episode, I talk to Filip Dames, Founding Partner at Cherry Ventures and former Chief Business Development Officer at Zalando and founder of Zalando-Lounge.

Filip went from founding a first small startup to joining Zalando as part of the founding team to helping build it into one the largest fashion retailers in Europe. Now, Filip is Germany's "Investor of the Year 2022" and has joined the ranks of the FORBES Midas List Europe as one of the most influential investors on the continent.

In our podcast episode, we talk about:

• how to hire the right talent to fuel your innovation ambitions
• how to successfully identify, validate and scale innovations internally
• and some of the hottest trends in the market

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a minute to subscribe, like, or share this podcast to spread the word, so I can continue bringing you outstanding guests and conversations. 🙏

And if you have questions about this episode or on how to start building digital products or services, you're welcome to reach out to me.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kiliankarrasch/ 

E-Mail: [email protected]

Filip Dames on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/filipdames

Cherry Ventures: cherry.vc

Timeline:

0:00 - Introduction

0:27 - Who is Filip Dames?

0:48 - Topics of the podcast

1:06 - What you wouldn’t expect about Filip

1:55 - Reasons for choosing an entrepreneurial path

3:13 - How a first business can set you up for success

8.20 - Top learnings from internal venture building at Zalando

9:39 - The entrepreneurial spirit of trial, error, and iteration

11:01 - How to keep the entrepreneurial mindset alive while scaling the company

13:58 - How to transition into startup investments

16:39 - Core success factors for startups and innovation teams in the beginning

17:56 - Who should be your first hire

21:10 - The factors to look at when investing in startups

24:26 - How to know when to pivot and change direction

28:11 - How to identify product-market-fit

31:19 - Boundary conditions for innovation success

33:14 - How to figure out which internal innovation is the most promising

34:30 - Which KPIs are most important for evaluating innovations

37:29 - The hottest trends and ideas in the market

40:27 - How to get in contact with Filip

My name is Kilian Karrasch and in this episode, I talk to Michael Müller-Wünsch, CIO of OTTO and responsible for the digital platform business within the Otto Group.

During his tenure, Michael successfully transformed Otto from catalog to platform business, and with that led one of the few truly successful digital business model expansions in Europe. Today, the platform business already makes up 30% of OTTO’s business revenue, and Michael, for his successes has been named CIO of the Year.

In today’s episode, we talk about:

• The secret behind Otto’s corporate innovation structure 
• How to master technology-driven innovation and successfully identify the next digital business field of your organization?
• How to build a product-driven organization that outcompetes the market - even in a large corporate?

Michael's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/muewue

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a minute to subscribe, like, or share this podcast to spread the word, so I can continue bringing you outstanding guests and conversations. 🙏

And if you have questions about this episode or on how to start building digital products or services, you're welcome to reach out to me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kiliankarrasch/ or E-Mail: [email protected].

Thanks again for listening to the Digital Transformers podcast. 🚀

Timeline:

0:00 - Introduction

0:28 - Who is Michael Müller?

0:49 - Topics of the Episode

2:08 - What does Otto do differently to be continuously successful?

5:44 - How is the Innovation Organisation setup at Otto?

8:47 - Michael’s recommendation to mid-sized companies or bigger corporations

11:31 - The venture clienting model

15:33 - How Otto identifies new digital business opportunities

24:12 - How to identify the most relevant topics when building a digital platform

27:08 - The approach to launching new features

28:51 - The OKR cycle setup

33:18 - The biggest challenges and trends in the platform business model

36:40 - Digital projects Otto is working on right now

My name is Kilian Karrasch and in this episode, I talk to Rainer Karcher, Global Head of IT Sustainability at Allianz Technology, about: 

• the importance of IT sustainability - and how to properly sell it 
• best practices to make your IT more sustainable
• and 3 tips on how to get started

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a minute to subscribe, like, or share this podcast to spread the word, so I can continue bringing you outstanding guests and conversations. 🙏

And if you have questions about this episode or on how to start building digital products or services, you're welcome to reach out to me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kiliankarrasch/ or E-Mail: [email protected].

To get in contact with Rainer: linkedin.com/in/rainerkarcher

Thanks again for listening to the Digital Transformers podcast. 🚀

Timeline:

0:00 - Introduction

0:08 - Who is Rainer Karcher?

0:30 - Topics of the podcast

0:50 - What is IT sustainability and why does it matter?

3:24 - The often overlooked impact of digitization on the environment

5:56 - The correct way for companies to start becoming more sustainable

8:33 - The simple practice every company can do to become more sustainable

10:41 - How to communicate the company’s sustainability efforts to shareholders, employees, and customers?

13:42 - Why to use persona thinking in internal and external sustainability communication

17:39 - Sustainable IT vs. enabling sustainability through IT-services

20:15 - How to embed sustainable IT in your organization

23:21 - Easy implementations for companies to become more sustainable

24:50 - How to balance usability and sustainability

27:24 - How to become more sustainable as a producer or manufacturer

31:25 - How to track your IT sustainability progress

36:18 - The 3 core factors to master IT sustainability

39:00 - How to get in touch with Rainer Karcher

My name is Kilian Karrasch and in this episode, I talk to Johannes Reichert, Head of Global IT and Chief Information Officer at Hilti Group.

During his career, Johannes drove the global IT agile transformation and large-scale IT projects, introducing not only an innovative CRM system and top-notch ERP functionalities but also developing a microservice-based infrastructure to enable Digital Products in one of the least digitized industries in the world.

In our podcast episode, we talk about:

• his core learnings on launching microservices at startup speed in the corporate IT department?
• best practices on how to transition a multinational company step-by-step into an agile way of working?
• how to evaluate the degree of agility needed in large-scale IT projects?
• and much more…

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a minute to subscribe, like, or share this podcast to spread the word, so I can continue bringing you outstanding guests and conversations. 🙏

And if you have questions about this episode or on how to start building digital products or services, you're welcome to reach out to me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kiliankarrasch/ or E-Mail: [email protected].

Thanks again for listening to the Digital Transformers podcast. 🚀

Timeline:

0:00 - Introduction

0:28 – Who is Johannes Reichert?

0:50 – Episode overview

1:18 – One thing you wouldn’t expect about Johannes

1:43 – How Hilti managed to transform one of the least digitized industries

5:38 – The startup “ingredients” that corporations need to create innovative digital products

8:40 – The right agile mindset that leads to success

9:41 – The process behind deciding what systems to innovate

11:22 – Core learnings from digitizing Hilti

12:37 – Digital unit vs. corporate IT - what is the right setup to innovate?

15:55 – Core learnings from the Global IT Transformation at Hilti

19:01 – How to do an agile transformation the right way?

21:06 – How to select the right transformation methods?

22:12 – How to convince your team to use agile methods?

25:19 – When does it make sense to work in an agile manner?

28:43 – Valuable feedback on agile setups

31:30 – How to run an agile IT transformation in a hybrid setting?

34:00 – When does agile make sense in large IT-scale projects?

36:23 – Best practices for running large scale agile IT projects?

38:37 - How to create transparency during agile projects

40:30 – How to protect the team from too much interference?