From Idea to Business.

We're there for you - at every step of the way - from beging to end.

Whether you're just getting started or are in the middle of your project: We will help you approach innovation from a holistic perspective, encompassing the whole value chain - not just the technology side of things.

At every phase, there are unique challenges that come with innovation. We will help you with these and deliver the specific answers and solutions you need at that particular moment.

Good to know:
GAMMA Digital & Beyond doesn't use best practices or a template-best approach. Instead, we customize our offering to your specific needs and objectives - whether it's a workshop, project, or group coaching.

In terms of methodology and format: We are completely agnostic and do not subscribe to a single school of thought. What might work in one scenario, might not work at all in the next. That's why we combine methods and formats that help you achieve your goals in the most effective manner. We regularly adapt proven methods and combine them with new ideas and concepts.

Just drop us a line or give us a call!

sumitomo-workshop
Innovation Bootcamp

Create Awareness

Achieve great things in just a few days.

Keynote Event - A keynote is much more than a fancy show. It's good if you're able to inspire people.

Many strategy events are well-intentioned, but few are actual effective. After a few days, most of the momentum has evaporated. There's a better way! It's not about the location or the good food, but about:

  • the questions of your employees and how you will answer them
  • your objective and how you want to achieve them
  • what each employee can and wants to contribute

Whether you want to entertain or spark inspiration, the format and content are specifically tailored to your event. An entertaining overview of the latest trends or a dramatic ramifications of disruption, both are possible. Or, if you want to be very concrete, we present and deliver the (digital) strategy of your company in a vivid way.

We Deliver

  • Professional Preparation
    
We will coordinate and clarify the goals for your event, the embedding in the goals of the company. We'll collect questions and wishes of the participants and work out a concept to answer these questions - or let the participants work out the answers themselves.
  • An Inspiring Keynote
    
As professional keynote speakers, we present innovation topics like no other company, emotional, inspiring and visual. And we're happy to help put your employees and board members in the spotlight: In interviews, videos, conversation - this is how your strategy and objectives become credible and tangible for everyone to see.
  • Suitable Length & Format
    Panel discussions, endless PowerPoint sagas, monologues - that doesn't have to be that way. We focus on the actions that will help you move your event forward. Even unusual formats or computer-aided group work - you will be amazed how much you can generate in just one day.
  • Beyond the Keynote
    The true value of a good keynote is only seen afterwards. That's why we go beyond the keynote. If you already have an expert on-site, why not take advantage of that? We ensure a follow-up, for the successful start of projects and that participants feel that they have been heard. This is to ensure that the effort wasn't in vain, but the start of a real transformation process.

Format

Die length of the keynote can vary between 20 and 90 minutes, depending on the scope. Even the presentation style can be tailored:

  • The keynote, sets the tone for your event. 
  • A keynote in a TED format stimulates discussions.
  • Together with other presentation, it can serve a specific purpose and provide a panel for interaction.
  • And as a full-length event, it offers inspiring entertainment with many aha moments.

Beyond the Keynote  

  • Conversations and interviews with your leadership - so that you can show them live that you're ahead of the curve.
  • In-depth workshops with smaller groups.
  • Accompanying the event and providing independent feedback (very useful in strategy meetings).
  • Helping you create the event - We'll show you how you can deliver far more value within such an event. 

Results 

  • Goals and objectives will be presented and understood.
  • Employees will be engaged and will actively be involved.
  • Concrete results will be followed up with further projects and activities.

Scope 

Suitable for:    Companies, that want to take transformation serious.
Participants:   anywhere from 50-1,000, or more if you prefer; depending on target audience, management or employees
Duration:      1 to max. 2 days
Location:      world-wide

China Innovation Safari - Discover one of the most innovative markets in the world for yourself.

Many look up to Silicon Valley as a source of inspiration. But real progress can be found in Asia, especially in China. China remains in the top spot, over-taking the rest of the world. Experience one of the most innovative markets in the world up close.

Rank (2018)CompanyRegionMarket Value ($B)
(30/05/2018)
1.AppleUSA$924
2.AmazonUSA$783
3.MicrosoftUSA$753
4.Google / AlphabetUSA$739
5.FacebookUSA$538
6.AlibabaChina$509
7.TencentChina$483
8.NetflixUSA$152
9.Ant FinancialChina$150
10.ebay + PayPal*USA$133
11.Booking HoldingsUSA$100
12.Salesforce.comUSA$94
13.BaiduChina$84
14.XiaomiChina$75
15.UberUSA$72
16.Didi ChuxingChina$56
17.JD.comChina$52
18.AirbnbUSA$31
19.Meituan-DianpingChina$30
20.ToutiaoChina$30
Source: CapIQ, CB Insights, Wall Street Journal, media reports. *eBay + PayPal combined for comparison purposes though PayPal spun-off of eBay on 7/20/15. Market value data as of 5/29/18. The Wall Street Journey, Recode, TechCrunch, Reuters, and the Information articles detail the latest valuations for Ant Financial (4/18), Xiaomi (5/18), Uber (2/18), Didi Chuxing (12/17), Airbnb (3/17), Meituan-Dianping (10/17), and Toutiao (12/17).

The pace of innovation in China is breathtaking. It's impressive to see how fast the infrastructure and the service industry is growing. Germany and other countries shouldn't fall behind, but instead combine their market-leading competencies with those of China.

On our China Innovation Safari you will get an exclusive look behind the scenes. Get to know the movers and shakers of the Chinese tech scene, from digital pioneers to the hidden champions.

In addition, grow your network of companies and executives from the Chinese tech scene.

You will get

  • Company Visits & 1:1s with Top Managers
    Through the various company visits, you will gain valuable insights that will inspire you to develop your own strategies, products and services. We'll guarantee exclusive presentations and 1:1s with top decision makers.
  • 1/2 Day Chinese Crash Course
    Before we head off to China, we will make sure you're well prepared by giving you a crash course in Chinese culture, business etiquette and the Dos & Don'ts.
  • Professional Organization & Program Management
    A perfectly organized 4-day trip to China where you will get to know the (digital) pioneers and hidden champions of the Republic
  • Socializing & Sightseeing
    During your whole trip, we'll not only take care of all your needs and your well-being, but will also ensure that you have plenty of time to discover some of cultural highlights before you head back home.

Results

  • Hand-On experience with the innovation motor of the world.
  • Visits 6-8 leading (tech) companies.
  • 1:1 (and Q&A) with the top management of the respective companies.
  • Networking between your managers and the Chinese top managers.

Scope 

Suitable for:     Companies that would like to explore the most innovative hotspot and expand their network into China
Participants:    min. 3-5 (optimal: 10-15), middle/executive management, (CxO)
Duration:    5 days / 4 nights (Sunday - Thursday)
Location:       China

Workshop Formats

Various methods in new formats.

Innovation Bootcamp - Experience the innovation process in three day.

You have never experienced innovation so thoroughly: an explosive mix of external input and your own hard work takes you through the innovation process in just three days. Faced pace, lots of information and tangible, concrete results: The GAMMA Innovation Bootcamp!

By the way, the Innovation Boot Camp would be an ideal start before continuing with an actual project (ALPHA to GAMMA). This gives your project team a solid understand of the GAMMA methodology, enabling them to hit the ground running. In addition, the Bootcamp would also deliver initial ideas and prototypes, which then form the basis for the subsequent project phases (ALPHA to GAMMA). 

Agenda

 
1. Day: SEE Tank 
Future Foresight | Market Trends | Start-ups 
 
Three selected startups from your sector will show your team how they see the market and solve the industry challenges. Experts will give you a fresh new look at the market and its technology. Learn how startups and innovators think and work.
  • Streamlined overview of current trends and technologies
  • An overview of potential medium- to long-term market scenarios and competitors
  • Learn agile methodologies, tools & mindsets
  • Forms of cooperations between startups and SMEs along with real-life examples
  • Presentation and networking with startups from your industry
  • Socializing event including dinner

2. Day: THINK Tank
Empathy | Ideation | Evaluation

You will get to know the basics of Design Thinking and Lean Startup and apply them directly to your challenges. No endless presentations, just straight to work, directly and practically applying the methods.

  • Overview and application of Design Thinking methods (Empathy, Ideation)
  • Discover and structure pain points (Empathy Mapping) 
  • Involve heterogeneous stakeholders in the development of ideas
  • Develop, evaluate, prioritize new ideas
  • Socializing event including dinner and keynote

3. Day: DO Tank
Rapid Prototyping | User Testing | Business Modelling

You'll team will work on their ideas, develop the supporting business model and create their own pitch. The culmination will be a presentation of their ideas in front of a professional jury.

  • Overview of Lean Startup methodologies and mindset, rapid prototyping, and business modelling
  • A clear understanding and practical application of the Build-Measure-Learn cycle 
  • Hypothesis building
  • Live testing and validation of prototypes

Results

Your team will work through their ideas, create a viable business model and design their own investor pitch. The end result will be a presentation of their ideas in front of a professional jury.

  • An overview of Lean Startup methodologies, rapid prototyping, and business modeling
  • A clear understanding and practical application of the Build-Measure-Learn cycle 
  • Creating and building testing hypothesis
  • Live testing and validation of prototypes

Scope

Suitable for:    Companies that would like to discover new markets and develop new products
Participants:   8-12, ideally from different departments and devisions
Duration:      3 days
Location:      mostly in Berlin, but various other location after consultation

Lean Strategy - Develop a clear, but flexible strategy.

How do you define a (digital) strategy if you do not know what the future holds? Many companies have difficulty defining goals and the way forward because technology and markets are change at an enormous pace. But without a clear strategy, your transformation projects will not be very efficient. Strategy without entrepreneurship is central planning. Entrepreneurship without strategy leads to chaos.

The solution: We combine the top-down with the bottom-up approach. Integrating the bottom-up approach of lean startup with the top-down approach of strategic management protects you against the extremes of rigid planning and unrestrained experimentation.

This leads to:

  • minimal effort
  • a flexible strategy that is able to adapt to your circumstances and environment 
  • agile execution instead of a rigid 5-year plan (those times are over!) 


The things we will develop together

  • We'll identify possible future scenarios
  • Look at trends and customer expectations 
  • Assess your current situation and your current strategy
  • Identify gaps and possible shortcomings in your current strategy
  • Jointly develop a 360° view (internal / external / customers)
  • Analyze your innovation value chain


Results

  • Your own vision for your company
  • A roadmap and how you will achieve these goals
  • Recommendations for the new strategic direction
  • Quick-wins, with which you can capitalize, bringing momentum into your company

Scope 

Suitable for:    Companies that would like to quickly define which direction they should take
Participants:   min. 4, often 6-8; middle/executive management, (CxO)
Duration:      1 day
Location:      where ever it's suitable for you (but preferably not at your location)

Kill Your Company - Identify and evaluate threats for your company and use them to your advantage.
Somewhere out there, there's a competitor lurking in the shadows who can kill your business. He is faster, more agile, more customer-centric - or he just has a new take on things. And you are trapped in your existing structures, processes and thought patterns and can't do anything about it...
 
This is the "Innovator's Dilemma" that Clayton Christensen described and that leaves you open to disruption. But that doesn't have to happen to you. Start thinking about where your business model is vulnerable and take advantage of these opportunities now, before someone else does!
 

Agenda 

  • Creative Destruction: We'll take on the role of the competitor and undermine your own business to see how your own business is destroyed.
  • We'll identify the weaknesses of your core business.
  • We'll work out Best Case & Worst Case scenarios to show you the possible future scenarios.
  • We follow up with you and (if desired) implement the insights we gained. 
 
Results
 
  • A practical solution to the „Innovator’s Dilemma“.
  • Insights on who you can best cannibalize your business.
  • Concrete countermeasures and ways to successfully revolutionize your business and where necessary cannibalize it.
  • And we'll help you implement it as well. 

Scope 

Suitable for:    Companies that rather actively disrupt themselves, than to wait for a disruptive attack
Participants:   6-10, middle and executive management, executive board (CxO), along with 2-3 people from other departments
Duration:       2-3 days
Location:    often Berlin, but different locations possible after consultation

Specific Formats

Expand your company's capabilities within just a
few days or months and improve your competitive edge.

Design Sprint - Develop and test your new product or idea in just five days.
Why does product development always take so long? How do tech companies manage to bring new products to market so much faster? One answer is "design sprints". This method, originally developed at Google's research lab, Google X, goes through a complete innovation cycle in just one week - a very intense week.
 
We have adapted the approach for SMEs. Now you can get from idea to a validated product in just one week! Your team independently develops a visual prototype for a product, a service or process. We then test this prototype with the help of real customers and potential users.
 
In short: Instead spending months in product development, you develop a concrete prototype of a finished product in just 5 days in order to test the feedback of the users. This give a clarity before you make expensive investments. 
 

Agenda

Results
 
  • Tangible prototypes or further development of a product and its validation with real customers.
  • Hard evidence from the market for Go/No-Go decision for the project or product.
  • With "Design Sprints" you can close the gap between your SME company and new markets as well as start-ups.
  • You can then continue to use thus method in your company in order to quickly develop products and service and accelerate the overall pace of innovation.   

Scope 

Suitable for:  Companies that would like to increase their pace in product and idea development, instead of waiting for the competition to overtake them.
Participants: 4–7, ideally a heterogenous team (decision maker, product manager, engineer, marketing, operations…)
Duration:    5 whole days, Monday to Friday (Arrival on Sunday recommended)
Location:    Berlin, but other locations possible

GAMMA Innovation Kickbox - Expand your capabilities! Activate the innovation potential of all your employees.
There are clear procedures in corporations with which employees can contribute their ideas. Many companies are also very good at implementing this feedback from their employees to improve their existing products. 
 

The Problem 

 
Disruptive ideas have no chance in such companies, because the chances of success are uncertain or there's no prior experience with implementation. For this reason, many large corporations such as Daimler or BASF outsource the search for new business models by investing in start-ups through their own venture capital companies.
 
But those companies who do use the innovative potential of their own employees, leave this great source of opportunity untapped. There are more good ideas in the minds of your employees than you suspect. Nobody knows your company, its products and its customers better than you - a critical asset for developing ideas with great market potential. Plus: Innovation coming from your own company is a signals to other employees that to actively participate. 
 

The Solution 

 
The GAMMA Innovation Kickbox solves this problem. The company Adobe originally developed the Kickbox for itself and made it accessible to the public out of its own conviction. We tailored Adobe's Kickbox for regional markets and industries.
 

GAMMA Innovation Kickbox 

 
The principle is simple: Every employee who has a good idea or simply wants to try it out, gets a Kickbox. A box in your corporate design that contains everything you need to start:
 
  • A detailed, 6-step process, an easy-to-understand guide for employees to independently discover product ideas, test the customer acceptance and assess its business potential. 
  • A coupon for personal coaching session and support from GAMMA during the whole process. 
  • A debit card with € 1,000 for any costs incurred. 
  • And because innovation requires sugar and caffeine: A chocolate bar and a coupon for Starbucks.

 

The goal of the Kickbox, by the way, is the next level - the mysterious Red Box (or Project Box). While the Kickbox is available to everyone and contains standardized content, the Project Box is a tailor-made package for the most successful ideas. From here on, an employee can work directly with a manager on his idea.
 
This seemingly unusual concept has a lot of advantages. They tap into the innovation potential of your company that is otherwise hardly utilized. You change the culture towards more innovation and entrepreneurship, filling your innovation pipeline more quickly and inexpensively with new ideas and concepts. 
 
And compared to traditional approaches, Kickboxing uses proven GAMMA methods from Silicon Valley to reduce costs and increases the chances of success! 
 

Your Benefits

  • A proven process to establish a comprehensive innovation management.
  • A way to increase the quality and quantity of innovations.
  • The ability to efficiently test a large number of existing ideas in your company. 
  • Better use of untapped potential.
  • Strong cultural change towards an active culture of innovation.
  • Identify and validate ideas with great potential and put them on the fast track.
  • Empower existing employees to become more creative, effective and committed.
  • Identify and activate undiscovered innovators.

 

Scope 

Suitable for:  Companies that want to active their own potential.
Participants: No matter if you have 10 or 10,000 employees, the Kickbox is scalable.
Duration:       1-2 day Kick-off, duration at least 6 months
Location:     in your company

Projects

From ALPHA (α) to GAMMA (γ) -

Projects ranging from developing new
business models to enabling your entire organization.

Idea to Business (Phase ALPHA) - Create new and economically viable business models in just a few months.
Do you want to quickly develop new products and services and test them immediately for its potential? That can be done. Our structured innovation process is the first phase and only takes about 4-5 months. And yet it contains everything you need for new offerings.
 
In this phase ALPHA we will quickly identify new and potentially disruptive business models and/or competitors in the market, in order to quickly adapt your own business models to corresponding changes in the market.
 
In the medium to long term, innovation needs be treated holistically, i.e. both with regard to the upstream and downstream value chain and internally at your company. External support and consulting services should therefore explicitly serve as a "booster" for the independent implementation of innovation projects and for the independent development and execution of new, digital business models.
 
This approach can be used very broadly - we have conducted empathic in-depth interviews with clients in Europe, Asia and America in the past in order to develop new innovative products and services.
 
In addition, you won't just have a series of valuable ideas, but your employees will also have learned how this process works and are able to use it in other parts of your organization. That is sustainable improvement!  
 

What you can Expect 

 

Capabilities
 
  • Identify, validate and develop long-term, sustainable business models
  • Identify relevant start-up activities in the market for the development of a relevant ecosystems and potential M&A candidates
  • A concrete business proposal incl. a strategic an operational approach in regards to future innovation activities and rapid implementations of selected key areas.
 
Organizational
  • Enable a first team of 2-3 people to learn the basic competencies through active participation in the GAMMA process. Optionally, this phase ALPHA lays the ground work for the future establishment of a fully independent innovation unit.
  • Teach and transfer the ability to quickly and consistently adapt business models, processes and structures (agility), thus changing your corporate culture/DNA. 
  • Successively transfer initial lighthouse projects to your core business and thus building the bridge to your core business. 

 

What you can Expect 

  • A team well-versed in innovation that has learned all important methods and processes from idea development to the finished business model and have launched new products.
  • An initial overview of relevant trends, technologies and start-ups.
  • Deep understanding of relevant customer needs.
  • Launch of viable products & services that satisfy these needs (100 or more ideas are quite common in this stage).
  • A selection of the best ideas (a handful of top ideas)
  • First prototypes
  • Acquisition of initial pilot customers (important for the later implementation and development of an MVP).
  • Validation of these ideas through direct customer feedback.
  • Create business models for the most successful ideas.

Scope 

Suitable for:  Companies that want to exploit new markets and develop new products. 
Participants: 8-12, preferable from different departments and divisions
Duration:    3 days
Location:    often Berlin, but other locations after consultations

Creating MVPs (Phase BETA) - Bring your ideas to life and market.
In Phase ALPHA (Idea to Business) you will have developed and tested ideas. Now, in this BETA phase we are jointly developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This minimum product offers only the most important and viable features of the final product. But we can quickly test it with actual paying customers and it's easy to develop without the need for time-consuming market surveys.
 
As with phase ALPHA, you will not only end up with a series of viable product ideas, but you will have taught your employees the basics of agile development and market launch. This transfer of this first lighthouse project also builds the essential bridge to your core business and organization.
 
 

The BETA Phase Includes

 
  • Defining the core functionality of the product to be tested.
  • Preparing of the development roadmap.
  • Assembling the developer and operations team.
  • The development of MVP(s).
  • Acquisition of pilot customers (before the actual market test).
  • Launch into the market (with new or existing customers).
  • Establishing Solution/Market Fit (does the solution really fit the needs of the market).
  • Iterative development of the MVPs towards a market-ready product.
  • Preparation of all sales and marketing-relevant materials.

 

Results

 
  • A number of products/services (MVPs) that fit the target market and customer.
  • First pilot customers who are already actively using the product.
  • The ability to (further) develop products and services using agile and iterative methods.
  • A team that can drive these products to market maturity.
 

Scope 

Suitable for: Companies that want to develop ideas and launch them into the market.
Participants:   Dev Ops team, as well as a small project team. 
Duration:   3-6 months 
Location:   In Ihrem Unternehmen und weltweit bei Ihren Kunden

Create an Innovation Unit (Phase GAMMA) - Sustainably embed innovation in the DNA of your company.
Up to this phase, we have developed ideas, validated them and brought them to market maturity. But if you really want to transform your company, you will have to be capable to do it all on your own in the long run, without the help of GAMMA or other external partners. This is the primary objective of phase GAMMA. This phase contains everything you need to make your company sustain the innovativ capability with its own innovation unit.  

 

Objectives of the Innovation Unit

 
Innovation units are not prestige projects or "dream factories", but essential to the success and further development of your company.
  • Coordination of all innovation projects and initiatives.
  • Catalysing and coordinating innovation management within the company.
  • Manage, develop and implement all disruptive ideas.
  • Involve of external partners, networking with the start-ups and employees from various departments and divisions in order to continuously generate new ideas that create sustainable value.
  • Increase the attractiveness of your company for young talents.

Results

  • A fully functional and independent innovation unit. We will have enabled you to independently drive innovation without the help of external support and consulting services. 
  • Trained employees and a core team that have all the innovation skills to to from initial customer pain point to product on their own. 
  • Effective evaluation and management of your innovation projects. 

Scope 

Suitable for:    Companies that want to transform themselves and make the innovation culture sustainable throughout the organization
Participants:   Innovation team (project-, innovation- & product managers, development/IT, marketing)
Duration:      6 Monate
Location:      In Ihrem Unternehmen oder in einem Lab

Notice:
This module is the logical step after Phase ALPHA (Idea to Business) or Phase BETA (Construction of MVPs).

Holistic

Customer-Centric

Agile