What ASCon Systems does

ASCon Systems is a Stuttgart-based software company founded in 2017 that develops a model-based low-code platform for industrial digital transformation. The company's product is positioned as an alternative to traditional hand-coded industrial application development, using a model-driven approach that enables manufacturing and operations teams to build custom applications more quickly and with less specialized engineering effort. The platform targets enterprise customers in manufacturing operations, process automation, and digital change projects, addressing the technical barrier many industrial firms face when standing up custom operations software. The product competes in a market segment adjacent to large incumbents such as Dassault Systèmes' DELMIA, but differentiates through a low-code, model-based architecture intended to compress implementation timelines.

The business operates a subscription-based software licensing revenue model with a sales-led go-to-market motion directed at enterprise manufacturing and operations buyers. The company is privately held and backed by BMW i Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of BMW Group, which invested in November 2023. The company is founder-led, with Kilian Grefen and Alexander von Klein serving as co-founders and managing directors. ASCon Systems has scaled to over 100 employees since inception and operates from its Stuttgart headquarters within the broader German startup and Mittelstand industrial ecosystem.

The company's vertical focus is narrow and specific: it serves manufacturing operations customers undertaking digital transformation, and its value proposition centers on reducing complexity and time-to-market for custom industrial applications. Publicly available information is limited — no customer logos, no disclosed revenue, no product SKUs, and no pricing details are in the source data — so the investment profile is best understood as a venture-stage industrial software vendor with strategic corporate backing but limited financial transparency.

Name

ASCon Systems

Legal name

ASCon Systems

Website

https://ascon-systems.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ASCon Systems is a Stuttgart-based software company founded in 2017 that develops a model-based low-code platform for manufacturing and operations digital transformation, serving enterprise industrial customers through a subscription-based software licensing model and sales-led go-to-market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Manufacturing Operations Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific Low-Code Platforms (Vertical App Platforms) (HDAEAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Low-Code/No-Code Application Platforms (HDAEAKAA), Process & Case Management Low-Code Platforms (HDAEAKAE), Low-Code/No-Code Application Development & Modernization (BPAEAFAF)

Keywords

• Model-based software
• Low-code platform
• Manufacturing software
• Digital transformation
• Process automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: Model-based low-code software provider generating revenue through software licensing and subscription models

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

ASCon Systems develops and sells a model-based low-code software platform that enables manufacturing and operations teams to rapidly build custom applications for digital transformation. The software targets companies in manufacturing sectors seeking to streamline application development and reduce the complexity of digital change initiatives. Revenue is generated through software licensing and subscription models.

Product overview

ASCon Systems is a model-based low-code software company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Founded in 2017, the company employs over 100 people and has received backing from BMW i Ventures. The specific products and modules offered are not detailed in the available source data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Model-Based Low-Code Software Platform

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• OutSystems: OutSystems is a leading low-code application platform serving enterprise customers across industries including manufacturing. It directly competes with ASCon Systems' model-based low-code platform for application development and modernization budgets.
• Mendix (Siemens Digital Industries): Mendix, owned by Siemens, is a low-code platform widely adopted in European manufacturing and industrial settings. It is one of the most direct competitors to ASCon's model-driven approach for industrial digital transformation.
• Appian: Appian offers a low-code platform with strong process and case management capabilities. It competes with ASCon in the process automation and digital transformation space targeting manufacturing and operations teams.
• Pega Systems: Pega provides a low-code platform for digital process automation and CRM, with manufacturing-relevant use cases. It is a comparable low-code/process-management peer for ASCon's target buyer profile.

Broad incumbents

• Microsoft Power Platform: Microsoft's Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate) is a broad low-code suite deeply embedded in enterprise IT stacks. It serves as the dominant incumbent low-code option many manufacturers evaluate against ASCon.
• SAP Build / SAP Low-Code: SAP's low-code/extension platform is embedded in the dominant ERP stack used by European manufacturers. It is a broad incumbent alternative ASCon must displace in enterprise sales cycles.
• ServiceNow App Engine: ServiceNow's low-code App Engine targets enterprise process automation across manufacturing and operations. It competes for the same digital transformation budget as ASCon within large industrial customers.

Regional players

• Betty Blocks: Betty Blocks is a Dutch low-code platform provider with strong presence in the Benelux and DACH regions. It is a regional comparable offering citizen development and enterprise low-code capabilities similar to ASCon.
• Camunda: Camunda is a Berlin-based process orchestration and workflow automation vendor. It overlaps with ASCon's process-management angle for manufacturing digital transformation, and is a comparable German-headquartered scale-up.
• LeanIX: LeanIX is a Bonn-based enterprise SaaS vendor serving large manufacturers with IT and transformation management. While not a direct low-code peer, it is a comparable German B2B SaaS scale-up with similar enterprise-manufacturing customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ASCon Systems