REHAU New Ventures

What REHAU New Ventures does

REHAU New Ventures is the corporate venturing unit of the REHAU Group, a German family-owned industrial conglomerate founded in 1948 by Helmut Wagner in Rehau, Germany. Established in 2021 and operating from Munich (with headquarters relocating in March 2026 to the original REHAU founding site in Rehau), the unit is led by CEO Nils Wagner, grandson of the founder, and runs a small team of 11–50 employees. Its purpose is to drive innovation into the REHAU Group's core polymer, building, and industrial businesses by combining three service lines: Venture Clienting (scouting external startups and piloting them as a first customer against validated pain points inside the Group), Venture Capital (equity investments from Pre-Seed to Seed), and Venture Building (co-creating new ventures for opportunities beyond the core). The unit currently holds five portfolio companies — cMatter (Agentic AI for building energy, Abu Dhabi/US), Kite Compliance (US), ästik (sustainable urban interiors, China), Livlig (gardening brand, Germany), and CoStore (container self-storage, Germany) — and in 2025 identified 53 pain points across REHAU Group divisions, of which six advanced to active pilots. Strategic partnerships include Meraxis Group (polymer distribution pain points), Nuki Home Solutions (ARTEVO smart door integration), and Lio / askLio (AI procurement automation, AI Impact Award 2026).

The business model is fundamentally that of an internal corporate innovation function rather than a standalone revenue-generating business. REHAU New Ventures does not publicly disclose revenue; value is described as indirect, generated through operational improvements, cost savings, and digital transformation across REHAU Group business units (Window Solutions, Interior Solutions, Global Business Services, and related entities such as Meraxis). Pricing of pilot engagements and investments is structured on a case-by-case basis with no public tariffs, and the unit is wholly funded as a cost center by the REHAU Group. Distribution happens in two modes: internally, venture-clienting outputs are deployed across REHAU's global industrial footprint; externally, portfolio ventures reach end markets (consumers, SMBs, and B2B) through their own e-commerce sites (livlig.com, astik-living.com, costore.de) and direct channels. The supporting technology stack is standard SaaS — HubSpot for CRM, Hotjar for analytics, LinkedIn Insight Tag and Microsoft Bing Ads for marketing, Calendly for scheduling, and Microsoft Teams with speech-to-text transcription for internal communication — and there is no proprietary technology platform; the differentiation is in the methodology and the privileged access to a global industrial parent.

Name

REHAU New Ventures

Legal name

New Ventures GmbH

Website

https://rehau-newventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

REHAU New Ventures is the corporate venturing unit of REHAU Group, a German family-owned industrial conglomerate. It drives innovation through Venture Clienting, Venture Capital, and Venture Building, with a portfolio spanning AI energy, sustainability, gardening, and self-storage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Venturing Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Innovation & Technology Scouting Units (with investment mandate) (FSANAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Change Management & Transformation (Org/HR) (BPACAJAD)

Keywords

• Corporate venture capital
• Venture clienting services
• Venture building
• Startup portfolio management
• Corporate innovation scouting

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Clienting: REHAU New Ventures pilots startup solutions as a first customer within the REHAU Group, generating value by solving real business pain points. This creates measurable outcomes for the Group while providing startups with traction needed to grow. Revenue is indirect — generated through operational improvements and cost savings across REHAU business units.
2. Venture Capital: Equity investments in startups that strengthen REHAU's innovation pipeline and future capabilities. Portfolio companies include Cmatter, Kite Compliance, ästik, Livlig, and CoStore. Returns generated through equity appreciation and eventual exits.
3. Venture Building: Co-creates new ventures selectively in areas beyond REHAU's core business, including product development, brand building, and market expansion for ventures such as ästik (sustainable urban living brand), Livlig (gardening brand), and CoStore (container self-storage).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

REHAU New Ventures operates as the Corporate Venturing Unit of the REHAU Group, providing three service lines: Venture Clienting (piloting startup solutions as a first customer within REHAU Group divisions), Venture Capital (equity investments in Pre-Seed to Seed stage startups), and Venture Building (co-creating new ventures beyond the core polymer business). The unit identifies real operational pain points across REHAU Group businesses, scouts matching startups, and integrates validated solutions into the Group's global operations.

Product overview

REHAU New Ventures operates as the Corporate Venturing Unit of the REHAU Group, combining the market power of a global corporation with dynamic startup culture. The organization offers three core service lines: Venture Clienting (piloting startup solutions as a customer), Venture Capital (investing in startups), and Venture Building (co-creating new ventures). The portfolio includes five startup investments: cMatter (AI-powered building energy optimization), Kite Compliance (compliance platform), ästik (sustainable urban interior brand), Livlig (gardening brand), and CoStore (container self-storage). Supporting products include the imPulse podcast series and the Innovation Pioneers Program for internal transformation. Focus areas span mobility, manufacturing, medtech, raw materials, and the built world.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venture Clienting Services Core service where REHAU New Ventures identifies real operational pain points across REHAU Group divisions, scouts suitable startups with market-ready solutions, and pilots them as a first customer. Enables faster implementation, lower risk, and more predictable outcomes compared with in-house R&D.
• Venture Capital Investment service providing equity funding to startups that strengthen REHAU's innovation pipeline and future capabilities. Investments span Pre-Seed to Seed stage companies operating in AI, compliance, sustainable consumer products, and storage.
• Venture Building Selective co-creation service developing new ventures in areas beyond REHAU's core business, including product development, brand building, and market expansion for brands such as ästik (sustainable urban living), Livlig (gardening), and CoStore (container self-storage).
• imPulse Podcast
• Livlig
• CoStore
• ästik
• cMatter
• Kite Compliance

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 pilots initiated from 53 identified pain points in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Meraxis GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026REHAU New Ventures ran a strategic Venture Clienting Kick-Off with Meraxis Group, a polymer distributor facing pressure from sustainability regulations, accelerating material innovation, and unpredictable supply chains. The workshop prioritized 14 pain points down to 4 action fields: Supply Chain Visibility, Smart Inventory Management, Intelligent Sourcing, and Procurement Analytics. REHAU New Ventures is actively scouting startups to address these areas with AI-driven solutions.
• Nuki Home Solutions GmbHcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2026Product integration partnership on the ARTEVO smart door platform developed with REHAU Window Solutions. Smart Privacy switchable glazing now includes door integration that is Matter-compatible, built into the door frame, and works with Nuki smart lock solutions — enabling the glass to automatically become transparent when the door is unlocked.
• 27pilotsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Ronja Stoffregen (Director Corporate Venturing) and Alice Lottes (Director Operations) participated as speakers at the Venture Client Summit hosted by 27pilots during Slush 2025 in Helsinki, sharing insights on building REHAU's Venture Client Unit from scratch.
• BVL - Bundesvereinigung LogistikminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Ronja Stoffregen joined the BVL Congress 2025 in Berlin to discuss how software innovation is reshaping logistics and supply chain management, and to scout startups for digitalization and automation opportunities within the REHAU Group's supply chain.
• Digital Hub Logistics & CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025REHAU New Ventures was part of the logistics innovation wave hosted by Digital Hub Logistics & Commerce in Hamburg, discussing the future of logistics and connecting with startups addressing supply chain digitization.
• ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025REHAU New Ventures participated in an ÖBB-hosted roundtable on Venture Clienting effectiveness and best practices, exchanging experiences with other corporate venture client units on what makes startup-corporate collaboration effective.
• Horizon Deep Tech Summit 2025minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Ronja Stoffregen was a confirmed speaker at the Horizon Deep Tech Summit 2025 in Madrid (November 26-27), discussing deep tech topics including AI across industries, quantum computing, space tech, clean tech, and cybersecurity.
• BayStartUP / Bayern Innovativ GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025REHAU New Ventures participated in BayStartUP's B2B & Industry Demo Day (Echo Effects event) with a reverse pitch presentation by Anja Hornikel, sharing the Venture Clienting approach from pain point identification to international rollout of startup solutions.
• BuildTech VCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025REHAU New Ventures is a corporate partner of BuildTech VC, participating in Plug and Play Summit in Silicon Valley with Simon Ryschka (Managing Director REHAU New Ventures America) representing the firm at sessions on scaling Construction Tech from pilot to playbook.
• Hyundai L&C (Korea)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023REHAU New Ventures connected with Hyundai L&C in Korea as part of international partnership exploration for the HOMEBASE venture and other initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Plug and Play: Plug and Play runs one of the largest corporate-startup matching and acceleration platforms globally. REHAU New Ventures partners with Plug and Play (Simon Ryschka representing at the Silicon Valley Summit) and uses the same venture clienting pipeline model at industrial scale.
• 27pilots: 27pilots is a venture clienting platform and community that pioneered the venture clienting methodology. REHAU New Ventures is a customer/partner of 27pilots' Venture Client Summit at Slush and operates with the same venture clienting thesis, making it the closest methodological peer.
• btov Partners: btov Partners is a European venture capital firm specializing in corporate-backed and industrial CVC relationships. Directly comparable as a specialist in matching industrial corporates with startups through venture clienting structures.
• EnBW New Ventures: EnBW New Ventures is the corporate venturing unit of EnBW, a German energy company, that explicitly uses the venture clienting methodology. Closest functional peer to REHAU New Ventures in DACH industrial CVC space.

Emerging players

• Techstars: Techstars runs global startup accelerators with strong corporate partnerships (e.g. corporate-sponsored accelerator programs). Comparable as an ecosystem player enabling startup-corporate collaboration, though structured differently from REHAU New Ventures' in-house model.

Regional players

• BayStartUP: BayStartUP is Bavaria's flagship startup network running Demo Days and reverse pitch events. REHAU New Ventures actively participates (Anja Hornikel reverse pitch) and is a direct regional ecosystem peer.

Broad incumbents

• BMW i Ventures: BMW i Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of BMW Group, investing in mobility, manufacturing, and sustainability startups. Both are European industrial-family-backed CVCs targeting adjacent industrial pain points through venture clienting and venture capital.
• Schaeffler Venture: Schaeffler runs a corporate venturing program covering mobility and industrial automation investments. Peer in the German industrial Mittelstand CVC category, with comparable pain-point-driven venture clienting motion.
• Bosch Ventures: Bosch Ventures is the corporate venture arm of Bosch Group, investing across mobility, industrial, and consumer domains. Comparable to REHAU New Ventures as a large German industrial CVC with venture clienting capabilities, though at materially greater scale.
• Siemens Next47: Next47 is Siemens' independent corporate venture unit investing in industrial AI, automation, and energy. Similar DACH industrial heritage and venture clienting/venture capital hybrid model, though at substantially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@newventures5525
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rehaunewventures

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments4 records

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

Frequently asked questions about REHAU New Ventures