InnoTivum

What InnoTivum does

InnoTivum is a sole-proprietor consulting and training firm founded in 2001 in Rheinbreitbach, Germany, by Hans-Bernd Kittlaus. The firm specializes in Software Product Management (SPM) and delivers ISPMA-certified training courses, organizational consulting, and executive coaching to software product companies, software-intensive industrial firms, and enterprise IT organizations. Its client list includes Samsung SDS, IBM, SAP, EdgeVerve (Infosys), Bosch, Lufthansa Systems, Airbus, Materialise, Talend, Marel, Comtrade, Qualco, BearingPoint, and others across Europe, Asia, and North America. The company is an official ISPMA training partner, with the founder serving as a founding member, Chairman Emeritus, and Hall of Fame Member of ISPMA.

The offering portfolio consists of seven training courses (SPM – The Foundation, SPM Excellence modules covering Strategy/Planning/Orchestration, SPM for Startups, Software Tailorability Training, Executive SPM Workshop, and Software Business Primer), two consulting services (SPM Audit and general SPM Consulting covering pricing, organizational design, and change management), and three publisher-distributed books (Springer: SPM 2nd ed. 2022, SPM for Startups 2023, Software Product Management and Pricing 2009) plus a blog. All curriculum is anchored to the ISPMA Body of Knowledge. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; delivery is in-person or online across 15+ countries, supplemented by regional partners (guNaka in India, Product Rocker in Europe).

The business model is professional services: training fees plus consulting fees. There is no software product, no SaaS, no API, no proprietary ML, and no external funding. The company is privately held by the founder as a sole proprietorship (legal name: InnoTivum Consulting Hans-Bernd Kittlaus), with no subsidiaries, no parent company, and no disclosed M&A activity. Headcount is one named team member plus occasional co-trainers (e.g., Dr. Oliver Stiemerling for the Software Tailorability Training). Scale is delivered through the ISPMA referral ecosystem and contracted partner delivery rather than through internal hiring.

Name

InnoTivum

Legal name

InnoTivum Consulting Hans-Bernd Kittlaus

Website

https://innotivum.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

InnoTivum is a Germany-based, sole-proprietor consulting and training firm specializing in ISPMA-certified Software Product Management (SPM) education, consulting, and coaching for enterprise software vendors, software-intensive industrial firms, and corporate IT organizations globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting and Professional Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundational PM & Delivery Methods (Waterfall/Agile/Hybrid) (EDABAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Software Engineering & Application Development Training (Languages, Frameworks, Testing) (BPAEANAI), Vendor/Authorized Certification Training (Microsoft/AWS/Cisco, etc.) (BPAEANAA)

Keywords

• Software product management training
• SPM consulting services
• ISPMA certification training
• Product management certification
• Software product strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Rheinbreitbach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Services: InnoTivum generates revenue through fee-based training programs, including public ISPMA-certified courses (Foundation, Excellence levels, SPM for Startups) and customized in-house corporate training engagements. Training is delivered online and in-person across multiple geographies (Germany, Austria, Denmark, India, etc.).
2. Consulting and Coaching: Revenue is also generated through consulting engagements covering SPM audits, organizational design, pricing optimization, business process management, requirements management, partner selection and management, implementation/change management, and executive coaching.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

InnoTivum delivers fee-based ISPMA-aligned Software Product Management training courses (Foundation, Excellence, SPM for Startups, Software Tailorability, Executive Workshop, Software Business Primer) and consulting engagements (SPM audits, organizational design, pricing optimization, coaching) to enterprise software vendors and software-intensive organizations. The offerings are supplemented by authored publications, including Springer-published textbooks on SPM and software pricing that double as ISPMA-compliant study guides.

Product overview

InnoTivum is a training and consulting company specializing in Software Product Management (SPM). Their portfolio consists of ISPMA-based training courses (SPM – The Foundation, SPM Excellence modules, SPM for Startups, Software Tailorability Training, Executive SPM Workshop, Software Business Primer), consulting services (SPM Audit, organizational consulting, pricing, coaching), and publications (books on SPM, SPM for Startups, Software Pricing, and an SPM Blog). The offerings are interconnected through the ISPMA framework, with training courses designed to prepare participants for ISPMA certification exams, while consulting services help organizations implement SPM practices, and publications serve as study guides and handbooks aligned with the training curriculum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SPM – The Foundation Training ISPMA-based foundational training course covering the core concepts, frameworks, and practices of Software Product Management. Prepares participants for ISPMA Foundation Level certification. Delivered as public training (online and in-person) and in-house corporate training for enterprise software vendors and software-intensive organizations.
• SPM Excellence Training Advanced ISPMA-based training modules covering Excellence in Product Strategy, Excellence in Product Planning, and Excellence in Orchestration. Designed for experienced product managers seeking deeper expertise and ISPMA Excellence Level certification.
• SPM for Startups Training ISPMA-based training module specifically designed for software product managers in startup environments, covering early-stage, growth-stage, and scale-up challenges with focus on experimentation, MVP development, and business model iteration. Also applicable to corporate ventures working in startup mode.
• Software Tailorability Training Two-day training covering customer-specific adaptability of software products from both business and technical perspectives, including configuration, composition, and customization techniques. Co-taught with Prof. Dr. Oliver Stiemerling for the technical perspective.
• Executive SPM Workshop Executive-level workshop on Software Product Management for business leaders and executives responsible for product strategy and organizational setup.
• Software Business Primer Two-day foundational training covering business aspects of software organizations, including software business models, ecosystems, financial perspectives, processes, roles, and interfaces between technical and business functions. Targeted at non-technical executives and managers.
• SPM Audit Analysis and assessment of an organization's Software Product Management capabilities, providing a status report and action plan for optimization based on the SPM Maturity Model developed at Utrecht University.
• SPM Consulting Services Advisory services covering concept and organization setup, pricing optimization, business process management, requirements management, partner selection and management, implementation and change management, and coaching for product managers and heads of SPM units.
• Software Product Management Book (2nd Edition) Comprehensive textbook on Software Product Management published by Springer, aligned with ISPMA Body of Knowledge version 2. Covers product strategy, product planning, strategic management activities, and orchestration of functional units.
• SPM for Startups Book ISPMA-compliant study guide and handbook for software product management in startup environments, co-authored by Hans-Bernd Kittlaus and Haragopal Mangipudi. Covers practitioners in startups and corporate ventures working in startup mode.
• Software Product Management and Pricing Book Comprehensive guide on software product management and pricing strategies, co-authored by Hans-Bernd Kittlaus and Peter N. Clough. Covers key success factors for software organizations including business models, pricing approaches, and market positioning.
• SPM Blog Blog featuring articles and insights on Software Product Management topics, emerging technologies, industry trends, and practical guidance for product managers, authored by Hans-Bernd Kittlaus.

Quantifiable outcome

• McKinsey research cited on the InnoTivum website confirms that quality of product management is one of the four factors with highest impact on business results of a company.

Named customers28 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• guNaka LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaragopal Mangipudi's guNaka LLC, established in the USA and India, is InnoTivum's primary partner for training and consulting in India. guNaka co-organizes ISPMA SPM training events in India (Bangalore, Jaipur) with InnoTivum. Haragopal Mangipudi is also co-author of the 'SPM for Startups' book (2023) and Chairman of ISPMA. The partnership enables InnoTivum to serve the Indian market through local delivery and facilitation.
• Product Rocker (Gregor Marboe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduct Rocker, led by Gregor Marboe (VP Leiter Entwicklung & Professional Services at INFINICA / Qualysoft Group), operates as InnoTivum's partner for training and consulting delivery in Europe, particularly Austria and neighboring German-speaking countries.
• eCambria / Prof. Dr. Oliver StiemerlingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnereCambria systems GmbH (founded by Prof. Dr. Oliver Stiemerling) provides escrow services and IT expert witness services. Dr. Stiemerling co-teaches the Software Tailorability Training (Day 2: Technical Perspective) with Hans-Bernd Kittlaus, bringing expertise in configurable software architecture and customization.
• Oppenhoff & Partner / Dr. Marc HilberminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOppenhoff & Partner (with Dr. Marc Hilber) provides legal advisory services relevant to software product management topics. Dr. Hilber edited 'Handbuch Cloud Computing' (2014) in which InnoTivum contributed a chapter on business models.
• ISPMA (International Software Product Management Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISPMA is a non-profit international association that develops and maintains the SPM Body of Knowledge and certification framework. InnoTivum is an official ISPMA training partner, and Hans-Bernd Kittlaus is a founding member, Chairman Emeritus, and Hall of Fame Member of ISPMA. ISPMA syllabi and curriculum underpin all InnoTivum training modules.
• Springer (Publisher)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHans-Bernd Kittlaus's books (Software Product Management – The ISPMA-Compliant Study Guide and Handbook, 2nd ed., 2022; co-authored Software Product Management and Pricing, 2009; co-authored SPM for Startups, 2023) are published by Springer. The books serve as ISPMA-compliant textbooks and drive awareness of InnoTivum's training offerings.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Reforge: Reforge is a subscription-based product management growth and education platform offering cohort-based courses aimed at senior PMs. It competes with InnoTivum for advanced PM training dollars, primarily via online rather than in-person delivery.
• Pragmatic Institute: Pragmatic Institute provides product management and product marketing training and certification to enterprise teams. It is comparable as a certified-track PM training business competing for the same corporate L&D budgets.
• Mind the Product: Mind the Product is a global product management community and training provider running conferences, workshops, and online courses. It competes directly with InnoTivum in PM skills training, content authority, and event-led go-to-market.
• Product School: Product School is one of the largest global providers of product management training and certification, offering courses, certificates, and corporate training. It is the most direct competitor to InnoTivum's ISPMA-based training and certification model, with a similar enterprise-targeted corporate training motion.
• 280 Group: 280 Group is a product management consulting and training firm offering PM training, consulting, and certifications. It is a direct competitor in the bespoke, enterprise-focused PM advisory and training space that InnoTivum serves.

Emerging players

• ProductLed: ProductLed is a training and consulting firm focused on product-led growth (PLG) methodologies. It is a partial-overlap peer in the PM training/advisory space, with a narrower emphasis on PLG strategies.
• GoPractice: GoPractice provides structured product management training and simulation-based learning for individual PMs. It overlaps with InnoTivum's PM training niche but serves individuals/product managers rather than enterprise cohorts.

Regional players

• Product Management Festival: Product Management Festival organizes the major European PM conference and workshops mostly out of Switzerland and EMEA. It is comparable as a content-led PM training and community brand, primarily serving European enterprise audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Aha!: Aha! is a product management software platform that also publishes extensive methodologies, templates, and training content. It is a broad incumbent in the PM tooling and content space, providing indirect competition to InnoTivum's training and consulting offerings.
• ProductPlan: ProductPlan is a product roadmapping platform that also produces a popular PM resource library and training content. It is comparable as a broader PM thought leader and education provider where enterprise teams source PM best practices.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/hansberndkittlaus

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 InnoTivum