Brain of Materials

What Brain of Materials does

Brain of Materials AG is a privately held German B2B SaaS company headquartered in Mönchengladbach that operates a cloud-based platform for the digitalisation, automation, and networking of materials quality assurance, sampling, and approval workflows in industrial supply chains. The company was founded around 2020 within the imat-uve group, became an independent entity in December 2021 under founder/CEO Hans Peter Schlegelmilch and co-founder/CFO Eva Daems-Trienekens, and operates under the German Aktiengesellschaft (AG) corporate form. Its platform targets automotive OEMs, Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers, raw material manufacturers, and compounders, with extension into aerospace, medical devices, packaging, fashion, and furniture verticals.

The core of the platform is a proprietary TestID (TID) framework: a hierarchical, machine-readable identifier system (Methods to Procedures to Parameters/Results) that functions as the BusinessKey within the VDA 231-301 standard for machine-readable material test data exchange. Around TestID, the company has built six modular services: the Product Organizer (AI-assisted legacy data conversion and master data management), the Material and Part Release Manager (offered in manufacturer-side and customer/OEM-side variants to digitise APQP/PPAP workflows and generate ISIR/PPAP packages per OEM template), the Marketing and Sales Assistant (network listing and lead intelligence when OEM/Tier-1 engineers engage with materials), the Material Finder (search and comparison with TestID-referenced properties and natural-language input), Material Scout (innovation and ESG-aware material scouting), and a network of 50+ accredited testing laboratories that receive structured TestID-based orders. TISAX and ISO 9001:2015 certifications support enterprise-grade data handling aligned with IATF 16949 audit documentation.

The business model combines B2B SaaS subscriptions (quote-based enterprise pricing, no public price points), transaction-fee revenue from facilitating accredited laboratory commissioning, and professional services for onboarding and integration with CAQ, PLM, and ERP systems. Go-to-market is sales-led and enterprise-focused, anchored by OEM relationships with Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, Lotus, and Rolls Royce, alongside material manufacturer logos including LyondellBasell, LG Chem, Mitsubishi Chemical, Lotte Chemical, TotalEnergies, and Asahi KASEI. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales, webinar-driven inside sales, a self-serve registration funnel (db.brainofmaterials.com), heavy trade-show presence (K, IAA, CES, INTERZUM, Techtextil, Salone del Mobile), and association-driven ecosystem reach through Catena-X, C2C NGO, VDA, INAM, Kunststoffland NRW, prostep IVIP, ColorNetWork, and ivgt e.V.

Name

Brain of Materials

Legal name

Brain of Materials AG

Website

https://brainofmaterials.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brain of Materials AG is a German B2B SaaS platform that digitalises material sampling, approval, and quality assurance workflows for automotive OEMs, Tier-1/2 suppliers, and material manufacturers using its proprietary TestID framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Materials Lifecycle Management Software

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Testing, Inspection, Certification & Commissioning (TICx) Technical Services (BPAHAIAL)

Keywords

• Materials data management
• Supply chain approval
• Digital material specifications
• Automotive APQP workflow
• Lab testing marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Mönchengladbach

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. B2B SaaS subscriptions: Brain of Materials describes itself as a 'B2B SaaS platform' (per FAQ) delivering digitalised materials quality assurance and sampling workflow automation to OEMs, Tier-1/-2 suppliers, material manufacturers, and compounders. Recurring subscription-based revenue likely with role-based access (material engineering, sales, quality, external collaborators). Free platform registration is offered but full functionality (release manager, structured data exchange, lead intelligence) is gated.
2. Accredited laboratory commissioning facilitation: Platform facilitates direct commissioning of testing services from a network of 50+ accredited laboratories. Laboratory participation is free for the labs themselves, suggesting the platform takes a transaction/marketplace-style cut on lab testing revenue rather than charging labs a subscription.
3. Professional services (webinars, onboarding, integration consulting): Complimentary webinar-based onboarding and demonstration, with bespoke integration consulting around CAQ, PLM, and ERP systems; supports one-time implementation and integration engagements alongside recurring subscriptions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Brain of Materials is a B2B SaaS platform that digitalises and automates materials quality assurance, supplier approval, and sampling (APQP/PPAP) workflows across the supply chain. The platform uses a proprietary TestID (TID) framework to encode machine-readable material test specifications aligned with the VDA 231-301 standard, enabling OEMs, Tier-1/-2 suppliers, material manufacturers, and compounders to manage material data, commission accredited testing laboratories, validate results, and discover approved materials in a single structured network.

Product overview

Brain of Materials is a B2B SaaS platform that digitalises and automates the entire materials quality assurance and sampling process across the supply chain, built around a core platform and six modular services: Material & Part Release Manager (offered to both manufacturers/suppliers and customers/OEMs), Product Organizer, Marketing & Sales Assistant, Material Finder, and Material Scout. The Product Organizer functions as the master data layer feeding the other modules; the Material & Part Release Manager (manufacturer view) handles outbound APQP/PPAP sampling while the customer-side release manager handles inbound approvals; the Marketing & Sales Assistant converts released material data into a measurable sales channel; the Material Finder enables TestID-comparable sourcing and search for Tier suppliers and OEMs; and the Material Scout supports innovation and sustainability scouting. The TestID (TID) is the proprietary machine-readable identifier that underpins all modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Material & Part Release Manager End-to-end digital APQP/PPAP approval module available to both manufacturers/compounders (outbound sampling) and OEMs/Tier suppliers (inbound approval). Configures TestID-based test plans in under five minutes, commissions accredited laboratories from the network, returns structured results mapped to TestIDs, validates against acceptance criteria, and auto-generates initial sample test reports per OEM template (Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, etc.).
• Product Organizer Centralised, structured material data management module that uses AI-based text and structural analysis to convert legacy PDF/Excel/proprietary data sheets into version-controlled, queryable master records with retrospective TestID assignment. Acts as the master data layer feeding the other platform services.
• Marketing & Sales Assistant Customer engagement and lead intelligence layer that lists approved materials in the Brain of Materials network, notifies suppliers when Tier-1 or OEM material engineers search for, view, or evaluate their materials, and ensures data sheets in customer conversations are always current.
• Material Finder Unified discovery and comparison tool for Tier-1/Tier-2 suppliers and OEMs that searches the network by name, application, property range, or specification reference, compares materials on TestID-referenced data, supports natural-language requirement input, and surfaces approval status against OEM specifications.
• Material Scout Innovation and sustainability scouting tool that surfaces new and emerging materials added to the network, filters on ESG attributes (bio-based, recycled content, CO2 footprint, regional sourcing), compares candidates against incumbents on TestID-referenced data, and hands promising candidates directly into the Release Manager workflow.
• Brain of Materials Platform (Web Application) Core SaaS platform accessible via the Brain of Materials database, providing registration, login, materials search, and serving as the operational infrastructure underlying all of the platform services. Hosted at db.brainofmaterials.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 45% efficiency gain in the initial digitalisation phase for customers
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability12 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• ivgt e.V. (Industrieverband Veredlung, Garne, Gewebe, Technische Textilien)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Brain of Materials co-hosted the Application Forum at Techtextil 2026 at Messe Frankfurt exhibition grounds with ivgt e.V., the German textile industry association, focused on digital specifications for sustainable textile approvals.
• Kunststoffland NRW e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022Brain of Materials AG is a member of Kunststoffland NRW e.V., the plastics industry association in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Joined around K 2022 (October 2022); also interviewed Dr. Ron Brinitzer (Managing Director of Kunststoffland NRW e.V.) on the K 2022 trade fair.
• Getzner Textil AGminorOthers · 1 October 2022Getzner Textil AG uses Brain of Materials as a SMART MATERIAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT service. World's leading manufacturer of sophisticated African fashion damasks and a key supplier of fashion textiles for shirts/blouses, corporate fashion, and technical textiles.
• Cradle to Cradle NGO (C2C NGO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2022Brain of Materials AG is a partner of the Cradle to Cradle NGO, with attendance at the C2C Summer Reception at the C2C Head Office in Berlin on 22 June 2022. The partnership supports circular-economy material data exchange and is featured in Brain of Materials' website footer.
• Catena-XflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022Brain of Materials AG is a member of the Catena-X automotive data ecosystem, announced at the VDA-Mittelstandstag (SME Day) on 17/18 May 2022. Catena-X provides a rapidly scalable, expandable ecosystem in which all participants in the automotive value chain can participate equally, with the goal of providing an environment for building, operating, and collaboratively using end-to-end data chains.
• Indorama Mobility GroupcoreOthers · 1 May 2022Indorama Mobility and Brain of Materials have agreed on a materials partnership (announced May 2022). Frank Leymann (Indorama) cited: 'Marketing and sales at INDORAMA Mobility are to become significantly more digital in the future.'
• INAM (Innovation Network for Advanced Materials)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrain of Materials is a member/partner of INAM (Berlin), featured in the website footer 'We are part of' logo block. INAM is an innovation network for advanced materials, providing ecosystem access for materials startups and scale-ups.
• VDA (Verband der Automobilindustrie)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participant in VDA e.V. activities including Mittelstandstag 2022, VDA SME Day 2024, and VDA Technical Congress (VDATK23). Brain of Materials has 'close engagement with the VDA itself' and actively participates in the development of the VDA 231-301 recommendation for standardised, machine-readable material test data exchange. The TestID functions as a BusinessKey within the VDA 231-301 framework.
• prostep IVIPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrain of Materials is a member/partner of prostep IVIP, a leading industry association for product data and process digitalisation. Featured in the website footer 'We are part of' logo block.
• ColorNetWorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrain of Materials is a partner of ColorNetWork, a colour management network. Featured in the website footer and on the Textile/Furniture solutions page.
• INTERREGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerINTERREG logo is featured on the Brain of Materials home page and the Textile/Furniture solutions page, indicating a project-level partnership (likely the cross-border 'MG-zieht-an' engagement with Mönchengladbach/Rhenish Revier referenced in news).
• EnvisionscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDesign studio Envisions co-produces The Material Lookout, Brain of Materials' monthly content series covering material potential, sustainability, and design. Each issue credits Envisions for art direction/visuals and Brain of Materials for the platform. Active since at least 2020.
• imat-uve groupminorOthersimat-uve group was the former parent of Brain of Materials. Since December 2021, Brain of Materials is no longer part of the imat-uve group and operates as an independent company under the leadership of Hans Peter Schlegelmilch.
• VolkswagenflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive OEM partnership; Volkswagen speakers (e.g., Dr. Thomas Taddigs) presented the VW perspective on sampling and material approval for sustainable textiles at the Techtextil 2026 Application Forum co-hosted by Brain of Materials. Volkswagen Produktfreigabe status is visible in the Material Finder.
• BMWflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive OEM partnership; Brain of Materials officially supports the BMW GS 93016 approval process for thermoplastic materials, with proven direct structured data transmission of approval data to the responsible BMW department in live production use by multiple raw material manufacturers.
• Mercedes-BenzflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive OEM partnership; Brain of Materials supports the Mercedes-Benz DBL 1232 (exterior thermoplastics), DBL 1224 (interior thermoplastics), and DBL 1262 (thermoplastic elastomers) approval processes as digital specifications with integrated QEV-Number and product version tools.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrain of Materials hosted the project group from the GIZ program 'Sustainable Pakistan - Improvement of Labor and Environmental Standards in Pakistan's Textile Industry (TextILES)' in July 2023. The GIZ program is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
• OlfasenseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHP Schlegelmilch (Chairman and CEO of Brain of Materials AG) was the keynote speaker at the Olfasense Odour-PM-Workshop-2022 in April 2022, presenting on the benefits of digital end-to-end processes in material release and material promotion.
• ELIX-PolymersminorOthersELIX-Polymers presented E-LOOP 801 MR (high-gloss recycled-content polymer) at INTERZUM 2023 in Cologne, where Brain of Materials also exhibited. Brain of Materials featured the high-gloss surface despite high recycled content as a sustainability showcase.
• StellantisflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarkus Koretz (Stellantis) presented the OEM perspective on material approval workflows and integration of sustainable textiles at the Techtextil 2026 Application Forum co-hosted by Brain of Materials, ivgt e.V., Volkswagen.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• PTC (Windchill): PTC Windchill is a major enterprise PLM platform used in automotive and industrial OEMs, with materials data, BOM and supplier collaboration capabilities that overlap with Brain of Materials' materials and supplier approval workflow. It is a broad incumbent rather than a direct competitor in the niche of machine-readable material test specifications.
• Aras Innovator: Aras Innovator is an open-source enterprise PLM platform used by automotive, aerospace and industrial manufacturers for BOM, supplier and materials management. It overlaps with Brain of Materials in the materials and supplier approval workflow space, but serves a much broader PLM scope.
• Siemens Digital Industries Software (Teamcenter): Siemens Teamcenter is the dominant enterprise PLM platform, with materials data and BOM management functionality used across automotive, aerospace and industrial OEMs. It is a broad incumbent that could absorb parts of Brain of Materials' value proposition (material data, approvals, supplier workflows) if it deepens machine-readable materials test data support.
• Dassault Systèmes (ENOVIA / CATIA): Dassault's 3DEXPERIENCE platform (ENOVIA, CATIA) is the leading PLM/CAD suite for automotive and aerospace OEMs. Its materials and supplier management modules address overlapping use cases to Brain of Materials' Material & Part Release Manager and Material Finder, but with much wider enterprise scope.

Direct peers

• Citrine Informatics: Citrine Informatics is an AI-driven materials informatics platform that helps R&D teams organise materials data and accelerate materials discovery. It overlaps with Brain of Materials on AI-augmented materials data management and recommendation, but is positioned more toward R&D and discovery than toward production APQP/PPAP and supplier approval.
• Ansys Granta MI: Ansys Granta MI is the leading enterprise materials information management platform used by engineering teams to capture, control and analyse materials data. It is the most directly comparable materials data management product to Brain of Materials' Product Organizer and Material Finder, although it lacks Brain of Materials' focus on APQP/PPAP workflows and TestID-style machine-readable test specifications.

Regional players

• SupplyOn: SupplyOn is a European automotive supply chain collaboration platform jointly owned by OEMs (BMW, Mercedes, VW, Audi, Porsche, Bosch) that handles supplier qualification, logistics and quality data exchange. It is a regional peer that overlaps with Brain of Materials' supplier approval and data exchange use cases within the German automotive ecosystem.

Emerging players

• UL Prospector: UL Prospector is a search engine and database for industrial materials (plastics, adhesives, coatings) used by engineers and product designers. It is comparable to Brain of Materials' Material Finder for material discovery, but does not address supplier approval, APQP/PPAP or structured test specification management.
• Matmatch: Matmatch is an online materials database and sourcing platform connecting engineers with material suppliers. It is comparable to Brain of Materials' Material Finder on the discovery and supplier-matching side, but does not manage machine-readable test specifications or supplier approval workflows.
• Circularise: Circularise provides blockchain-based digital product passport and traceability solutions for plastics, textiles and battery materials. It overlaps with Brain of Materials' digital product passport and material data traceability work, particularly for circular-economy use cases, but does not focus on APQP/PPAP supplier approval workflows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/brainofmaterials
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brain-of-materials
• Instagraminstagram.com/brainofmaterials
• Pinterestpinterest.de/brainofmaterials

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Brain of Materials