Schaltzeit

What Schaltzeit does

Schaltzeit GmbH is a Berlin-based strategic consulting firm founded in 2006 that helps organizations build future agility through foresight, innovation management, and futures-literacy services. Its core software product is PEACOQ, a configurable web platform for Foresight and Open Innovation processes that supports trend scanning (via a meta-search "Trend Crawler" / Itsy Bitsy Technology Crawler), idea and community management, expert evaluation workflows, and is increasingly augmented with AI agent workflows and a stated white-label deployment path. Beyond the software, the firm delivers three professional service lines: Foresight & Ideation consulting (scenario planning, strategy validation within a network of foresight specialists), Learning & Experience / Events & Workshops (InspirationLAB, Future Games, Experience Tower, and custom corporate formats including AI/Foresight workshops), and Communication Design (packaging future visions, brand presence, and analytical results for target audiences). Supporting tools include the Zukunftsorakel scenario explorer and the Future Alchemy web game for futures-literacy engagement.

Name

Schaltzeit

Legal name

Schaltzeit GmbH

Website

https://schaltzeit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Schaltzeit GmbH is a Berlin-based strategic consulting firm (founded 2006, under 10 employees) that helps organizations build future agility through its PEACOQ software platform, foresight consulting, workshops, and AI-augmented innovation processes for enterprise and public-sector clients in the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Foresight Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

CRM Strategy & Consulting (BPAFAFAA), Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF)

Keywords

• Strategic foresight consulting
• Innovation management software
• Open innovation platforms
• Futures literacy training
• Scenario planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

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. Strategic Consulting & Foresight Services: Core consulting engagements involving strategic foresight, future strategy validation, and scenario planning for organizations.
2. PEACOQ Software Platform: SaaS/software platform for foresight and open innovation processes, configurable for organizational needs. AI features in expansion with path to white-label solution.
3. Learning & Experience / Workshops & Events: Workshops and event formats on futures literacy, KI & Foresight, scenario thinking, and related topics. Formats include InspirationLAB, Future Games, Experience Tower, and custom workshops.
4. Communication Design Services: Strategic communication design for events, brand presence, and analysis results — packaging messages for target audiences.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Schaltzeit delivers strategic foresight and innovation consulting services to organizations, centered on its proprietary PEACOQ software platform for Foresight and Open Innovation processes. The firm offers Foresight & Ideation consulting, experiential learning workshops and events, and strategic communication design services, with AI tools integrated as practical working instruments. Customers include enterprises (Deutsche Telekom, Bayer AG), government bodies (Bundeswehr Planungsamt), research institutions (Fraunhofer IAO), and the European Space Agency.

Product overview

Schaltzeit is a strategic consulting firm for Foresight & Innovation, founded in 2006 and headquartered in Berlin. Their portfolio centers on PEACOQ, a configurable software platform for Foresight and Open Innovation processes, complemented by professional services including strategic foresight consulting (Foresight & Ideation), event facilitation (Events & Workshops), experiential learning programs (Learning & Experience), and communication design. The ecosystem also includes the Zukunftsorakel (Future Oracle) playful scenario tool and Future Alchemy web application, all designed to help organizations develop future agility and transformation capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PEACOQ: Software platform for Foresight and Open Innovation processes, configurable for organizational needs.
• Future Alchemy
• Zukunftsorakel

Products and services

• PEACOQ A configurable software platform for Foresight and Open Innovation processes that enables end-users to set up flexible workflows for faster innovation, better trend detection, and sustainable community engagement. Available as a web-based SaaS with potential for white-label deployment.
• Foresight & Ideation Strategic foresight services that validate and deepen strategic options within a network of future specialists, providing exploratory assistance for anticipating visions and inspiration for future strategy.
• Learning & Experience Facilitation of human exchange through various event formats that provide space for inspiration, transfer, understanding, and co-creation to prepare for change.
• Communication Design Strategic communication design services that create alternative future visions with resonance, packaging messages for target audiences and designing event communication, brand presence, and analysis results.
• Events & Workshops Event design and facilitation services focused on future-oriented questions, content, and methods with ample space for discussion, exchange, and inspiration.
• Zukunftsorakel (Future Oracle) A playful tool for exploring futures literacy and scenario thinking, applying futures research methods to address future questions in meaningful, well-founded, and comprehensible ways.
• Trend Crawler (Itsy Bitsy Technology Crawler) A trend detection module within PEACOQ that acts as a meta-search engine, simultaneously querying multiple specialized databases to identify developments and trends, with alert functionality for monitoring specific search terms.
• Future Alchemy A playable web application that serves as a digital experimental space for recombining various future ingredients (topics, projections, scenarios) to discover surprising perspectives and what-if impulses.

Quantifiable outcome

• PEACOQ platform supports innovation competitions with participants from over 40 countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Advanced Foresight Group (AFG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partnership formed by three foresight service providers: Foresight Solutions (Frankfurt), Aveniture GmbH (Freinsheim), and Schaltzeit GmbH (Berlin). AFG organizes Future Talks and aims to support organizations in futures work, with focus on medium- and long-term developments.
• cisLogic GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationLong-standing software development partner for over 6 years. cisLogic handles architecture and technical implementation of Schaltzeit's software solutions, including the PEACOQ platform, trend crawler, and other applications. They use specialized tools like phantom browsers for web scraping and event-driven multi-threading architectures.
• Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAZO organizes international innovation competitions including the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) and GMES Masters / Copernicus Masters. Schaltzeit serves as IT partner, providing its PEACOQ software for managing the competition process, including idea submission, expert evaluation, and winner determination.
• Bayer AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBayer AG hosts community events (e.g., Vibe Coding events) where Schaltzeit team members attend, explore topics, and share insights. Schaltzeit also supports Bayer's Grants4Apps initiative and innovation management programs.
• Telekom Innovation LaboratoriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing relationship with Deutsche Telekom's research arm. Schaltzeit developed software solutions for the Laboratories and served as IT partner for the Telekom Innovation Contest (TIC).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HYPE Innovation: HYPE Innovation is a Bonn-based provider of innovation management software (idea management, trend management, open innovation) — directly comparable to Schaltzeit's PEACOQ platform as a configurable open-innovation and foresight tooling competitor.
• 2b AHEAD ThinkTank: 2b AHEAD is a German future-research and strategy firm running executive foresight programs and trend studies; comparable to Schaltzeit in DACH strategic foresight and futures literacy workshops.
• Qmarkets: Qmarkets offers enterprise innovation management software for idea, trend, and open-innovation management — overlapping with PEACOQ's configurable workflows for competitions and innovation processes.
• Institute for the Future (IFTF): IFTF is a US-based futures research and consulting organization delivering strategic foresight, scenario planning, and research programs to corporations and governments — overlapping with Schaltzeit's foresight consulting and AI-augmented research offerings.
• Brightidea: Brightidea provides innovation management software for idea submission, evaluation, and crowdsourced challenges — competing with PEACOQ for enterprise open-innovation and idea-management workloads.
• Future Today Institute: Future Today Institute provides strategic foresight, trend forecasting, and scenario planning services to enterprises and governments, with annual trend reports comparable to Schaltzeit's content-driven foresight thought leadership.
• Z_punkt GmbH: Z_punkt is a Cologne-based foresight and strategy consultancy serving DACH enterprises with scenario planning and innovation advisory — a like-for-like German-language peer to Schaltzeit's Foresight & Ideation service line.
• Wazoku: Wazoku is a UK-based innovation management platform powering enterprise crowdsourcing and idea management — comparable to PEACOQ's open-innovation and competition-management capabilities.
• Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS): CIFS is a Denmark-based foresight research and consulting firm offering strategic foresight, scenario planning, and futures literacy services to European enterprises and public-sector clients — directly comparable to Schaltzeit's Foresight & Ideation practice.

Broad incumbents

• Roland Berger: Roland Berger is a major global strategy consultancy headquartered in Munich with foresight and innovation practices serving large European enterprises — a broader incumbent whose innovation and corporate strategy engagements overlap with Schaltzeit's positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@schaltzeit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schaltzeit
• Instagraminstagram.com/schaltzeit
• Xx.com/schaltzeit
• Facebookfacebook.com/schaltzeit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Schaltzeit