What BadenCampus does

BadenCampus is an innovation management platform headquartered in Breisach am Rhein, Germany, founded in 2016 as a GmbH & Co. KG. It serves Mittelstand companies, technology startups, research institutions, and municipalities in the Upper Rhine tri-border region (Germany, France, Switzerland), bundling them into a multi-stakeholder ecosystem for collaborative innovation.

The company's product architecture is organized around an Open Innovation Platform as the core offering, complemented by several sub-brands and service lines. arise operates as a deep tech startup accelerator providing coaching, labs, and individualized support; smartXplatforms spans industry-focused ecosystems in automation (smartXautomation), healthcare (smartXhealth), energy, and smart region (smartXregion). The FRAI Accelerator packages AI integration services for corporate and municipal clients. Additional offerings include co-working and event venue rental across Breisach, Freiburg (FRIZ), Offenburg (flow1986), and Lörrach, and startup financing through the wholly-owned investment subsidiary BadenCampus Invest GmbH & Co. KG, established in 2025.

BadenCampus monetizes through modular, quote-based innovation consulting engagements (multi-year contracts), monthly co-working memberships, pay-as-you-go event and meeting room rentals, and individualized startup accelerator programs. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, anchored by signature events such as Smart Region Day, the Käpsele Innovation Festival, and the Automation Experts Hub, supplemented by a community-led open innovation platform. Management is led by CEO Dr. Thomas Scheuerle, COO Barbara Bilyk, and CTO Dr. Niklas Goby (appointed March 2026), with the firm operating as a privately held company without disclosed venture capital or private equity backing.

Name

BadenCampus

Legal name

BadenCampus GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://badencampus.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BadenCampus is a German innovation management platform serving Mittelstand companies, startups, research institutions, and municipalities in the Upper Rhine region through an open innovation platform, startup accelerator (arise), industry-specific ecosystems (smartXplatforms), AI integration services (FRAI Accelerator), co-working venues, and a startup investment vehicle.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Venture Studios & Incubators (Build/launch ventures) (FSANAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Venture Studios / Company Builders (FSANAAAH), SME & Entrepreneurship Development (Trade-Linked) (BPADAMAE)

Keywords

• Open innovation platform
• Startup acceleration programs
• Innovation consulting services
• Corporate-startup matchmaking
• Smart region ecosystems

Headquarters

HQ city

Breisach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Innovation Consulting Services: Professional consulting and coaching services for aligning innovation strategies, developing and testing ideas, implementing solutions, and integrating AI. Services are offered as modular packages that can be booked individually or combined.
2. Workspace and Event Venue Rental: Co-working space, meeting rooms, event areas, and team offsite facilities rental at locations in Breisach, Freiburg (FRIZ), Offenburg (flow1986), and Lörrach. Includes Bistro facilities and fair-use technical equipment.
3. Startup Acceleration Programs: Deep tech startup accelerator programs (arise) providing individualized support, coaching, and startup ecosystem access. Includes BadenCampus Invest for startup financing.
4. Membership and Platform Access: Corporate partners and member companies access the innovation ecosystem and platform services. Payment terms are typically 14 days after invoicing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BadenCampus operates an open innovation platform and ecosystem that bundles innovation consulting, startup acceleration, AI integration, industry-focused platforms (smartXplatforms), co-working workspace, and a startup investment vehicle to help Mittelstand companies, startups, research institutions, and municipalities in the Upper Rhine region develop, validate, and implement innovative solutions.

Product overview

BadenCampus is an innovation management platform offering a multi-product ecosystem consisting of an Open Innovation Platform as the core offering, complemented by specialized sub-brands including arise (deep tech startup accelerator with coaching and labs), smartXplatforms (industry-focused ecosystems covering automation/robotics, healthcare, energy and smart regions), and FRAI Accelerator (AI integration services). The company provides innovation consulting services, co-working workspace, investment opportunities through BadenCampus Invest, and maintains a Test-Community for validating innovative products. The offering architecture combines platform-based services with personalized consulting, accelerator programs and physical workspace facilities across multiple locations in southern Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• arise: Deep Tech Startup Accelerator offering coaching, labs, and startup support programs.
• smartXplatforms
• smartXautomation
• smartXhealth
• smartXregion

Products and services

• Open Innovation Platform A digital innovation management platform that bundles innovation knowledge, trustworthy exchange, and methodological excellence for SMEs, startups, research institutions, and municipalities, enabling collaboration across organizational and industry boundaries in the Upper Rhine region.
• Innovation Services (Innovation Consulting) Modular professional innovation consulting services including strategy alignment, idea development and testing, solution implementation, AI integration, and execution of corporate-startup cooperation, sold as quote-based service packages.
• arise Startup Accelerator Deep-tech startup accelerator program providing individualized coaching, labs, and tailored programs for technology founders at their first steps to market, market entry, scaling, and financing.
• smartXplatforms — Industry-Focused Innovation Ecosystems Industry-specific innovation platforms covering Automation & Robotics (smartXautomation), Healthcare (smartXhealth), Energy, and Smart Region (smartXregion) sectors, creating ecosystems in cooperation with corporates, research institutions, and municipalities to strengthen key industries in Southern Germany and the tri-border region.
• FRAI Accelerator (AI Integration Services) AI integration accelerator program delivering practical artificial intelligence solutions to companies, municipalities, and research institutions — from strategy and proof of concepts through to technical implementation and rollout in corporate functions and operational business units.
• Co-Working Workspace and Event Venue Rental Co-working environment, meeting rooms, and event spaces for startups, innovation teams, and freelancers at locations in Breisach, Freiburg (FRIZ), Offenburg (flow1986), and Lörrach, including full equipment and bistro facilities with subscription and pay-as-you-go pricing options.
• BadenCampus Invest Investment vehicle providing startup financing for ventures associated with the BadenCampus innovation ecosystem, complementing the arise accelerator with funding support.
• Test-Community Community platform where users can participate in testing innovative products and services from the BadenCampus ecosystem, providing market-validation feedback for startups and partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Direct impact from day one with implementation focus
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WFL (Wirtschaftsförderung Lörrach)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Strategic alliance expanding BadenCampus presence to Lörrach at the innocel Innovations-Center. WFL is the economic development agency for Lörrach, bringing municipal and business development expertise to the partnership.
• WSW (Wirtschafts- und Strukturstützung Weinheim)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Strategic alliance partner for innovation ecosystem expansion in the region. WSW supports economic and structural development in Weinheim.
• badnova AG & Co. KGcoreOthersParent company providing strategic oversight and data protection governance. BadenCampus is a subsidiary of badenova, a regional energy and infrastructure company.
• ARaymondminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner with logo displayed on BadenCampus website as part of the partner community ecosystem.
• B-BraunminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner in healthcare sector, part of the smartXhealth ecosystem focus area.
• SICKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner in sensor and industrial automation technology, aligned with smartXautomation ecosystem.
• LiebherrminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner and reference customer, collaborated on Black Forest Hackathon and innovation projects.
• Endress+HauserminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner in instrumentation and automation technology, reference customer for innovation consulting.
• HansgroheminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner in bathroom and kitchen fixtures, reference customer for innovation workshops.
• SEW-EurodriveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner in drive technology and automation solutions.
• MVV EnergieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy sector corporate partner and reference customer for sustainable energy innovation.
• PfizerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare sector partner, collaborated on design thinking workshop. Part of smartXhealth ecosystem.
• EDEKAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner in retail sector.
• Campus SchwarzwaldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReference customer and partner in innovation ecosystem, collaboration on regional innovation initiatives.
• smartXautomationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation ecosystem brand for automation and robotics, part of smartXplatforms. Creates industry-specific innovation platforms.
• smartXhealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation ecosystem brand for healthcare sector, part of smartXplatforms.
• smartXregionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart Region ecosystem brand for municipal innovation, part of smartXplatforms. Organizes Smart Region Day networking event.
• arisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep tech startup accelerator brand under BadenCampus, providing personalized support, coaching, and programs for founders.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• MassChallenge: Global non-profit startup accelerator with industry-specific verticals and corporate partnerships, comparable in offering deep-tech accelerator programs, coaching, and corporate-startup matchmaking services.
• Startupbootcamp:
• Plug and Play Tech Center: Large global innovation platform and startup accelerator operating corporate-startup matching programs across industries and geographies, providing comparable accelerator and ecosystem services at much greater scale.

Direct peers

• UnternehmerTUM: Germany's leading innovation and entrepreneurship center affiliated with TU Munich, offering startup programs, corporate innovation consulting, and ecosystem services — directly comparable Mittelstand-focused open innovation platform model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/badencampus
• Instagraminstagram.com/badencampus
• Facebookfacebook.com/badencampus
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@badencampus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about BadenCampus