Betawerke

What Betawerke does

Betawerke is a founder-led German advisory firm established in 2012 and operated as the sole proprietorship of Hanns Tappen, registered in Mettmann with a visiting address in Düsseldorf. The firm positions itself as a "translation layer" between startup logic, corporate reality, market dynamics, and ecosystems, explicitly contrasting its model with traditional retainer consulting. Its commercial offering is organized as a deliberate sequence: a 90-Minuten-Orientierung (low-friction, flat-fee entry), followed by scoped engagements — Startup- & Tech-Chancencheck (market assessment), Startup-Partnering-Sprint (pilot/partnership build-out), and Ventures & Betas (co-creation of new business formats). Target customers are C-level executives, managing directors, and strategy leaders in the German Mittelstand, energy/utility conglomerates, airports, municipalities, and PE-backed companies, with primary geographic focus on North Rhine-Westphalia and secondary reach into Berlin, Germany broadly, and Europe.

Name

Betawerke

Legal name

Hanns Tappen (betriebener Name: betawerke)

Website

https://betawerke.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD), Venture Studios / Company Builders (FSANAAAH)

Keywords

• Startup advisory services
• Venture client consulting
• Innovation strategy advisory
• Corporate startup engagement
• Ecosystem building services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mettmann

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory & Consulting Services: Betawerke generates revenue through project-based advisory engagements. Revenue streams include: (1) 90-Minute Orientation — a flat-fee entry session; (2) Startup & Tech Chance Check — a defined-scope market assessment; (3) Partnering Sprint — a time-bound project to develop startup partnerships; (4) Ventures & Betas — co-creation or venture-building work. Pricing is transparent per engagement but not publicly listed. The model avoids retainer arrangements, operating instead on defined-scope project work with clear beginnings and endings.
2. Speaking & Impulses: Speaking engagements and thought leadership sessions are listed as a separate inquiry type on the contact form, suggesting a secondary revenue stream from public speaking, keynotes, and workshop facilitation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Betawerke sells project-based advisory engagements that help established companies understand and engage with startups, new technologies, and market dynamics. The core offerings are organized in four tiers: a flat-fee 90-Minuten-Orientierung entry session, a Startup- & Tech-Chancencheck market assessment, a Startup-Partnering-Sprint to develop pilots and partnerships, and Ventures & Betas co-creation. The firm also operates a portfolio of ecosystem beta projects (StartupDorf, GTM Coach, StartupScouts, BerlinStartups, AjaxPartner) and a self-service Innovations-Readiness-Check assessment for Mittelstand companies.

Product overview

Betawerke is a consulting and advisory firm operating as a 'working model for startup-driven opportunities' with four core service tiers: (1) 90-Minuten-Orientierung as the entry-level engagement providing strategic clarity, (2) Startup- & Tech-Chancencheck for systematic market and technology assessment, (3) Startup-Partnering-Sprint for implementation of partnerships and pilots, and (4) Ventures & Betas for co-creation of new business formats. Additionally, Betawerke incubates beta projects including StartupDorf (founder ecosystem, live), GTM Coach (B2B go-to-market support, live), StartupScouts (early venture scouting, beta), BerlinStartups (Berlin startup platform, beta), and AjaxPartner (partner network, closed beta). The portfolio also includes an Innovations-Readiness-Check self-assessment tool for mid-sized companies. The firm positions itself as a 'translation layer' between corporate logic, startup reality, market dynamics, and ecosystems, not a traditional consulting house.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 90-Minuten-Orientierung (90-Minute Orientation) A flat-fee 90-minute structured conversation for C-level decision-makers, owners, and strategy leaders that delivers strategic clarity on core questions and initial action options before committing time, budget, or attention to deeper engagements.
• Startup- & Tech-Chancencheck (Startup & Tech Chance Check) A systematic assessment of relevant technology fields, market movements, startup categories, and application areas, with focus on strategic relevance, feasibility, and timing, delivered as a compact opportunity map for established companies.
• Startup-Partnering-Sprint An implementation-focused engagement that develops concrete conversations, pilot options, or partnerships from initial orientation, including definition of relevant search fields, identification of matching startups or technology partners, preparation of initial meetings, and derivation of pilot or cooperation logic.
• Ventures & Betas A co-creation format for companies, municipalities, or institutions that want to jointly develop new formats, platforms, or business opportunities, where Betawerke acts as co-creator, sparring partner, and co-builder.
• Innovations-Readiness-Check (Innovation Readiness Check) A self-service 6-question online assessment that generates an innovation readiness score, profile, and Decision Kit PDF for owner-managed companies in NRW to evaluate their readiness before engaging Betawerke's advisory services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Go/No-Go decision in 8 weeks
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StartupDorfcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartupDorf is described as one of the defining founder ecosystems in NRW, built by Hanns Tappen over many years. It is positioned as a Frühwarnsystem (early warning system) for new technologies, business models, and market movements — serving both as a Betawerke reference network and intelligence source. Status: 'live' / operating.
• GTM CoachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGo-to-Market coaching service for B2B founders. Listed as one of Betawerke's beta/in-action projects. Provides GTM guidance to startup founders, which also serves as ecosystem intelligence for Betawerke's advisory work. Status: 'live'.
• StartupScoutsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA scouting network for early-stage ventures, positioned as Betawerke's early venture identification arm. Listed as a beta project in Betawerke's portfolio. Status: 'beta'.
• BerlinStartupsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform for the Berlin startup scene, listed as one of Betawerke's beta initiatives. Extends Betawerke's ecosystem reach beyond NRW to the German capital's startup community. Status: 'beta'.
• AjaxPartnerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner network for scaling and market entry, listed as a closed-beta initiative. Suggests a network model for helping companies scale through partnerships. Status: 'closed beta'.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TheVentury: TheVentury is a Berlin-based corporate-startup matching and venture-building firm that connects corporates with startups through structured programs. Highly comparable to Betawerke's Partnering Sprint and Ventures & Betas offerings.
• etventure (now EY-novation / EY-Parthenon): etventure was a leading German corporate-startup venture builder and innovation consultancy that was acquired by EY. It pioneered many of the corporate-startup engagement formats Betawerke now serves — a directly comparable operating model and buyer segment.
• HYVE Innovation: HYVE is a German innovation consultancy that runs corporate-startup engagement programs, open innovation formats, and venture clienting-style initiatives for enterprises. Directly comparable to Betawerke in serving the same Mittelstand/corporate buyer with innovation translation services.
• Creaholic: Creaholic is a Swiss innovation and venture-building consultancy that creates new businesses for corporates and entrepreneurs. Directly comparable to Betawerke's Ventures & Betas co-creation service and Mittelstand/corporate buyer profile.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company: McKinsey's QuantumBlack and innovation practices serve large German corporates on strategy and corporate-startup engagement. A broad incumbent that competes for some of the same C-suite advisory budgets, though typically at much larger engagement scale and price points.
• Roland Berger: Roland Berger is a major German-origin strategy consulting firm serving many of the same Mittelstand and large German corporates as Betawerke. It overlaps on innovation/digital strategy mandates but competes as a broad incumbent rather than a specialized translation-layer boutique.

Regional players

• Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie: Berlin Partner is the economic development agency for the Berlin-Brandenburg region, running startup ecosystem and corporate-matchmaking programs. Comparable to the public-sector/municipal innovation work Betawerke handles, though operating as a public agency rather than private firm.

Others

• German Accelerator: German Accelerator supports German startups with internationalization programs and connects them with corporates and investors. Ecosystem-adjacent to Betawerke's StartupDorf/StartupScouts activities, serving the same German startup ecosystem from a program-operator angle.
• Mindspace: Mindspace operates innovation hubs and corporate-startup connection programs across Europe. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates in a related ecosystem that overlaps with StartupDorf and BerlinStartups-style platforms.

Emerging players

• WhatAVenture: WhatAVenture operates a venture-clienting platform that helps corporates systematically discover, pilot, and scale startup solutions. Comparable to Betawerke's Venture Client Unit and PoC architecture work, though delivered more as a software-enabled platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/betawerke
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/betawerke

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 Betawerke