Palomar5
Palomar5 was a one-time 7-week innovation camp in Berlin (October–November 2009), sponsored by Deutsche Telekom AG, that brought together 30 international participants to produce 12 collaborative projects exploring the future of work.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- Headquarters—
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Palomar5 does
Palomar5 was a one-time 7-week innovation camp held from October 9 to November 24, 2009 at the Malzfabrik, a converted former brewery site in Berlin Tempelhof, Germany. It was sponsored and enabled by Deutsche Telekom AG, with Christopher Schläffer (former CIO) and the team around Sven Hischke (VP Pan-European IP Transformation) as named sponsors. The camp brought together 30 participants under the age of 30 from 17 countries — selected from over 700 applications — to live and work collectively on projects around the theme 'the future of work,' producing 12 outputs including haptic digital data transfer devices, oversized light-interfaces exploring user-device control dynamics, and a satellite network concept to connect the global poor to the internet.
The underlying methodology is based on the design of temporary experimental spaces 'outside the boxes of mediocrity,' using an atmosphere of openness, freedom, and mutual trust to enable self-organized collaborative invention and iterative testing. The 9-person core team (Dominik and Simon Wind, Jonathan Imme, Hans Raffauf, Mathias Holzmann, Pippa Pauen, Pippin Wigglesworth-Weider, Laurent Hoffmann, Georgiana Tugui, Tina Ellerbrock) operated alongside the 30 selected participants, with frog design, SAP, BMW, Axel Springer, and Malzfabrik providing core strategic support, and earned coverage in Welt, Financial Times Germany, Netzwoche, and Spiegel Online.
Commercially, Palomar5 was a sponsored initiative rather than a productized business. It had no disclosed pricing model, no recurring revenue stream, and the operating status is recorded as closed. Outputs were presented at the invite-only Palomar5 Summit on November 23, 2009 (300+ guests) followed by the public Palomar5 Festival on November 24, 2009. Subsequent applications of the Palomar5 methodology (Open State, POC21) operate as separate entities focused on open hardware and digital fabrication for a sustainable society.
Palomar5 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Palomar5
- Legal name
- Palomar5
- Website
- https://thiswaspalomar5.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Closed
- Short description
- Palomar5 was a one-time 7-week innovation camp in Berlin (October–November 2009), sponsored by Deutsche Telekom AG, that brought together 30 international participants to produce 12 collaborative projects exploring the future of work.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Palomar5 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Innovation Consulting Services
- NAICS
- Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Virtual Labs, Remote Labs & Hands-On Practice Tools (EDAFABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Virtual Training, Workshops & Masterclasses (Interactive Sessions) (MPAGAOAJ)
Keywords
Palomar5 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Innovation Camp Sponsorship: Palomar5 was a one-time sponsored innovation camp event funded by Deutsche Telekom AG. The event was not revenue-generating but was an investment in exploring the potential of creative collaboration in the digital 21st century. The methodology developed has since been applied to subsequent innovation initiatives.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Palomar5 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Palomar5 provides an event-driven innovation camp methodology that creates temporary experimental spaces for collaborative invention, iterative testing, and self-organized innovation. The format convenes 30 international young participants for 7 weeks of hands-on prototyping around a defined topic, with the 2009 program producing 12 projects ranging from haptic digital data transfer devices to light-interfaces and a satellite network for global connectivity. The methodology framework has since been applied through subsequent initiatives Open State and POC21 focusing on open hardware and digital fabrication.
Product overview
Palomar5 is a single unified innovation methodology/event — the 1st Innovation Camp in Germany. Rather than a software platform, it is a 7-week intensive program where international participants collaborate on projects addressing the future of work. The core offering is the Palomar5 Innovation Camp methodology itself. Related initiatives that apply this methodology include Open State and POC21, both focusing on open hardware and digital fabrication for sustainable society.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Palomar5 Innovation Camp A 7-week intensive innovation camp methodology bringing together 30 international participants under the age of 30 from 17 countries to collaborate on real-world projects exploring the future of work. The methodology creates temporary experimental spaces outside conventional structures, enabling collaborative and self-organized processes of invention, iterative testing, and innovation under conditions of openness, freedom, and mutual trust.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reached several millions of media contacts in German-speaking media (print, online, radio, TV)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Palomar5
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Palomar5 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Palomar5 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Malzfabrik (Frank Sippel & Christiane Burgschat)coreProvided the venue for Palomar5 - a converted former brewery area located in Tempelhof in the south of Berlin, serving as the physical space for the 7-week innovation camp.
- frog designcoreDesign partner providing expertise in user experience and product design for the innovation camp projects.
- SAPcoreBusiness technology partner contributing to the innovation camp ecosystem.
- BMWcoreAutomotive industry partner supporting the innovation camp initiative.
- Axel SpringercoreMedia partner contributing to the innovation camp ecosystem.
- PCH (Stefan Liske & Alex Nolte)minorBusiness partner supporting the innovation camp.
- piabo (Tilo Bonow)minorPR and communications partner for the innovation camp.
- gravity – Alexander GrotsminorStrategic partner contributing to the innovation camp.
- Open StatecoreCurrent application of the Palomar5 innovation camp approach, focusing on open hardware and digital fabrication for a sustainable society.
- POC21coreCurrent application of the Palomar5 innovation camp approach, focusing on open hardware and digital fabrication for a future-proof, sustainable society.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Palomar5 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- IDEO: IDEO is a global design and innovation consultancy that runs intensive collaborative invention engagements for enterprises. It is a broader incumbent offering a similar corporate-innovation-as-a-service model.
- MIT Media Lab: MIT Media Lab runs collaborative, cross-disciplinary research with corporate sponsors, producing prototype projects in haptic interfaces, IoT, and connectivity — directly comparable in output type (e.g., the satellite-network and light-interface projects at Palomar5).
- frog design: frog design is named as a Palomar5 partner and is a global design and innovation consultancy running human-centered, collaborative design sprints for enterprises — a comparable incumbent in the same space.
- Thoughtworks (XConf / innovation programs): Thoughtworks runs technology innovation events, XConf conferences, and collaborative R&D engagements with enterprise clients — a broader incumbent with comparable event-driven innovation-as-a-service offerings.
Direct peers
- POC21: POC21 is identified alongside Open State as a direct application of the Palomar5 innovation-camp approach, targeting open hardware and digital fabrication for a sustainable society.
- Open State: Open State is explicitly cited as a current application of the Palomar5 innovation-camp methodology, focused on open hardware and digital fabrication. It is the most direct continuation of the Palomar5 approach.
- Hyve (an innovation consultancy running innovation camps): Hyve is a Munich-based innovation consultancy that designs and runs innovation camps, sprints, and corporate crowdsourcing programs — a direct functional peer to Palomar5's innovation-camp methodology.
Emerging players
- Hackathon.com / Major League Hacking: Major League Hacking operates large-scale collaborative invention events globally. The format is highly comparable to Palomar5's intensive, time-bounded, multi-national participant model.
- Make Magazine / Maker Faire: Maker Faire operates a global network of community-driven invention and open-hardware events. The hands-on, prototype-driven ethos is directly comparable to Palomar5's 12-project output.
Regional players
- Dark Horse Innovation: Dark Horse Innovation is a German innovation consultancy (Munich) running corporate innovation programs, camps, and accelerator-style engagements — a regional peer with the same German corporate client base Palomar5 served.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Palomar5 social profiles
Digital presencePalomar5 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Palomar5 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Palomar5 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Palomar5 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Palomar5
What does Palomar5 do?
Palomar5 provides an event-driven innovation camp methodology that creates temporary experimental spaces for collaborative invention, iterative testing, and self-organized innovation. The format convenes 30 international young participants for 7 weeks of hands-on prototyping around a defined topic, with the 2009 program producing 12 projects ranging from haptic digital data transfer devices to light-interfaces and a satellite network for global connectivity. The methodology framework has since been applied through subsequent initiatives Open State and POC21 focusing on open hardware and digital fabrication.
Is Palomar5 a public or private company?
Palomar5 is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently closed.
When was Palomar5 founded?
Palomar5 was founded in 2009.
How does Palomar5 make money?
One revenue line is on record: innovation Camp Sponsorship.
Who are Palomar5's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are IDEO, MIT Media Lab, frog design and Thoughtworks (XConf / innovation programs). Direct peers are POC21, Open State and Hyve (an innovation consultancy running innovation camps). Emerging players are Hackathon.com / Major League Hacking and Make Magazine / Maker Faire. Dark Horse Innovation is listed as a regional player.
Does Palomar5 have an API?
No public API is recorded for Palomar5.
What industry is Palomar5 in?
Palomar5's product category is Innovation Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFABAH, Virtual Labs, Remote Labs & Hands-On Practice Tools, with a secondary code of MPAGAOAJ, Virtual Training, Workshops & Masterclasses (Interactive Sessions). Its NAICS code is 6114 and its SIC code is 7812.