Innovation Heroes

What Innovation Heroes does

Innovation Heroes GmbH is a German full-service marketing and event agency headquartered in Esslingen with additional offices in Cologne (Westside) and Dubai (Middle East regional HQ). Founded in 2018 in Stuttgart by Philipp Hagebölling (CEO and Head of Marketing) and Nader Mohamed (Managing Director), the firm delivers an integrated portfolio of digital marketing, branding, public relations, and event management services to mid-market and enterprise clients across hospitality, restaurant, film, finance, real estate, telecommunications, beauty, and staffing industries. The company's positioning combines creative marketing capabilities with physical event execution, supported by a regional media and celebrity network concentrated in the Stuttgart/Baden-Württemberg area.

The service offering spans six core lines — Web Design and E-Commerce Development, Social Media Marketing (including content and video production), Performance Marketing (Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok paid acquisition), Public Relations and Communications, Event Management, and Corporate Identity and Branding — plus a Startup Acceleration service. Beyond client work, Innovation Heroes produces its own branded events: the annual DIGITAL HEROES Festival at Wagenhallen Stuttgart (1,500 guests, 30+ speakers, 25 exhibitors), the DIGITAL LIONS Expo at Landesmesse Stuttgart, and the Cashflow Conference. The underlying technology stack is explicitly characterized as non-proprietary "Not applicable - Service agency"; the firm's intellectual property consists of its superhero-themed brand identity ("Don't Wait. Innovate."), owned event formats, and relationship-based media and celebrity access rather than software or data assets. No AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or SDKs are documented.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements with custom quote-based pricing and reportedly multi-year contract cadences with anchor clients such as Renoldi (Almhütte Royal). The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales with free initial consultations, augmented by referral networks, direct outreach, and the firm's own flagship events as lead-generation platforms. Marketing channels include the company website and journal, organic social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn), earned media in Stuttgarter Nachrichten and Stuttgarter Zeitung, and event visibility. The firm has no disclosed external investors, no subsidiaries, and no M&A activity, operating as a bootstrapped private German GmbH with 11-50 employees.

Name

Innovation Heroes

Legal name

INNOVATION HEROES GmbH

Website

https://innovation-heroes.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Innovation Heroes GmbH is a German full-service marketing and event agency founded in 2018, delivering web design, social media, performance marketing, PR, branding, and event management to mid-market and enterprise clients across Germany and the Middle East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing and Event Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Activation/Experiential Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAO), Product & Innovation Summits (Roadmap, Launch Readiness, Innovation Days) (THAHAMAG), Technology & Innovation Expos Organizers (THAHABAE)

Keywords

• Digital marketing services
• Event management agency
• Brand management
• Social media marketing
• Performance marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing & Creative Services: Revenue generated through project-based engagements for marketing services including web design/development, social media marketing, performance marketing, PR/communications, and branding.
2. Event Management Services: Revenue from organizing and marketing events including conferences, festivals, company events, and celebrity/promotional events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Innovation Heroes GmbH is a creative marketing and event agency that delivers digital marketing services (web design and development, social media marketing, performance marketing, SEO, and content) and full-service event management for mid-market and enterprise clients. The agency also runs its own branded infotainment events (Digital Heroes Festival, Digital Lions Expo, Cashflow Conference) and offers public relations, corporate identity and branding, and startup acceleration services. Operations are anchored in Germany (Esslingen, Cologne) with a Middle East office in Dubai.

Product overview

Innovation Heroes GmbH is a creative marketing and event agency offering a portfolio of digital and branding services centered around four core areas: Webdesign & Webentwicklung (websites, landing pages, e-commerce), Social Media & Content Marketing, Performance Marketing (paid advertising), and Event Management. The agency also organizes its own branded events — the DIGITAL HEROES Festival, DIGITAL LIONS Expo, and Cashflow Conference — which serve both as service showcases and as standalone product lines. Additional offerings include Public Relations, Corporate Identity & Branding, and Startup Acceleration. The portfolio functions as a suite of interconnected service lines rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Web Design & Web Development

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Südwest Media Network / Südwestdeutsche Medienholding GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-organization of the Schwarzer Löwe (Black Lion) business award, Baden-Württemberg's largest economic prize. The award ceremony was co-hosted by 14 regional daily newspapers reaching approximately 1.1 million readers daily. The partnership combines media reach with event expertise to deliver a flagship regional business recognition event.
• Speakers Excellence Deutschland Holding GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Co-organization of the Digital Heroes Festival (2019/2020), an infotainment festival on digital transformation held at Wagenhallen Stuttgart, featuring 30 speakers/experts, 1500 guests, two stages, and 25 exhibitors.
• SalesforceminorOthersSalesforce logo appears in the client/logo references section of the website alongside other major brands including Porsche, Lidl/Kaufland, Vanguard, and others.
• Schwarz Gruppe (Lidl/Kaufland)minorOthersLidl/Kaufland logo appears in the client/logo references section. Sponsorship involvement confirmed in Digital Heroes Festival.
• PorscheminorOthersPorsche logo appears in the client/logo references section and confirmed involvement in Digital Heroes Festival as sponsor/exhibitor.
• AllianzminorOthersAllianz logo appears in the client/logo references section and confirmed involvement in Digital Heroes Festival as sponsor/exhibitor.
• ENGIKZEK Inc. & LBFILMScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the HAPS film premiere project, providing PR and Social Media support for the film production and its cinematic release in 2024/2025.
• Renoldi GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFull-service ongoing engagement since 2022 for Almhütte Royal on the Cannstatter Wasen, including rebranding, web development, social media, performance marketing, and PR.
• S-Dogan GmbH & Co. KG (bona'me)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent management, PR, and guest relations for the grand opening of the bona'me oriental restaurant in Stuttgart, including celebrity guest coordination and influencer marketing.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kolle Rebbe: Hamburg- and Berlin-based independent creative agency delivering integrated brand, digital, and event work. Comparable as a creative-led independent of similar scale pursuing integrated mandates for enterprise clients in Germany.
• Scholz & Friends: German creative agency group with deep digital, brand, and campaign capabilities. Comparable as an integrated full-service competitor serving enterprise clients across the DACH market.
• TLGG: Berlin-based digital and content agency focused on brand strategy, social media, and digital transformation for enterprise clients. Comparable as a digital-first integrated competitor operating in the same German enterprise marketing market.
• Serviceplan Group: Germany's largest independent, owner-managed integrated agency group, headquartered in Munich with full-service digital, brand, and event capabilities. Directly comparable as a full-service creative + digital + events shop competing for the same German enterprise marketing budgets.
• Jung von Matt: Leading German creative agency network offering integrated brand, digital, and campaign work for major enterprise clients. Comparable as a creative-led full-service competitor pursuing similar awards, event, and digital mandates in Germany.
• denkwerk: Cologne-based digital agency offering strategy, design, technology, and performance marketing for enterprise clients. Direct peer given overlapping geography (Innovation Heroes' Westside office is also in Cologne), service portfolio, and mid-market enterprise client focus.
• Vok Dams: German full-service event and live-marketing agency with international offices delivering corporate events, brand experiences, and event-driven campaigns. Closely comparable on the event management dimension of Innovation Heroes' portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Publicis Germany: German operations of Publicis Groupe, providing advertising, digital, media, and PR services to major enterprise clients. Comparable as a large holding-company incumbent with overlapping full-service capabilities and deeper resource base.
• DDB Germany: German arm of global advertising network DDB (Omnicom), offering integrated advertising, digital, and brand strategy. Comparable as a much larger, multi-discipline incumbent competing for the same enterprise brand and campaign mandates.
• GroupM Germany: German media investment arm of WPP covering media planning, buying, and performance marketing at scale. Comparable on the performance marketing and media-buying dimensions, where GroupM's scale and buying leverage exceed Innovation Heroes' offer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Innovation Heroes