DBI

What DBI does

DBI (legal name "DBI – Digital Business Innovation") is a privately held boutique management consulting firm incorporated in Germany that advises large corporations, digital ventures, and global technology companies on digital transformation, innovation strategy, and corporate venture creation. The firm operates from two offices — Berlin (European headquarters, contact: [email protected]) and Palo Alto (North American presence, contact: [email protected]) — and publicly identifies only two senior practitioners: Prof. Dr. Christian Kapteyn (Professor of Digital Business, 15+ years in digital innovation and serial entrepreneurship) and Dr. Sven Beiker (mobility expert with 20+ years of experience including McKinsey, Stanford University, and BMW, based in Silicon Valley since 2003). Service lines are organized into three pillars: Innovative Business Models (strategy, human-centered design, customer journey development, startup screening and matching), Digital Transformation (Industry 4.0 concepts, change management, Innovation Lab setup), and Venture Creation (disruption identification, team and financial setup, interim management of digital ventures). The firm monetizes through project-based professional services fees for advisory, implementation support, and interim management of digital ventures.

There is no proprietary software product, platform, or licensable technology; the underlying "technology" is a documented set of methodologies combining human-centered design, agile sprint-based development, and lean startup principles, applied through personalized consulting engagements. Go-to-market is direct sales via the firm's bilingual website and email contact channels, with what appears to be material reliance on partner-level relationships and referrals rather than paid marketing. No revenue, headcount, client logos, partnerships, awards, patents, or funding data are disclosed in the source material, and the firm has no public ticker, no parent company, no identified subsidiaries, and no venture or institutional investment. Recent public-facing content signals an evolving narrative toward generative AI advisory and resilience-oriented agile consulting, though the firm remains a small, partner-led consultancy with no captured evidence of either rapid growth or contraction.

Name

DBI

Legal name

DBI - Digital Business Innovation

Website

https://dbi-partners.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DBI is a privately held German boutique consulting firm advising large corporations, digital ventures, and global technology clients on digital transformation, innovation strategy, and corporate venture creation, operating from Berlin and Palo Alto and led by two senior partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: DBI generates revenue through consulting engagements with corporations and digital ventures. Services include strategy consulting, digital transformation advisory, venture creation support, and innovation methodology implementation. Revenue is derived from professional service fees for advisory, implementation support, and interim management of digital ventures.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

DBI is a boutique management consulting firm that advises large corporations and digital ventures on digital transformation, innovative business model development, and corporate venture creation. Services span strategy and product development, human-centered customer journey analysis, Industry 4.0 concept development, Innovation Lab setup, startup screening and matching, and end-to-end design, implementation, and interim management of digital ventures.

Product overview

DBI (Digital Business Innovation) is a consulting firm offering advisory services rather than a software product company. Their service portfolio includes: Innovative Business Models (strategy, product, and business development; human-centered analysis and customer journey development; startup screening and matching), Digital Transformation (Industry 4.0 concepts and business models; digital change processes; Innovation Labs setup), and Venture Creation (disruption potential identification; team building and organizational/financial setup; design, implementation, and interim management of digital ventures). DBI does not appear to offer packaged software products, platforms, or modules — their offering consists of professional consulting services delivered by experienced consultants, managers, and entrepreneurs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Innovative Business Models Strategy, product, and business development advisory combined with human-centered analysis of customer journeys, feature scoping, and minimum viable product design; includes screening and matching of startups for corporate clients.
• Digital Transformation Development of Industry 4.0 concepts and business models, driving digital change processes within client organizations, and setting up Innovation Labs.
• Venture Creation Identification of disruption potentials, team building and organizational/financial setup definition, plus design, implementation, and interim management of digital ventures.
• Mobility Strategy Consulting Strategic advisory on autonomous driving, electric mobility, connectivity, and new mobility business models, including market analysis and product roadmap development.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company: Global management consulting leader with McKinsey Digital and the QuantumBlack analytics arm. Overlaps with DBI on digital transformation strategy, but competes at a fundamentally different scale and brand recognition.
• BCG X (formerly BCG Digital Ventures): Builds and scales corporate ventures and digital products as part of BCG. Comparable to DBI's venture creation and digital transformation services, but operates within a much larger global platform with deep corporate relationships.
• Bain & Company: Global strategy consultancy with dedicated digital and innovation practices. Competes with DBI for digital transformation and corporate-startup engagement work, particularly with European multinational clients.
• Oliver Wyman: Global management consulting firm with strong automotive and mobility practices. Overlaps with DBI on mobility strategy, market analysis, and product roadmap work, particularly in the OEM and Tier 1 customer base.

Direct peers

• Porsche Digital: Porsche's digital unit for building and investing in automotive digital ventures and mobility platforms. Highly comparable to DBI's venture creation and mobility innovation services, operating from a corporate rather than independent base.
• Berylls Strategy Advisors: Boutique strategy advisor specializing in automotive and mobility, covering autonomous driving, electrification, and new business models. Closely comparable to DBI's mobility practice in scope, client profile, and boutique specialist positioning.
• Porsche Consulting: Strategy and management consulting subsidiary of Porsche AG focused on automotive, mobility, and industrial digital transformation. Highly comparable to DBI's mobility and Industry 4.0 work, with deep OEM relationships overlapping with Beiker's BMW background.
• Capgemini Invent: Digital innovation and transformation consulting arm of Capgemini, covering strategy, innovation labs, and new venture incubation. Comparable to DBI across the full digital transformation and venture creation service stack.
• Roland Berger: European-headquartered strategy consulting firm with strong DACH presence and a digital transformation practice. Comparable to DBI in serving large European corporates on strategy, innovation, and digital business model design, though at materially greater scale.
• Siemens Advanta: Consulting arm of Siemens focused on industrial digital transformation, IoT, and Industry 4.0 advisory. Directly comparable to DBI's Industry 4.0 and digital change process offerings, with stronger industrial client base and delivery scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 DBI