Amongst all the inspiring companies we see, the one moment that clearly stood out for me was on 30 March, 12:30 CEST, when Isar Aerospace launched its Spectrum rocket for the very first time — the first privately financed spacecraft from Europe lifting off from European ground. That was one for the (history) books!

Key context: SAP has provided Isar Aerospace with its digital backbone since entering a strategic partnership in 2020.

“Startup partners” is actually the right term — it is all about being true partners. We align with mutually complementary startups through our venture partnering programme, where we facilitate joint projects with SAP solution owners.

Our colleagues from the different lines of business and our team from corporate business development are constantly identifying interesting companies; and some smart teams also approach SAP directly. This could be either in the area of (Agentic) AI, Future of Compute, or Supply Chain Management, just to name a few. More broadly, it covers everything that could complement SAP’s product portfolio and be of value for enterprise customers.

Have a very clear vision of a win-win-scenario — this means you have done your homework.

Have a solid product strategy and a good understanding of how and why SAP would be the right partner to achieve your goals, either for further evolution of your product and/or for go-to-market. 

That also means you have at least some idea that your startup and SAP are operating in the same industry or segment of customers; or you know your groundbreaking technology could complement ours.

Operational excellence paired with the right dose of pragmatism during the venture partnering phase. And if the teams jointly have fun while building something amazing, then everybody wants to continue working together. It’s all about people.

25 years ago, I had the opportunity to be Employee No.1 at a startup myself. Almost five years of bringing a completely new company and product to the market was the best learning curve I could have wished for. By the way, that company [Trovarit AG] is still running and just turned 25!

I encourage everyone who has the opportunity to build a company from scratch to take that opportunity when they are young. The startup DNA I discovered there — pragmatism, confidence — is still helping me, even as I navigate the corporate world. It makes you result-oriented with a very clear sense of synergies.

"It takes an ecosystem to drive innovation."

One year after Mario Draghi’s seminal report on European competitiveness, the European Commission held a high-level conference to review its progress — leaving us with valuable follow-up reading.

Bottom line: The EU is mobilising €1 trillion across innovation, CleanTech and security; but to quote Draghi, “The next question is how we increase speed.”

This week’s gift comes from PXR, a law firm that stands with founders, their tech companies, and the investors backing them.

PXR works with some of Europe’s brightest entrepreneurs, offering expertise in venture capital, M&A, corporate tax, and litigation. They keep things straightforward and human, making complex legal topics clear and practical.

PXR is proud to work with a remarkable roster of clients, including the leading European VC firm Creandum, fintech innovator Raisin, and autonomous vehicle pioneer Vay.

One lucky reader will win a personalised legal advice 30-minutes 1:1 session with a lawyer from PXR.

Interested? Submit your name here for a chance to win.

Last Week’s Winner: Brad Feld’s mentorship slot set off a wave of excitement last week. Huge congrats to Nina Heine from Shit2Power! We’ll be connecting you soon. Stay tuned, more exclusive opportunities are just around the corner.