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Koehler Innovative Solutions
We’re looking for innovative startups with creative ideas that can help drive our core business areas: paper and renewable energy.
Our goal:
We want to become your customer and partner within the framework of a venture client model so that we can work together on getting your product ready for the market even if it’s not fully developed yet. On top of that, we offer startups many exciting opportunities for support, whether that be through hackathons and challenges, mentorships in various accelerator programs, or our one-of-a-kind network.
What we're looking for
Startups that will work together with us to develop
new ideas and innovations in the following areas:
Paper
Renewable
Energy
Other Areas
Paper
Thermal, decor, recycled, and packaging paper offerings are just a few examples of the products created and made by Koehler Paper.
We’re continuously doing research in order to develop new paper products and unlock new potential applications. And on top of that, we’re always working on making our production operations and our products better and more sustainable.
We’re looking for startups with innovative ideas in the areas of new materials, flexible packaging, potential applications for paper, production and recycling methods, circular economies, supply chains, the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR), approaches to optimizing production processes, data management, and more.
Renewable
Energy
One of Koehler Renewable Energy’s core competencies is producing power and steam from biomass such as scrap wood and landscaping material.
In addition, the experts at Koehler Renewable Energy specialize in every stage of the energy generation value chain, going from obtaining land and securing permits, through planning and development, all the way to smooth long-term operation. And that’s for everything ranging from wind power and hydroelectric power, to solar power, to combined heat and power.
We’re looking for startups with innovative ideas for the energy industry, including areas such as energy management systems, energy storage, hydrogen, circular economies for biomass power plants, carbon footprint reduction and carbon capture, optimization approaches, and new ways of doing things.
Other Areas
We’re also looking for innovative ideas in all other business areas, including human resource management, finance and controlling, IT, research, process optimization, data-based decision making, digital transformations, and much more.
We offer
- 001 Experienced Innovators Experienced Innovators
- 002 Venture Client Model Venture Client Model
- 003 Hackathons And Challenges Hackathons And Challenges
- 004 Mentoring Mentoring
- 005 A One-Of-A-Kind Network A One-Of-A-Kind Network
Koehler Innovative Solutions —
Perspective is what sets us apart.
Experienced Innovators
Our experts from the areas of research, product development, process development, systems engineering, analytics, IP management, and regulatory compliance can assist startups with the development of sustainable solutions suitable for circular economies.
Venture Client Model
We’ll become your customer even if your product is not market-ready, and we’ll help you develop it until it is.
To learn more about how we work together with startups on joint projects, click here.
Hackathons And Challenges
Hackathons and challenges are another great way to get to know us. Dates for 2024 will be coming very soon.
Mentoring
We’re also active as accelerator mentors for centers such as UnternehmerTUM and programs such as Black Forest Accelerator.
A One-Of-A-Kind Network
Startups can benefit from the Koehler Group’s market know-how and contacts, which are the natural result of a storied company with global operations.
AGREEING ON A FRAMEWORK
Together, we’ll agree on a framework for the project and set clear targets and KPIs.
WORKING TOGETHER
Within the agreed framework, we’ll work together on a collaborative project that will usually last anywhere from three to six months.
LEARNING
You will learn how the market environment for your product works and benefit from our experts’ know-how.
NETWORKING
You will have the opportunity to establish contacts within the Koehler Group and get to know relevant stakeholders from our worldwide network.
DECIDING
At the end of the collaborative project, we’ll jointly decide how to proceed. In addition to a permanent customer relationship, investments by Koehler Invest are also a possibility.
Partnerships
Koehler and the leading center for business creation and innovation in Europe are working together in a number of ways. For instance, Koehler has provided a BigRep PRO 3D printer to UnternehmerTUM MakerSpace for a full year, not to mention that the company is also active in mentorships for the center.
Koehler works together with the collaborative platform in order to set up hackathons and act as a mentor for the Black Forest Accelerator program.
A current collaborative project with the Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences is focused on energy system modeling as a foundation for additional energy optimizations for our Kehl site.
Close collaboration with the Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, which is located close to the Koehler Group’s headquarters, extends across various areas. We’re continuously developing innovative projects together with students and promoting the exchange of knowledge and resources. And with our collaborative work and the university’s initiatives, we’re contributing to the further development of technologies and expert knowledge.
UnternehmerTUM’s MakerSpace is a high tech workshop that can be used by the public and provides access to the latest machines, tools, software, and a professional crew. Working together with UnternehmerTUM’s MakerSpace not only boosts the exchange of ideas, but also the real-life implementation of innovations. In addition, providing technology is one way in which we promote the daily production of prototypes.
The APEX Group, a well-known provider of renewable energy, shares our vision of a green energy transition and is proactively working towards climate neutrality. Koehler plays an essential part in the APEX Group’s efforts, as green hydrogen will be a crucial factor when it comes to climate-neutral power delivery. Moreover, this partnership is helping our own efforts to drive innovative technologies in the area of renewable energy.
With its Halerium enterprise platform, Erium is enabling companies to intuitively tackle the complexity of their business processes. Koehler and the startup are working together in order to co-create digital market intelligence applications, and the use of generative artificial intelligence should allow us to better understand market conditions and maximize efficiency when it comes to our work.
ECBF is a venture fund that specializes in investments in growth-stage companies within the European circular bioeconomy. Its mission is to provide access to funding for innovative solutions that will make it possible to transition from a linear economy to a more sustainable circular economy. Koehler is proud of its partnership with ECBF, which is constantly supporting new, innovative developments in the bioeconomy.
TU Darmstadt is a technical university known for extraordinary scientific research in areas such as Germany’s energy transition, Industry 4.0, and artificial intelligence. The university also maintains strong links with wider society and the worlds of politics and business.
The German paper industry ranks number one in Europe and number four worldwide, with around 3,000 different types of paper, cardboard, and paperboard produced across the country for a host of different applications. The DIE PAPIERINDUSTRIE e. V. association represents the interests of all stakeholders in the German pulp and paper industry and provides a bridge to politicians, social partners, the media, and the public. 105 companies are currently members.