Only one in four companies cooperates with a start-up

Despite increasing digitalization, there is a lack of cooperation with start-ups, especially in medium-sized companies.

Start-ups often lack customers and market access, while established organizations often lack the technical know-how and experience to use cutting-edge technologies such as blockchain or artificial intelligence, it is often said. This would be the perfect basis for cooperation, but medium-sized companies and organizations rarely work together with start-ups, as a new study by the online association Bitkom shows. According to the study, only 24% of companies in Germany work with start-ups. The study surveyed 604 German companies with 20 or more employees. 71 percent of respondents do not have a single partnership with a start-up, while five percent are not sure.

"Hardly any company will be able to manage without a digital business model in the future. For SMEs in particular, working with start-ups is often the best way to gain access to new technologies and digital innovations," says Bitkom President Achim Berg. "Actively approaching founders and seeking exchange can give your own company a strong competitive advantage."

According to the study, the main reason given by companies for not working with start-ups is a lack of time, closely followed by a lack of contacts with start-ups and insufficient financial resources. A third of companies state that they do not have any projects that they could carry out with start-ups, and 30 percent believe that working with them would theoretically not bring any added value. Three percent of companies have set up special start-up programs such as incubators, and eight percent have a financial stake in companies. 86 percent also use various forms of teamwork, such as start-up competitions.