I believe in the progress that emerges when human creativity, determination, and artificial intelligence come together.
 
At rready, we connect people, technology, and data to turn ideas into measurable financial impact. Our AI-powered innovation platform makes the entire process — from idea generation to implementation — digital, scalable, and efficient. Integrated AI agents support innovators in developing and validating their ideas, thereby drastically reducing the time-to-impact.
 
In recent years, we have helped companies such as ZF, BMW Group, and Tetra Pak to realize projects with hundreds of millions in influenced revenue.
 
We live what we enable companies to do: in 2021, we spun off from a corporate project at Swisscom and took the leap to become an independent startup — financed by venture capital from Silicon Valley.
 
As co-founder and CCO, I built the commercial teams and am responsible for marketing, sales, and HR — with a clear goal: not only to promote innovation, but to implement it.

19. Stock. Axel-Springer-Hochhaus. Blick über ganz Berlin.

Ich stehe im Journalistenclub – eingeladen vom VDMA, um über Corporate Innovation zu sprechen.

Das war vor fünf Jahren. Und ich dachte mir: Wow – so viel Power in einem Raum voller Branchenvertreter.

Damals wurde mir klar, wie wichtig Verbände sind, wenn es darum geht, Innovation in die Breite zu tragen.

Fast-forward zu heute:
Andrea Veerkamp-Walz hat wieder einen starken Artikel veröffentlicht – diesmal über unsere Methode KICKBOX. Sie beschreibt, wie Mitarbeitende nicht nur Ideen generieren, sondern diese auch in echten Business Impact übersetzen.

Was ist in den letzten fünf Jahren gleich geblieben?
⏯️ Ideen ohne Umsetzung bleiben wertlos.
⏯️ Die meisten Unternehmen haben kein Ideenproblem – sie haben ein Umsetzungsproblem.
⏯️ Ohne strategischen Fit und klare Priorisierung versickern Budgets – und es entsteht Innovations­theater statt Business Impact.

Was hat sich radikal verändert?
▶️ KI erkennt Chancen und Probleme schneller als jedes menschliche Gehirn – in Daten, in Prozessen und am Markt.
▶️ Spezialisierte KI-Agenten begleiten Mitarbeitende entlang des gesamten Innovationsprozesses – von der Idee bis zur Umsetzung.
▶️ Die Time-to-Impact hat sich drastisch verkürzt – mit spürbaren Ergebnissen: mehr Patente, neue Produkte, echte Einsparungen.

Danke für den spannenden Beitrag, Andre Veerkamp-Walz - Link im ersten Kommentar.

Ralph Hartmeier

Agentic Innovation - From Ideas to Financial Impact I Co-Founder at rready.AI

A Formula 1 car doesn’t win races because it has a powerful engine.

It wins because everything around the engine is built for speed.

The other day, I watched a pit stop.
2.4 seconds.

That’s how long it took to change all four tires.
It made me think about innovation teams.

They often focus all their energy on “the engine”:
> More ideas
> More talent
> More tools

But speed doesn’t just come from power.
It comes from removing friction.

Great innovation teams don’t just run workshops.

They design everything around flow:
➡️ Quick access to decision-makers
➡️ Systems that track progress visibly
➡️ Clear ownership across every stage
➡️ Less bureaucracy, more momentum

In a sports car, every part serves the speed.
Weight is reduced. Communication is tight.
There’s no fluff. No status meetings at 300 km/h.

At rready.AI, we’ve learned:
It’s not about pushing harder.
It’s about designing for clean acceleration.

Your innovation engine might be great.
But what’s slowing you down?
Bureaucracy?
Alignment?
Or just not enough pit stops?

Sometimes, the best way to accelerate…
is to stop and redesign what’s around the engine.

Shoot me a message if you want to assess where your innovation engine is really getting stuck — we’re giving away our Innovation Strategy Canvas to help you map it out.

Last week, we brought our rready innovation community to a place few ever stop but should.
And it reminded us why we do this.

We gathered innovation and strategy leaders from companies like dormakaba, PostFinance, and Autoneum for a day that started in the Swiss FoodTech Valley and ended with a story from the middle of the Atlantic.

As organizers, we didn’t want another stage.
We wanted a space to think, reflect, and exchange honestly.

And that’s exactly what we got.

🍃 Yannick Jones (Gächter) showed us how Planted is scaling food innovation with scientific precision

🧂Alexandre Bastos opened the door to Givaudan’s global innovation system where experimentation and legacy go hand in hand

🛜 Kai Duttle shared how Swisscom is using rready.AI to drive real AI transformation not slides, but structure

🚣‍♂️ And two friends from Swiss Mocean reminded us what alignment really means after 30 days rowing unassisted across the Atlantic

Their message?
“When the goal is clear and the team is aligned, limits disappear.”

That line stayed with me.
Because it’s true not just in boats, but in boardrooms.

Innovation doesn’t need more noise.
It needs spaces like this
> Peer-led
> Candid
> Focused on what’s working (and what’s not)

Thanks to everyone who made the time to show up fully.
We’re already planning what’s next. Stay tuned.

Should you fire your innovation team if there’s no ROI?

Short answer: Yes.
Longer answer: You might be solving the wrong problem.

The issue isn’t the existence of innovation teams.
It’s that in many companies, they operate in a vacuum.

Disconnected from strategy.
Disconnected from outcomes.
Disconnected from the people doing the actual work.

And that’s why most fail to deliver.

But with AI, the role of innovation teams is shifting.
It’s no longer about owning every single project.

It’s about building the system that makes innovation scalable across the org.
▶️ Running the right campaigns
▶️ Connecting the right people
▶️ Aligning with the top-level strategy
▶️ Setting the rules, not hoarding the work

In short:
You don’t need a big innovation team.
You need a small, powerful one — focused on structure, speed, and outcomes.

Just like you need a sales team to drive revenue,
you still need someone responsible for building and guiding innovation.

Financial incentives are like salt.
Used right, they enhance.
Used wrong, they ruin everything.

That’s the tricky part about financial rewards in innovation.

Nail the setup and the regulatory framework? You create momentum.
Miss the mark? You can kill trust, creativity - and even team spirit.

Here’s what I’ve seen go sideways:
⭕ Complex bonus schemes no one understands
⭕  Frustration over perceived unfairness
⭕  Demotivated teams due to unclear communication regarding incentives
⭕  Small rewards that may fail to inspire meaningful engagement

And yet...

Companies keep doing it,
just because it feels like the logical choice.

However, if you’re not careful, you might be rewarding the wrong behavior - or worse, creating the wrong culture.

So what approach actually works?

✅ Keep it simple.
Don't overcomplicated the reward system. People should instantly get how it works - and understand what they’re working toward.

✅ Make it transparent.
Do not leave room for guesswork. Be clear on what gets rewarded how decisions are made, and which stakeholders are involved in decision-making.

✅ Blend financial and non-financial incentives.
Cash is great - but so is recognition, visibility, and growth. Think: public shoutouts, LinkedIn certificates, access to leadership , or learning budgets.

✅ Reward teams, not just heroes.
Innovation is rarely a solo sport. Celebrate shared wins and encourage collaboration.

✅ Tie rewards to value - not just volume.
Don’t pay for very idea submitted. Incentivize validated outcomes, to ensure quality of ideas submitted, not just activity.

At rready.AI we have helped dozens of corporates navigate this.

And spoiler: It’s not about skipping rewards.
It’s about designing them smartly.

Want the blueprint?
Let’s talk.

AI is here. Maturity isn’t.

Almost every executive I speak with says the same thing:
“We’ve started investing in AI — but we’re not seeing real results.”

And the data backs them up.
The World Economic Forum says 92% of companies will increase AI spending over the next three years.
But less than 1% consider themselves truly AI-mature. (Meaning: AI is embedded in their operations and delivering actual business outcomes.)

That’s the paradox:
AI could unlock $4.4 trillion in productivity — but most companies are stuck in pilot mode.

So how do you move from experiments to impact?

Here’s the playbook I share with leaders:

1️⃣ Stop running AI in silos
If every team runs their own AI pilots, you get duplication, wasted budgets, and zero alignment. You need one platform to manage ideas, track progress, and connect the dots across departments.

2️⃣ Tie AI to your core strategy
Chatbots and automation are fine — but they won’t move the needle. 
The real wins? When AI helps solve your top challenges: supply chains, customer churn, margin pressure.

3️⃣ Build trust before you scale
Tech rollouts fail when people don’t buy in. Make AI understandable. Invest in training, governance, and use cases people can believe in. Without trust, adoption stalls.

4️⃣ Track ROI like your life depends on it
Most companies skip this part. But without clear impact — cost savings, efficiency gains, revenue lift — support will dry up fast.

Bottom line:
AI can’t stay a cost center. It has to prove itself as a driver of business value.

The companies that get this right?

They won’t just catch up.
They’ll lead.

Idea management isn’t new.

It started in Japan in the 1950s - on the factory floor at Toyota.

They called it Kaizen - continuous improvement driven by the people closest to the work.

No strategy decks. No innovation theater. Just:
> Observe
> Suggest
> Improve

The concept made its way to Europe.
It shaped Lean Management.
And many companies installed idea boxes to tap into employee insights.

It worked.
Until things got... slow.

More people. More processes.
Longer loops. Less feedback.
Ideas disappeared into the void.

Today, companies like BMW Group - a client of ours - are modernizing idea management through AI.
➡️ Employees submit ideas in seconds
➡️ AI checks for strategic fit instantly
➡️ Connects contributors with relevant reviewers
➡️ Detects duplicates automatically
➡️ Tracks status and impact in real time

From cost savings to new revenue streams - the results are tangible.

What started as paper slips in a metal box
is now a connected, intelligent innovation system.

Same spirit.
Much bigger impact.

Is AI becoming the next corporate theater?

Just like innovation did five years ago?

Remember the wave of hackathons?
Pitch days? Idea campaigns?

Lots of buzz. Very little follow-through.

Now we’re seeing the same pattern with AI:
➡️ GenAI pilots popping up in every team
➡️ Tools bought without IT involvement
➡️ Cloud bills exploding
➡️ Zero alignment on risk or regulation

This is AI sprawl.
The 2025 version of Shadow IT.

Almost 80% of companies report using GenAI.
But governance hasn’t caught up.
And the EU AI Act isn’t waiting.

So what’s happening?
➡️ Teams are experimenting in silos
➡️ Models are running without security reviews
➡️ Legal has no idea what’s in production
➡️ Finance is left wondering where the spike in spend came from

In some companies, GenAI alone has driven cloud costs up by 30%.

That’s not innovation.
That’s chaos.

The smart companies won’t just launch more pilots.
They’ll build systems.

Because real innovation doesn’t happen in chaos — it happens in structure.

Think of AI governance as a product.
Built once. Applied everywhere.
Measured in cost saved, risk avoided, and speed gained.

That’s why we designed rready.AI’s platform to be AI-native from day one.
To give companies a single place to manage all innovation — including AI use cases.

One platform.
✅ Central oversight
✅ Compliance by design
✅ Measurable outcomes

So here’s the real question:

Is your AI setup built to last?
Or are you just running another flashy pilot?

“Autonomous innovation” sounds powerful. But it’s a dangerous illusion.

Yes – AI can help generate ideas.
Yes – it can evaluate them against your strategy.
Yes – it can even support execution.

But here’s the truth:
Innovation is change.

And change is never linear.
Shaped by people, influence, and the way decisions actually get made.

No matter how advanced your AI system is...

> You’ll still need someone to rally stakeholders.
> Someone to fight for the budget.
> Someone to navigate office politics.

And that someone is rarely an agent.

We built rready.AI to be agentic — not autonomous.

➡️ Our AI listens to market signals and internal data.
➡️ It delivers ideas that match your strategic goals.
➡️ It evaluates them through agents and scorecards.
➡️ It helps move them forward — step by step.

But the final mile?
That still belongs to people.

When an idea actually makes it across the finish line,
it’s never just because of a smart tool.
It’s because someone took ownership.

We don’t sell an autopilot for innovation.
We enable people to lead change, with AI at their side.

So next time someone pitches “fully autonomous innovation”…

Just ask:
Who or what going to convince your CFO?

SaaS players like us are out of business by 2030.

That’s not a provocation.
That’s the reality we’re heading toward unless we evolve.

AI is fundamentally changing how software is built, consumed, and valued.
And it’s creating entirely new roles for SaaS companies.

In this short video, I share my honest take on:
➡️ Why customer collaboration is becoming a competitive advantage
➡️ How AI is reshaping the SaaS industry from the ground up
➡️  And why some SaaS players will disappear, while others thrive

It’s uncomfortable.
But it’s also exciting.

Because those who learn to truly create value with AI will lead the next chapter.

Die falsche Software sammelt Ideen. 
Die Richtige bringt sie ins Ziel.

Sie entscheidet darüber,
➡️ ob Ideen sichtbar & strategisch relevant werden.
➡️ ob aus Vorschlägen konkrete Initiativen werden.
➡️ ob Innovation im Unternehmen gelebt oder nur dokumentiert wird.

Genau deshalb freue ich mich auf den TECH DAY 2025 vom Zentrum Ideenmanagement am 13. & 14. November.

Zwei Tage, verschiedene Anbieter, volle Transparenz.
Unabhängig kuratiert, direkt vergleichbar, praxisnah.

Ich werde dort zeigen, wie rready.AI Innovation greifbar und skalierbar macht – mit klarer Struktur, KI-Unterstützung und einem Ziel: Wirkung.

Falls du gerade über neue Tools nachdenkst – oder den nächsten Schritt in deinem Innovationsprozess planst: Sei dabei!

Open article: TECH DAY Idea Management Software & Technologies | Zentrum Ideenmanagement by zentrum-ideenmanagement.de

TECH DAY Idea Management Software & Technologies | Zentrum Ideenmanagement

Sometimes, it’s not your weaknesses that hold you back.
It’s your strengths.

The strategies, tools, and instincts that got you here...
Can become the very things that block you from evolving.

I’ve seen this in myself.
I’ve seen it in others.
Across innovation teams and leadership roles, and even individuals.

➡️ The visionary who once inspired bold moves... turns rigid.
➡️ The operator who scaled fast... becomes risk-averse.
➡️ The communicator who rallied people... turns into all talk, no action.

This is what is called the Icarus Paradox.

You rise on your strengths — and then fly too close to the sun with them.

Why?

Because what used to work still feels safe.
But the environment has changed.

AI is shifting how we work.
Global pressure is shifting how we think.
What worked in 2020 won’t get you to 2026.

So what can you do?
✅ Regularly challenge your own assumptions
✅ Invite pushback, especially from people outside your bubble
✅ Build systems that adapt as fast as the world does

The risk isn’t failure.
The risk is standing still while everything else moves.

We talk a lot about building innovation systems. 

But forget that systems don’t innovate — people do.

I recently came across a paper in The Journal of Technology Transfer that bridges psychology and innovation and made something deeply familiar click into focus.

Creativity emerges from emotional well-being, philosophical reflection, and openness to new experience — not just technical skill (de Almeida, Audretsch & Leite, 2025).

And it made me pause.

Because when we enter a new organization, we often find the same thing:
> The processes are there
> The toolkits are there
> The strategy sounds great

But something feels off. Teams are hesitant. Risk appetite is low.
People say “innovation is important” but don’t feel safe enough to actually try.

We’ve seen ideas die in places with perfect playbooks…
And thrive in places with messy, human-centered environments that reward learning over certainty.

That’s why this research matters.

The W.O.M.B. model — Well-being, Open-mindedness, Mindfulness, and Brilliance — reframes innovation not as output, but as conditions. 
Conditions that unlock creativity before ideas are even formed.

At rready.AI, we address this head-on. Our tools don’t just guide innovation, they lower the threshold to act. By embedding psychological safety, transparency, and coaching into the process - and combining it with the smart use of AI - we help people move from hesitant to hands-on.

And here’s the hard truth for many leaders:
You can’t process your way to innovation.

You need:
➡️ A culture that tolerates ambiguity
➡️ Incentives that reward exploration
➡️ Teams that feel emotionally safe enough to experiment
➡️ Structures that don’t just permit creativity — they invite it

Innovation doesn’t start with ideas.
It starts with how your people feel.

📎 I’ll drop the full article in the comments, it’s worth a read.

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