Miele set up its own incubator

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Miele has founded its own incubator in order to further promote the development of innovative solutions from within the ranks of the workforce and implement them faster: with Pioneering GmbH, Miele is ensuring a creative environment in which internal start-ups can bring their ideas to fruition faster. “The youngest offspring of the Gütersloh-based family company was spawned by the Smart Home sector (responsible for the development of innovative applications in the field of appliance connectivity as well as new digital business models in the same context) and the New Growth Factory business unit – Miele explains –. The latter is responsible at Miele for growth with new business fields – for example through takeovers, stakes in start-ups or through home-grown ideas and spin-offs. Management of Pioneering GmbH is to be shared by Dr. Ina Nordsiek, Director Intrapreneurship within the business unit, and Hendrik Stegelmann, Director Digital Innovation and Products with Smart Home. Both will assume their new responsibilities alongside their existing tasks”. Particular attention will be paid to promoting business ideas which represent a strategic fit but are outside Miele’s previous core business field. “With Pioneering GmbH, we are offering administrative freedom and elbow room and a professional and inspiring environment in which we bring together the best of the start-up and the Miele world”, Nordsiek says. The advantage this brings is described by Stegelmann in the following terms: “On the one hand, teams have the liberties and autonomy of a start-up whilst on the other being able to fall back on the support of a globally active family company”. Ideas for innovative business models, product or process solutions from the New Growth Factory or Smart Home are transferred to the new company: they are ideas and solutions which, after careful evaluation by Miele, are considered promising. Once there, development of the so-called Minimum Viable Product continues through to market maturity, initial discussions with potential customers and market trials under real-life conditions. If the business case overcomes this hurdle, it is either integrated at Miele or pursued further as a separate start-up founded at that point.