The Blitzminds team outside of MTZ.

Blitzminds: B2B Software for Showcasing Innovations

The Munich startup Blitzminds has created a software solution that companies can use to find out when, where how and by whom innovative projects were implemented in their own company with just one click. Founded in 2016, the SaaS startup has seen quite a lot happen since our last talk. Our questions were answered by the founder of the design thinking platform, Cornelius Filbry.

Munich Startup: Cornelius, please tell us: What niche does Blitzminds cater to?

Cornelius Filbry from Blitzminds: In most companies, innovation development is project based. The attained knowledge is quickly lost and I don’t know a single company that can tell me what projects they’ve already implemented involving artificial intelligence, blockchain or the Internet of Things or what the results were. Our customers, however, can tell you in a matter of seconds which projects they’ve already executed on which key technologies. With the same amount of time and resources, their innovative power is increased by up to 20 percent.

Munich Startup: Getting started can be the most difficult part, and sales were a real challenge for you in the beginning. You’ve changed your sales strategy since and now have both startups and large companies as customers. What prompted that change in course? 

Blitzminds Cornelius Filbry
Founder Cornelius Filbry (photo: Baystartup).

Cornelius Filbry: Our product still offers large organizations tremendous added value. Sales, however, are extremely time-consuming and arduous. That’s why it was important for us to also increase the amount of real added value we can offer smaller organizations and individual departments. We have always developed our product to go in that direction, which is how we also ended up working with new, smaller customers.

More team spirit

Munich Startup: We spoke last two years ago. Your office was in Ruffinihaus at that point. Have you noticed lasting benefits from that creative environment?

Cornelius Filbry: Absolutely! We mostly worked at the university back then, and it was difficult for the team to always meet up in Garching. Ruffinihaus was the first office that we could organize to suit our needs and that we could also lock up. That really made a significant contribution to our team spirit. But it’s also been two years now since we were there.

Blitzminds
There’s also plenty of Blitzminds team spirit in the new MTZ office.

Munich Startup: Your office is now at MTZ. How did that come about? And do you benefit from being so close to other tech companies there?

Cornelius Filbry: After an odyssey through all kinds of offices, we ended up at the Munich Technology Centre (MTZ). After being at the LMU Entrepreneurship Center and in the Xpreneurs Program of UnternehmerTUM — both of which provided fantastic work environments — MTZ was recommended. The modern facilities with meeting rooms, a reception area and the flexibility to rent additional offices were decisive factors.

“Shark-filled waters of B2B software”

Munich Startup: Things have also changed in terms of financing, right?

Cornelius Filbry: That’s right! We were fortunate enough that Baystartup and our own search helped us get two fantastic business angels on board with us. In addition to funding, which we immediately invested in product development, we also benefit from the wealth of expertise that both business angels have in different fields. Not only do they contribute a valuable network, they are also extremely important sparring partners. They support us in adapting our strategy or contacting specific customers, and also help us turn set-backs into new strengths. 

Munich Startup: What are you currently focusing on? What do you have planned next?

Cornelius Filbry: We’re currently working on two extremely important functions for our product: Automatic importing of results from innovation workshops (usually hand-written post-its) and exporting results in presentation formats. The new version of our software might be available with this kind of export feature after Easter. We’re also working on a new marketing strategy to help us stand out in the “shark-filled waters of B2B software.” Those are definitely three highlights in our current development as a company.