Oliver Rößling
I build AI and DeepTech ventures for enterprises. From formation to market. With the right partners.
Schedule a Conversation
↓
About
New structures to turn AI into business inside enterprises: joint ventures, spin-offs, corporate ventures. That's what I build and lead. At Accenture: digital twins for Deutsche Bahn, hybrid-electric aviation with Rolls-Royce. Then as CEO of AHEAD Automotive, a four-way JV with ZF, Hella, Niterra, and Clarios: 40+ employees, two AI products at market. Today with CAPS & COLLARS across Automotive, MedTech, Maritime, Aviation, and Dual Use.
How I work
I build companies, products, and the ecosystems around them. From founding through scaling to exit. What sets my approach apart: I don't just launch ventures. I build the context around them. The network, the format, the room where the right people meet at the right time. DEEPTECH Campus and 12MIN.ME with 1,200+ events in 60+ cities were built on this principle. Both form the network base to find the right people at the right time and build teams that solve complex problems.
I select hard, cut what doesn't work, and stay until the product stands. That's a curatorial mindset applied to venture building. Whether for exit or for the long run: I build both.
Small boutiques will take over and automate entire functions of large enterprises. It's already happening. Speed when it matters. Precision when it counts.
Track Record
From Corporate Consulting to Own Ventures
2020–2022
Corporate Consulting · Accenture
Chief Disruption Officer
Started as CDO at umlaut, continued after Accenture's acquisition. Core focus: digital twins. Project lead and conception of innovation initiatives in sandbox environments, assembled and led dedicated teams. Key projects: Deutsche Bahn ICE 4, Rolls-Royce (hybrid-electric aviation).
▼
- Developing and validating new business models, technologies, and go-to-market approaches in sandbox environments, without risking existing structures and culture
- Building competency teams for corporate innovation. On success: structured transition into the enterprise
accenture.com →
2022–2025
Corporate JV · CEO
CEO
Joint venture with ZF, Hella, Niterra & Clarios. Built from zero: 40+ employees, two AI products (
QIRA,
ProPoints) launched to market. After successful product launch, transferred to shareholders for continued operations.
Direct collaboration with board members, C-level, and VP-level across all four partners. Dozens of stakeholders in parallel workstreams. In Nov 2022, I convinced the stakeholders to pivot the platform from multimedia to AI, right when the technology became viable. The product is still being sold today. The key takeaway: enter in the formation phase, set the strategic direction early, and navigate it through complex stakeholder environments.
ahead.group →
Since 2022
Own Venture Studio
CEO
DeepTech & AI venture studio with Alois Krtil (ARIC, HQIC). Three active ventures: KLARSTAND (two products at market, enterprise partnerships live since Feb 2025), POLI8 (clinical AI, Switzerland), WHITEFIX (EU Right-to-Repair). Sectors: Automotive, MedTech, Maritime, Aviation, Dual Use.
▼
Active Ventures
- KLARSTAND (2025) · AI-powered data layer for operations & maintenance. Two products and sales channels live since Feb 2025, adopted by market. Enterprise partnerships active. Automotive, Maritime, Aviation, Rail, Dual Use · 📰 Newsletter →
- POLI8 (2025) · Clinical Guideline Intelligence, Zug/Switzerland
- WHITEFIX (2025) · AI + EU Right-to-Repair
Ecosystem & Media
capsncollars.com →
Corporate · 7+ Years
CDO, 2013–2020
Hamburg-based technology agency. Early adopter of VR, AR, robotics, ML, and AI for public sector and enterprise clients. Built first expertise in automotive aftermarket here, which led directly to AHEAD and KLARSTAND.
▼
- 7 years C-Level. Testing and implementing emerging technologies at a time when VR, AR, and AI were far from mainstream
- Clients: Hamburg Port Authority (Virtual Port), TüV Nord, Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte ("Tattoo Legends" VR, 🏆 Gold-Award)
absolute.de →
🎙️ Shows & Podcasts
Shows & Podcasts
Host · 5 formats
10+ years on mic and on stage. Podcasts on DeepTech, AI, society, and economy. TV shows, keynotes, TEDx.
▼
- 🎙️ DEEPTECH DEEPTALK (since 2024) · with Alois Krtil · Deep dives into quantum tech, AI, cybersecurity, and dual use
- 🎙️ Stunde Null (since 2017) · 72+ episodes · Digital transformation, economics, and society with Vöpel & Hirsch
- 🎤 TEDx Heidelberg (2019) · "Start Reflecting on Expectations and Find Your Superpower!" · 13.700+ Views
- 📺 Lighthouse Hamburg (2023) · TV talk show on Hamburg 1 with Prof. Dr. Vöpel
- 📺 XING Talk (2017–2019) · YouTube show on New Work and careers, with XING / NEW WORK SE
- 🎙️ Bright New Future (2015–2017) · Conversations with extraordinary people, with Frank Eilers · 📰 derStandard Top-7
2018
🇺🇸 U.S. Department of State
Selected Participant
U.S. government's premier exchange program for emerging global leaders. Nomination-only. Alumni include heads of state and Nobel laureates.
▼
- Premier professional exchange program of the U.S. Department of State. Up to 5,000 emerging leaders from around the world per year. Nomination-only by U.S. Embassy staff.
- Alumni include heads of state, Nobel laureates, and Fortune 500 CEOs
🏆 Awards
4 Industry Awards
Gold-Award 2020 · eGovernment 2018 · WeWork 2017 · derStandard 2016
▼
Earlier Ventures
OnTone · GradList · Unique Cone
Early-stage ventures and corporate roles. OnTone: AI-powered conversation analytics (awarded). GradList: matching students with thesis topics. Content Fleet: content marketing, BizDev NY.
▼
- OnTone · Scalable Conversation Analytics · 🏆 Best Startup Ideas Germany
- GradList · "Find your thesis!" · Students + Companies + Universities
- XING / NEW WORK SE · Strategy (2017–2019)
- Content Fleet (2011–2013, now part of Ströer Group) · VC-backed tech company: predictive content intelligence for major newsrooms. Head of HR (rapid team scaling) + BizDev, opened NYC office with the founder
- OKS (India) · ~5,000 employees in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. First Western hire: coaching teams for the German, UK, and US markets, sharpening processes, building capabilities
🎓 Education
Universität Hamburg
Diplom-Kaufmann (MBA eq.), 2003–2010
Game Theory, HR, Economics
Expertise
AI & Agentic Systems
Evaluating what's production-ready, structuring teams, building ventures. From emerging tech assessment to EU AI Act compliance.
Evaluating emerging technologies since before the current AI hype. Today I assess what's production-ready and what's not. EU AI Act compliance: risk classification, governance frameworks, data sovereignty. Proven across industries: Automotive (digital twins, aftermarket), MedTech (clinical AI), Maritime, Aviation (hybrid-electric).
Read more +Less −
Corporate Ventures & JVs
From sandbox to operating venture. Learned at Accenture, proven with a four-way Tier-1 JV at AHEAD.
Fluent in both worlds: board reporting, regulatory frameworks, legal structuring, compliance, governance. And equally at home in startup operations: rapid iteration, lean teams, market-first execution. I bridge these environments because I've built ventures in both. I enter in the formation phase: stakeholder alignment at board level, JV structuring (governance, IP, cap tables, data governance, compliance), team assembly, and building from zero to operational scale. Proven with a four-way Tier-1 JV.
Read more +Less −
Network & Ecosystem Access
Operational access to AI research (ARIC), quantum computing (HQIC), and cross-industry talent through 12+ years of ecosystem building.
Transformation requires the right network. Through ARIC/HQIC (AI & quantum research), DEEPTECH Campus Circle (curated C-level access), and 12MIN.ME (cross-industry expertise network across 70+ cities in 8+ countries), that's where the right people meet. International track record: DACH, UK, US, India.
Read more +Less −
Further Engagements
Ambassador
ARIC Hamburg (HQIC)
AI Center Hamburg
Hamburg's hub for applied AI and data science. ARIC founder Alois Krtil is my co-founder at CAPS & COLLARS, providing direct access to AI and quantum expertise.
▼
Ambassador since 2020. Through Alois Krtil (ARIC founder, HQIC managing director, CAPS & COLLARS co-founder), direct bridge to Hamburg's AI and quantum computing ecosystem.
aric-hamburg.de →
Advisory Board
nextMedia.Hamburg
2020–2022
Hamburg's cluster initiative for media and digital economy. Public-private innovation programs.
▼
Committee
Chamber of Commerce
IT Committee, 2020–2022
Strategic IT advisory committee for Hamburg's chamber of commerce. Policy recommendations for digital infrastructure.
▼
Juror
Deutscher Gründerpreis
2016–2022
Germany's most prestigious entrepreneurship award. Backed by Stern, Sparkasse, ZDF, and Porsche.
▼
Curator
AIESEC Deutschland
2016–2020
World's largest youth-run organization. Leadership development and international exchange in 120+ countries.
▼
Honorary Member
The Interface Society
Since 2023
International network for design, technology, and human-computer interaction.
▼
Mentor
Founder Institute
2015–2017
World's largest pre-seed startup accelerator. Structured program helping founders launch and scale.
▼