This whitepaper shows why technology alone is not enough to solve the challenges Germany is facing as a business location – and how collaboration between industry, tech companies, and startups becomes the decisive factor for success. Using specific real-world examples from the work of Possehl Digital and the Founders Foundation with their brand Hinterland of Things, it becomes clear how digitalization can be implemented in a practical, effective, and sustainable way.
The industrial Mittelstand is under massive pressure to change: a shortage of skilled workers, rising costs, and rapid technological dynamics demand new answers. Digital transformation is no longer a topic for the future, but a prerequisite for competitiveness and resilience.
Digitalization in the Mittelstand can succeed: pragmatically, step by step, and close to day-to-day operations. Instead of abstract strategies, the focus is on specific use cases, proven models, and real execution. It clearly illustrates why many digital projects fail, where typical obstacles lie, and how companies can overcome them.
The whitepaper is aimed at everyone who no longer wants to postpone digitalization, but instead wants to move from thinking to doing.
Download the English version of the whitepaper for free.
Download the German version of the whitepaper for free.
Possehl Digital is the digital unit of the long-established Possehl Group. Acting as a bridge between industry and technology, Possehl Digital has first-hand insight into the realities of industrial companies: from established structures to specific operational challenges. Through investments in tech companies, strategic partnerships, and its own digital initiatives, Possehl Digital develops and tests practical solutions directly within industrial environments. The focus is on implementable digitalization that delivers measurable value and integrates sustainably into existing processes.
The Founders Foundation educates the next generation of successful B2B tech founders and purposefully connects startups with the industrial Mittelstand. Its mission is to bring entrepreneurial thinking, technological innovation, and execution capability into the economy. With its brand Hinterland of Things, the Founders Foundation builds a strong ecosystem of mid-sized companies, startups, investors, and technology experts. Through curated formats, networks, and the annual B2B tech conference, concrete solutions are developed, tested, and brought into implementation: practical, collaborative, and on eye level.
Partner Manager Hinterland of Things