Venture Client Excellence is our passion

We are the leading provider of ​venture client solutions

Startups are the competitive resource of the future. And the companies that are aware of this are already building the necessary capabilities to benefit from startups effectively.

27pilots helps companies to gain competitive advantage from top global startups, and the startup ecosystem at large. We do this through our proven Venture Client Solutions, that is services, technology and data to build, improve and grow internal Venture Client capabilities and to operate their Venture Client Units. Among our customers are global corporations like BMW, Bosch, Holcim, and Siemens with their internationally renowned Venture Client Units BMW Startup Garage, Open Bosch, Holcim MAQER, ​​Siemens Energy Ventures, and Station X. We also work with mid-sized and family-owned businesses to integrate our Venture Client Solutions, so they can also gain a measurable competitive impact from the world’s best startups.

Our Founder and CEO Gregor Gimmy invented the Venture Client Model in 2014 at BMW, where he created and managed the world’s first Venture Client Unit – the BMW Startup Garage. Venture Clients are companies that buy and use products from startups in order to obtain a strategic benefit. Based upon the success of the Venture Client Model at BMW, Gregor founded 27pilots in 2018 with the mission to enable corporations world-wide to benefit strategically from startups through a comprehensive suite of Venture Client Solutions.

We believe that the best way for companies to establish their Venture Client Unit capabilities is through our market-leading Venture Client Solutions. Because we have a proven track record, the most experienced team and the most advanced Venture Client-specific services, technologies and data. We focus exclusively on establishing the world’s best Venture Client capabilities. Venture Client is what we do, and Excellence is what we deliver.

Our vision

Startups are the competitive resource of the future. By identifying this, we are ahead of the curve, because we see that companies have insufficient capabilities to harvest this strategic source optimally.

We play the leading role in shaping this future by enabling companies to leverage startups as a competitive resource.

Our mission

27pilots’ mission is to help companies establish and grow their capabilities to benefit strategically from startups. By capabilities we mean the processes, resources (incl. team, cash, technology, data) and values (decision criteria) needed to gain competitive advantage from startups.

The capabilities we establish and support with our solutions are based on the Venture Client model. It enables our clients to adopt startup solutions faster, less risky and more effectively – with the purpose of gaining competitive advantage – than buying a non-controlling equity stake of startups.

Our​ journey

2012
Gregor joins BMW and is tasked to grow its innovation strategy.
2012
2014
Gregor invents the Venture Client Model and founds the BMW Startup Garage as the world’s first Venture Client Unit.
2014
2017

Renowned academics publish an article in the Harvard Business Review endorsing the Venture Client Model as a breakthrough new corporate venturing vehicle.

2017
2018
  • The BMW Startup Garage becomes the primary strategic corporate venturing vehicle at BMW.
  • Gregor founds 27pilots to create a suite of Venture Client Solutions that would enable BMW, and corporations world-wide, to grow and operate Venture Client Units.
  • BMW, Bosch and Holcim become the first corporations to adopt 27pilots Venture Client Solutions.
2018
2019
  • The Venture Client Model gains traction with a growing number of global companies adopting it as their standard vehicle for corporate venturing.
  • INSEAD publishes today’s highly renowned case on the Venture Client Model
2019
2020

The COVID-19 pandemic hits the world. 27pilots starts the non-profit Venture Client platform Startups Against Corona to help corporations solve Corona-related problems via startup solutions.

2020
2021
  • Over 10 Fortune 2000 corporations and multiple family-owned companies have adopted 27pilots Venture Client Solutions.
  • With more global players adopting the Venture Client Model and creating Venture Client Units, 27pilots enters the big stage and partners with Slush, the world’s leading startup conference, to host the first Venture Client Track at Slush 2021 in Helsinki.

2021
2022

Gregor publishes the world’s first book on the Venture Client Model and details his journey from Silicon Valley to today’s success of the Venture Client movement.

2022
2023
  • 27pilots joins the Deloitte family. With the support of Deloitte, 27pilots embarks on a mission to expand its reach globally, aiming to address the increasing demand for its trusted venture client solutions
  • 27pilots publishes the first ever global report on the State of Venture Client. Teaming up with top academic institutions, 27pilots create a pioneering report that offers valuable insights into the challenges, opportunities, and impact of venture clienting.

2023

facts​
about us

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27pilots​
management

Gregor Gimmy,
Founder and CEO

As captain of the 27pilots endeavor, and the visionary behind the Venture Client model, Gregor focuses on advancing Venture Client knowledge and growing the global community through our corporate clients and academic allies. Gregor is deeply engaged in researching, publishing, and lecturing on the Venture Client model through leading business schools and top business engagements. Gregor is also a frequent speaker at startup-relevant conferences such as Slush, Web Summit, 4YFN and DLD.

Dr. Martin Fink, Vice President of Technology and Venture

Martin is responsible for serving our clients with our latest Venture Client Solutions. He oversees the design, development, and delivery of our proprietary state-of-the-art Venture Client Solutions with the unwavering goal to scale the adoption of startup solutions within all our customers.
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