Human Business Labs started work in June 2023. We are currently in an active development phase. The approach of the Human Business Labs is based on decades of experience of the core team in innovative environments in various industries and companies. Examples include Daimler, Magna, Vodafone, 1&1 United Internet, Deutsche Telekom, Microsoft and many more.

We address executives, business founders, parts of a team or anyone who believes in humane futures and wants to actively shape them. Admittedly, this is a very large circle. But we don't want to be restricted the audience either. The decisive factor is how honestly one is interested in strengthening the human core in a company.

Working in the Human Business Labs pays off in many ways. Concrete solution proposals for posed challenges in the form of implementable projects Time and cost savings Short-term HBL projects provide time, space, and resources for employees to explore new ideas, experiment, and learn from failures – without disrupting daily operations. HBL projects help retain and attract talent. Discovering and experiencing the magic of human business in safe and purpose-, solution- and results-driven project environments collaboration and diversity across teams, departments, and disciplines to generate different perspectives and insights in a safe environment new work using Agile, Blue Ocean, design thinking and other creative methods to empathize with customers, define problems, ideate and test solutions Knowledge Sharing: Access to the HBL community network and database.

This depends on the scope and duration of the challenge. There are two cost blocks: Basic Fee: The Basic Fee includes costs for room rental and accompanying coach. Project Equity: If, at the end of the incubation period, the sponsor accepts the project proposal, the sponsoring company pays Project Equity to the Human Business Labs in addition to the basic fee.

Unlike existing incubators and accelerators that support startups, the Human Business Labs focus on developing impactful projects. Compared to startups, projects are easier to set up, more flexible, less risky, smaller in scale, offer faster learning curves, are easier to scale, attract wider audiences, are less expensive and easier to integrate into existing corporate landscapes.

Not really. We do not limit ourselves to a single method, but use a wide range of innovative methods and frameworks such as Agile, Open Innovation, Theory U, Design Thinking, Blue Ocean and others. The core of the project work is a simple but very effective methodological framework: the MVP model. MVP stands for motivation, vision and practice. For each challenge, the teams explore the MVPs of the company, individuals and project teams and build the project at the intersection of these three MVPs. Experience shows that this intersection is the core of so-called "wow projects". These are projects that are purpose-driven, make a difference, that people identify with, where synergy effects and high performance are more likely, and last but not least, projects that are filled with joy. The MVP model is based on more than 25 years of practical project experience in various industries and companies. Thomas Juli describes the model in his book The Spirit of Human Business. How to Rediscover our Human Being to Shape Our Future (BAI Press, 2021).

An incubation period lasts between 2 days and 6 weeks.

The Human Business Labs pursue a holistic approach to innovation. Products and processes do not innovate; people do. Consequently, people innovation is just as important as product and process innovation. Human Business Labs also believe in the power and magic of crowd intelligence. A group of seemingly regular people can be collectively better at solving problems and fostering innovation than even the brightest individual. This is why all formed HBL teams are cross-functional and diverse.

No. As an incubator, we see ourselves as door openers or perhaps a kind of "midwife" to help companies (re)discover and strengthen their human core. What this core looks like is unique, company-specific and depends on the circumstances in which companies operate. If the sponsoring company needs or is interested in consulting or coaching following the incubation period, we will be happy to refer it to our existing partner network of consultancies and individual coaches.

Human Business Labs are not set out to disrupt the market because we don’t have to. We focus on developing implementable projects rather than startups. And we don’t offer consulting or coaching services such as established consultancies. Also, we don’t aim to own and offer our own co-working spaces, but instead use existing regional co-working spaces. From this perspective Human Business Labs are created outside the bounds of existing industries. There is no existing market or established players that are disrupted by us or that could fail because of us.