HYPE Innovation and Planbox – two major players in innovation management – have announced a merger. This union creates an unparalleled platform, solidifying its commitment to empowering organizations to conquer the ever-evolving business world challenges, ensuring they are current and future-fit.
HYPE Innovation built a reputation for no-nonsense, customer-focused innovation projects in the past decades. Catering to a diverse clientele, including Fortune Global 500 companies and hidden champions alike, HYPE specializes in dedicated innovation software and consulting. And the dynamic landscape of innovation endeavors, HYPE clients report billions of ROI, underscoring the tangible value derived from its platform and services.
In 2020, HYPE made waves by acquiring HLP, their primary competitor in the idea management market within the DACH region. Building on this momentum, 2021 also saw the strategic additions of Viima, a prominent player in agile, self-service innovation processes, and INNOSPOT, offering AI-based startup engagement.
Now with the integration of Planbox, HYPE enters a transformative chapter. And Planbox, a pioneer from its inception, has pushed the market through agile innovation solutions. Since the merger with Brainbank software in 2015, Planbox has consistently topped analyst reports, including the prestigious Forrester Wave in 2020. Noteworthy acquisitions of Imaginatik and IdeaConnection have endowed Planbox with unparalleled depth and breadth. Together, HYPE and Planbox establish a commanding presence in the market.
HYPE Innovation has been an imposing success story in the DACH region, consistently demonstrating its robust presence across Europe for the better part of the last two decades. And simultaneously, Planbox has risen to prominence as the go-to platform for innovation management in North America, further strengthened by a formidable local team in the United Kingdom. This strategic merger forges a collaborative powerhouse that offers clients and global organizations seamless access to world-class innovation management software, expertise, and services.
HYPE Innovation and Planbox is aiming to revolutionize the innovation management industry, delivering unparalleled value to organizations worldwide and igniting new levels of growth and achievement. And with the emerging ISO 56000 global standard for innovation management and Generative AI on the rise, the merger sets new industry standards for innovation management systems. Much like how ISO 9001 revolutionized quality management and ISO 27001 set the gold standard for information security, ISO 56001 is poised to fundamentally redefine the realm of innovation management. This standard, which builds upon the ISO 56000 standards series, has been in development for the past decade and is expected to be finalized next year.
HYPE’s AI capabilities like the innovation network graph, AI-based data research and management, are now extended and enriched with robust features from Planbox. The resulting platform represents a transformative shift in the innovation management landscape, marking the beginning of a fresh chapter where human creativity, artificial intelligence, and governance converge to unlock unprecedented potential for innovation. It simplifies processes, enables efficient resource utilization, and bridges gaps between front-end innovation work and back-end processes and systems.
Beyond the attractive opportunities, this acquisition safeguards the clients’ investment. With the HYPE Group nearing a significant milestone of €30 million in revenue, the union of these companies now boasts a more sophisticated financial standing, offering clients enhanced confidence in the longevity and sustainability of their innovation management partner. Plus, customers benefit from an expanded network of partners, collaborators, and experts that the merged entity provides, fostering opportunities for collaboration and knowledge-sharing, and accelerating their innovation efforts.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our journey began with a vision to transform the way businesses innovate. Merging with Planbox solidifies this vision by combining over two decades of insights, technology, and passion. As the boundaries between regions and markets blur, our combined expertise stands as a beacon for innovation management systems built on AI and ISO 56000, ensuring that our clients don’t just adapt but thrive. We’ve witnessed how tectonic market shifts can redefine entire sectors — with this merger, we’re set to ignite a new era of innovation management leadership for the world.”
“While many see mergers as a culmination, for us, it’s a new beginning. The tools and expertise we bring are comprehensive, but what excites us most is the untapped potential between us. However, this merger goes beyond tools and platforms — it’s also about cultivating a mindset of perpetual evolution. We aim to equip organizations with the foresight to not only foresee change but to architect it in order to excel at innovation.”
- Frank Henningsen, CEO of HYPE Innovation
“Our combined strengths represent more than just a strategic merger — it’s a commitment to our clients. Together, we’re creating an environment where businesses are poised to be future-fit by preemptively adapting to market trends and capitalizing on them rather than reacting. With our enhanced capabilities, we envision a future where an innovation management system built on AI and ISO 56000 becomes the cornerstone of every successful enterprise.”
- Ludwig Melik, CEO of Planbox
