Oliver Rößling
AI & DeepTech expert from Hamburg. Keynotes, advisory, and building AI ventures, from formation to market.
"Small boutiques will take over and automate entire functions of large enterprises. It is already happening."
I do not talk about AI from the outside. I have built and shipped AI products inside corporate structures: CEO of a four-way JV with ZF, Hella, Niterra and Clarios, 40+ employees, two AI products at market.
Schedule a ConversationNew 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.
AI & DeepTech expert and keynote speaker. I translate what agentic AI, the EU AI Act and DeepTech really mean for enterprises and the public sector: clear, hands-on, from the practitioner's chair.
- Agentic AI in the enterprise: from pilot to real valueYour audience leaves knowing which use cases are production-ready today, and which pilots quietly burn budget.
- The EU AI Act in practice: what boards need to know nowRisk classes, governance and deadlines, translated into the decisions a board has to take this year.
- AI joint ventures: building AI outside legacy structuresWhy AI stalls inside the core organisation, and how a JV or spin-off gets a product to market instead.
- Germany as a DeepTech location: ecosystem, sovereignty, speedAn honest view of where Europe stands, what is worth defending and where speed decides the outcome.
- Formats
- Keynote 30 to 45 min, fireside chat, panel moderation, board workshop
- Languages
- German and English
- Audiences
- Boards and C-level, industry conferences, public sector, employee events
- On site
- DACH, EU, Nordics, Baltics, UK and USA, remote possible
- Lead time
- Six weeks is comfortable, short notice on request
- Fee
- On request, scaled by format and preparation. Reduced rate for public and non-profit formats
Talks, TV and podcasts below · Watch the TEDx talk
Frequently asked before booking
Can Oliver Rößling be booked as an AI keynote speaker?
Yes. Typical topics are agentic AI in the enterprise, the EU AI Act in practice, AI joint ventures and Germany as a DeepTech location. Formats range from a 30 minute keynote to a fireside chat, panel moderation or a board workshop, in German or English.
What makes him different from other AI speakers?
He speaks from execution, not from observation. As CEO of a four-way joint venture with ZF, Hella, Niterra and Clarios he built a team of 40+ people and brought two AI products to market. Today he builds AI ventures with CAPS & COLLARS across automotive, MedTech, maritime, aviation and dual use.
Which audiences does he speak to?
Boards and C-level, industry conferences, public sector events and employee formats. He is used to translating technical substance for decision makers without losing the substance.
How does a booking work?
Send date, location, audience and the desired format through the contact form below. You get a reply within two working days, including availability and a fee proposal.
Press & booking material
For editors and organisers, ready to copy.
Short bio, one lineOliver Rößling is an AI and DeepTech expert, keynote speaker and corporate venture builder from Hamburg.
Short bio, three linesOliver Rößling builds AI ventures inside corporate structures. As CEO of a four-way joint venture with ZF, Hella, Niterra and Clarios he built a team of 40+ people and brought two AI products to market. Today he runs the DeepTech and AI venture studio CAPS & COLLARS, hosts the podcast DEEPTECH DEEPTALK and speaks on agentic AI, the EU AI Act and DeepTech in Europe.
Press photo in print resolution, speaker one-pager and topic outlines on request: [email protected]
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 1,500+ meetups in 70+ 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.
That shift is why I work the way I do. Speed when it matters. Precision when it counts.
From Corporate Consulting to Own Ventures
- 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
ahead.group →
- 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
- DEEPTECH Campus Circle (2023) · Business club, Jugendstil villa. Founders\' Tap (with A&M) · 📰 Newsletter →
- DEEPTECH DEEPTALK (2024) · Podcast with Alois Krtil · 📰 Newsletter →
- Academy (2023) · AI strategy, workshops, certification
- AUFBRUCH.Hamburg (since 2022) · Civic innovation, continued with selected formats
AI & Agentic Systems
Evaluating what's production-ready, structuring teams, building ventures. From emerging tech assessment to EU AI Act compliance.
Corporate Ventures & JVs
From sandbox to operating venture. Learned at Accenture, proven with a four-way Tier-1 JV at AHEAD.
Network & Ecosystem Access
Operational access to AI research (ARIC), quantum computing (HQIC), and cross-industry talent through 12+ years of ecosystem building.
Let's Talk
Keynote, project or interview? Tell me briefly what it is about. You normally get a reply within two working days.
Get in Touch ↓Building Ecosystems
Ventures succeed when people adopt them. The same principles that scale external communities also drive technology adoption inside enterprises: building trust, creating relevance, activating the right people at the right time. These dynamics work the same way inside enterprises: talent scouting, early-adopter networks, proof-of-concept environments.
12HRS.US · Conference on digitalization and society. "Society Disrupted."
12min.me →
- Founders' Tap (with Alvarez & Marsal) · Exclusive founder roundtable
- CXO Dinner · C-level networking
- Innovation Drivers Club · Platform for innovation leaders
- Entrepreneurship Tour Helsinki · 200 entrepreneurs, cargo ferry, 3.5 days
- AI ART SPLASH (with ARIC) · AI for everyone
- DOWN4 entrepreneurship · Student initiative, mentor
- Drive & Dine · DeepTech, Automotive, AI
- FOLDFORUM · Expert roundtable
- IMPACT SLAM · Pitch format
aric-hamburg.de →
deutscher-gruenderpreis.de →
Let's Talk
Keynote, project or interview? Tell me briefly what it is about. You normally get a reply within two working days.
[email protected] ·
📍 Based in Hamburg. Active across DACH, EU, Nordics, Baltics, UK, and USA.