Digital Challenge – Best Practices

Digital Transformation in Small and Medium-Sized Businesses – Practical Insights, Real-World Use Cases, and Networking How are others approaching digital transformation? What specific digital and AI-powered processes can companies—from services to manufacturing to agriculture—use to successfully position themselves for the future in a competitive market? How can these be integrated into existing workflows? Where can companies find support?

Our Key Takeaways from an Intensive Evening

  • It's still worth taking a look at San Francisco and Silicon Valley

Here, we can see the possibilities that AI and digitalization are already unlocking today. It’s not about blindly copying others, but about learning from their experiences, identifying opportunities for your own company, and consciously taking the „driver’s seat“ as a leader.

  • Digitalization is not an obligation, but an opportunity for growth

Administrative and back-office processes—such as accounting or content preparation—are particularly well-suited for getting started in the SME sector, as they enable scalable business models through leaner processes and data-driven decisions.

  • People First

AI only works if employees are on board, trained, and actively involved—for example, through hackathons, experimental spaces, and clear communication.

  • Leveraging Schleswig-Holstein's AI Ecosystem

KI.SH and DiWiSH – Schleswig-Holstein Digital Economy We provide support in the form of expertise, tools, and partners to help you identify and tackle specific use cases within your own company.

Real-Life Use Cases from Schleswig-Holstein

Our speakers demonstrated, on various levels, how to get started and build on that foundation:

coop eG | Sophie Charlotte S.: The 2021 recommendation, „You Need an App,“ has led to a comprehensive push toward digitalization—linked data, digitized processes, and an app that appeals to different generations in terms of both content and usability.

North German Society for Diakonia | Dennis Krabbenhöft: The Digital Challenge 2025 gave rise to the idea of a matching platform for people with disabilities and companies with suitable job requirements; the focus now is on refining the idea, building a network, and developing the first MVP.

falkemedia Group | Kassian Alexander Goukassian: Print products were digitized early on; today, entire production processes are accelerated using AI—from content preparation and product internationalization to trend research.

DF Automotive GmbH | Tanja Kaminski and Florian Warnken: Participation in the Digital Challenge 2022. The company has now implemented 48 AI processes; through hackathons, plenty of freedom, and a pressure-free environment, employees have become active contributors to the transformation.

➡️ Ready to get started? The next Digital Challenge will take place from October 28 to November 6, 2026. Register your business now and work with students to develop concrete AI solutions in just one week!

What an evening! Many thanks to the organizers Dirk Schrödter, Axel Schulz, Eike Zimmermann and Dr. Johannes Ripken, U.S. Consul General Scott Woodard, moderator Frank Bösenkötter, the great preparation and organization by Anna Dornberger and Beatrix Richter and for the wonderful photos Jan Konitzki.

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