AI Accelerator for SMEs

From AI questions to real value creation, in 6 months.

AI Potential Analysis

We identify, along your process landscape, where artificial intelligence creates real value in your mid-sized company and prioritize the use cases with the highest leverage.

AI Strategy & Roadmap

We develop your AI strategy and an actionable roadmap together, naming the organizational and technical levers clearly: what to do, where to start and what it takes for sustainable success.

AI Implementation

We work with your business units to deploy productive AI applications in your systems. First lighthouses that prove impact and provide direction for your wider AI transformation.

AI Organization & Enablement

We anchor AI for the long term: through training, change management, fit-for-purpose AI governance and the build-up of an AI organization that fits your company.

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Your program in two phases.

Strategy and implementation run in parallel. In each phase, we develop AI applications and your organization together, so that both come together at the end.

Phase 1: Roadmap for your business (Month 1-3)

You understand where AI delivers impact in your company. You have a prioritized implementation plan, the right infrastructure and a clear AI agenda.

Potential analysis & implementation plan
Identify, evaluate and prioritize AI potential along your processes.
AI infrastructure
Understand the option space, select the right platform.
AI agenda & North Star
Define clear direction and focus areas, prepare the relevant levers for execution.

Outcome after 3 months: A clear implementation plan. What is really there for us to gain with AI - where do we start?

Phase 2: Going live with AI applications (Months 4-6)

We deploy the prioritized applications in your systems and, in parallel, accompany change and the build-up of your AI organization.

Application deployment
Roll out along the roadmap, implement applications in your systems.
AI organization & governance
Knowledge inputs: What does a pragmatic AI organization look like? Who is responsible for what, which processes need to be in place?
Change management & culture
Knowledge inputs: How is change actively guided? How do you bring your people along?

Outcome after 6 months: First AI applications live, organizational transformation underway.

The starting point: AI potential analysis. We show where AI delivers impact for you.

The AI potential analysis is the starting point of every AI implementation in mid-sized companies. Together with your business units, we capture AI opportunities along your processes, prioritize the most relevant use cases and assess technical feasibility and economic value. You receive a clearly grouped implementation plan that distinguishes between quick wins, strategic lighthouses and your medium-term AI roadmap.

Ready to start, and want to get going on AI implementation right away? Proven applications from the appliedAI AI Catalog.

If your AI use cases are already clear: in parallel with or following the potential analysis, you can move into implementation with ROI-proven solutions, turn-key. Our AI Catalog bundles proven AI applications for the core value-creation areas in mid-sized companies, from R&D to Admin & Support, ready for productive deployment in your systems.

5 AI initiatives that pay back fastest in mid-sized companies

Five proven AI applications from our catalog that deliver impact in nearly every mid-sized company. Each one is turn-key, with clear value levers and fast time-to-value.

Boost Conversion by 30% with AI-Personalized Customer Engagement

What it does: Creates personalized messages based on a customer’s past behavior - e.g., for marketing campaigns, sales outreach, and tailored content by segment.

Value drivers:
+10–30% campaign conversion
−20–40% wasted spend
+5–15% customer lifetime value

Up to 60% Less Time for RFP Analysis and Proposal Creation

What it does: Analyzes RFP/tender documents, extracts key requirements, and suggests matching products, services, and pricing building blocks to produce stronger proposals.

Value drivers:
−30–60% document analysis time
−20–40% manual errors
+10–20% proposal win rate

60% Less Effort with Automated Invoicing

What it does: Generates formatted invoices based on data from your sales systems (e.g., customer details, delivery status) using predefined templates.

Value drivers:
−20–60% time spent creating invoices
−5–10% days outstanding

Automate Lead Qualification: 50% Fewer Unqualified Leads

What it does: Automatically discovers and pre-qualifies potential customers and segments to support sales strategy and targeting.

Value drivers:
−20–50% unqualified leads
+10–20% new leads

Up to 50% Less Search Time with AI Knowledge Search for Teams

What it does: Enables employees to access internal documents and databases via natural language and intelligent search.

Value drivers:
−30–50% search time
−20–40% manual errors
−20% onboarding time for new hires

Built for mid-sized companies - fully aligned with the EU AI Act and AI compliance.

No fear of regulation. We show you how to deploy AI in a legally compliant way from day one. Every use case is assessed for compliance, transparency, and risk—so you can invest with confidence and grow sustainably, without unpleasant surprises from regulators.

Europe’s AI Champions Trust Us

Track record, not promises.

Over 250 companies, including 23 of the 40 DAX corporations, build on our 8+ years of expertise. With 100+ experts and over 70 implemented applications, we deliver scalable results.

Highest AI expertise, professional collaboration, measurable results: With appliedAI, we were able to successfully and sustainably implement our strategic application.

Applied AI Quote Rolf Buch CEO Vonovia SE

Rolf Buch – CEO (until Jan. 2026), Vonovia SE

Collaborating with appliedAI’s AI Governance Working Group has been invaluable for us. The structured approach, coupled with real-world case studies and open dialogue, ensures we not only stay compliant with the EU AI Act but also build efficient governance models that keep AI innovation front and center.

Dirk Wacker
Giesecke+Devrient

The appliedAI Risk Classification training significantly improved our understanding of the EU AI Act's implications for projects at Roche. We discussed six real life use cases in detail and it was eye-opening.

Dr.-Ing. Anna Osberghaus
Roche Diagnostics GmbH

Collaborating with appliedAI’s AI Governance Working Group has proved very rewarding. Organizers are always prepared, participants bring a wealth of insights. It’s a unique forum to effectively brainstorm and stay ahead of the AI governance curve.

Geoffroy Pavillet
Data Protection Counsel, Linde GmbH

appliedAI has helped Nokia Standards in the ambitious endeavor to upskill each and every team member to be a good AI Citizen. Together with appliedAI we have jointly tailored an AI literate curriculum exactly addressing the needs in our organization.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ingo Viering
Department Head RAN Architecture, Senior Research Manager Nokia Standards

Highest AI expertise, professional collaboration, measurable results: With appliedAI, we were able to successfully and sustainably implement our strategic application.

Rolf Buch – CEO (until Jan. 2026), Vonovia SE

Collaborating with appliedAI’s AI Governance Working Group has been invaluable for us. The structured approach, coupled with real-world case studies and open dialogue, ensures we not only stay compliant with the EU AI Act but also build efficient governance models that keep AI innovation front and center.

Dirk Wacker
Giesecke+Devrient

The appliedAI Risk Classification training significantly improved our understanding of the EU AI Act's implications for projects at Roche. We discussed six real life use cases in detail and it was eye-opening.

Dr.-Ing. Anna Osberghaus
Roche Diagnostics GmbH

Collaborating with appliedAI’s AI Governance Working Group has proved very rewarding. Organizers are always prepared, participants bring a wealth of insights. It’s a unique forum to effectively brainstorm and stay ahead of the AI governance curve.

Geoffroy Pavillet
Data Protection Counsel, Linde GmbH

appliedAI has helped Nokia Standards in the ambitious endeavor to upskill each and every team member to be a good AI Citizen. Together with appliedAI we have jointly tailored an AI literate curriculum exactly addressing the needs in our organization.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ingo Viering
Department Head RAN Architecture, Senior Research Manager Nokia Standards

Read our Case Studies

Get in Touch with Us

Make your company a winner in the AI age – with strategy, execution, and speed.

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About us

FAQs

01

Who is the program designed for?

The program is for small and mid-sized companies across all industries that want to start, structure, or accelerate their AI transformation. If you have recognized that AI is a strategic lever that needs to be developed now, and you need a clear, practical roadmap covering strategy, use cases, and implementation, this is the right program.

This is not a seminar or an orientation exercise. It is a structured process that takes your organization from an honest assessment of where you stand today to your first productive AI applications within a defined timeframe, built to scale from the start.

02

Is the program feasible for us, even without a large IT department?

Yes, and that is exactly what it is built for. Many SMEs have no dedicated IT department, no in-house data scientist, and no team with prior AI experience. That is not an obstacle. We work primarily with tools that require no programming knowledge and provide technical support where needed.

What is required is one person within your organization who drives the topic internally: a project lead or an engaged manager who takes ownership and acts as a bridge between the program and the rest of the team. Technical depth is not a prerequisite. The willingness to drive change is.

03

How is the program structured?

The program runs over six months and is modular. In the first three months, we develop your roadmap together: potential analysis, infrastructure selection, and a clear AI agenda. In months four to six, we deploy the prioritized applications in your systems. Throughout, we support change management, culture, and the build-up of an AI organization that fits your company. Sessions are mostly online and fit into your day-to-day work.

04

Do we need our own data scientists?

No. For getting started and building your first productive AI applications, data scientists are not required in most cases. We work primarily with no-code and low-code tools and proven partner solutions that can be used without deep coding knowledge and integrate into existing workflows.

The approach is designed to enable your existing employees, from IT, business units, or operations, to use and develop these tools independently. Building internal AI capability is not a by-product of the program; it is an explicit goal.

05

When will we see first results?

After the first three months, you have a clear implementation plan: which AI applications are worth pursuing, in what order, and with what effort. The first productive applications go live in months four to six. If you are already further along and want to start with implementation directly, an earlier or parallel entry into the AI catalog is also possible.

06

Can we start implementation directly, without the potential analysis?

Yes. If you already know where you want to start, you can move straight into implementing an AI application from our catalog, in parallel with or instead of the potential analysis. The catalog covers eight value-creation areas and contains proven applications that can be deployed turn-key.

07

What outcomes can my company expect?

By the end of the program, you will have a clearly defined AI strategy, a prioritized set of value-creating use cases, a delivery roadmap, and a practical understanding of the organizational, cultural, and technical prerequisites for a scalable AI transformation. You will also have at least one productive AI application running in your systems.

08

Why are partnerships critical for successful AI projects?

No company, especially in the mid-sized segment, can keep pace with AI on its own. The right partnerships provide direct access to specialized expertise, proven technologies, and an ecosystem of practitioners. AI initiatives move faster, risks go down, and the solutions you build are more likely to hold up over time.

09

Is the Accelerator still worth it if we’re already quite advanced?

Yes, if measurable progress in a short timeframe and solid foundations for the next stage of scaling are the goal. Companies with initial AI experience often face the same problem: experiments accumulate, but a clear path to scale is missing. The Accelerator creates exactly that: structured foundations that enable further development rather than slow it down.

The program is therefore not only relevant for organizations just getting started. It is equally valuable for companies that want to consolidate their existing AI activities and put them on a foundation that holds.

10

How do you prevent us from building “fast” but not “scalable”?

Speed and scalable architecture are not mutually exclusive, but they do not emerge on their own. Throughout the program, fast results are coupled from the outset with clear standards: defined responsibilities, clean processes, and an operational foundation that makes the next step easier, not harder.

Every AI application built during the Accelerator is designed to be handed over, operated, and developed further without starting from scratch at the next stage.

11

How do you prioritize in mid-sized companies without overhead?

Prioritization for SMEs means focusing on the AI applications that offer the highest measurable value and can be implemented with realistic effort, not ambitious roadmaps that fall apart when confronted with actual capacity constraints.

We start with a structured use case assessment that evaluates and prioritizes potential applications. What follows scales step by step: early wins that build internal confidence, and an architecture that remains extensible without requiring the entire setup to be rethought every time something new is added.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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