Take a look inside the Lab
Get to know the faces behind Start-up Lab, see what we are doing and the way we are doing it!
Start-Up Lab in Numbers
Meet The Team
The Start-up Lab provides an opportunity for employees to innovate and actively be change agents within the Group. It encourages the kind of thinking that will allow us to stay ahead of the curve by challenging people to present solutions that are digital, agile and creative.
Incubating new ideas will allow us to lay the foundations for the logistics business models of the future.
International Scope
We are proud to say that our program is global, supporting teams from all over the world
Our innovation funnel
We guide you through the process from getting an idea, validating it all the way to deploying and scaling it and provide targeted support at specific stages for already existing projects.
The way we work
Design Thinking
Design thinking is a human-centred methodology for creating new strategies and solutions that focusses on empathizing with users in order to define their needs and problems. Comprising different phases, it helps us challenge assumptions, develop ideas and test solutions from a user perspective.
Lean Start-Up
Lean start-up is a methodology for quickly identifying whether a business model or product is viable or not. To do this, it uses a mix of business-hypothesis-driven experimentation, iterative product releases, and validated learning.
Agile
Agile is a way of working that focusses on iterative development, incremental delivery and ongoing product reassessment. Starting with high value features, development takes place in stages, arriving at the end product after a series of revisions.
Within the DHL Start-Up Lab, the way teams approach new ideas reflects a deeply human-centred mindset. Design thinking sits at the core of this approach, encouraging colleagues to empathize with users, reframe their assumptions, and explore problems from fresh perspectives. By moving through iterative phases of inspiration and ideation, teams can shape concepts that genuinely address unmet needs in logistics. The methodology provides a safe space to experiment, gather feedback openly, and refine solutions until they are ready to meet the realities of a fast-changing global market and the evolving expectations of customers around the world.
Alongside design thinking, lean start-up principles help intrapreneurs quickly test whether a business model or product is truly viable. Teams formulate hypotheses, run lightweight experiments, and learn from validated results before committing significant resources. Agile practices reinforce this rhythm, enabling squads to adapt, deliver value early, and continuously improve their work. Together, these methodologies form a flexible toolbox that supports innovation across multiple batches, countries, and projects, while cultivating a culture where change is embraced, mindsets remain open, and every colleague feels empowered to contribute to the future of logistics.
Who We Work With
We have a network of business, technology and operational experts. Get to know some of our mentors who actively support Start-up Lab and eventually you on your intrapreneurial journey.
Sabine Müller CEO DHL Consulting
Gina Chung Head of Innovations Americas
Denis Niezgoda Robotics Accelerator Lead
Fidel Thiessenhusen Entrepreneur and Innovation Expert
Matthias Heutger SVP Innovation & Commercial Development
Stefan Peintner Mentor & Business Model Coach
Marius Starcke Partner at WhatAVenture
David Spellenberg Senior Manager Corporate Mergers & Acquisitions
Ben Gesing Senior Innovation Manager DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation
Peter Meier CTO/CFO Trailar
Dr. Michael Schriek Senior Legal Counsel
Our Partners
It is important to us to challenge and support our startups not only with an internal perspective. Thus, we work with a number of external network partners to provide the best possible combination of skills.
Contact
Questions, comments or suggestions regarding Start-up Lab or innovation-related topics? Feel free to contact us. 🙂
Jobs
You are interested in joining the Lab? For more information contact us at startuplab@dhlstartuplab.com or check our job offers below
Intern/Working student
We are always on the lookout for talents that can support us on our mission. You are a student with interest in innovation and start-up related topics? Do not hesitate to initiatively send us an application!
Expert
We are constantly striving to expand our network to be able to provide our team more skills and expertise. You are an expert in a logistics, innovation or start-up related field? Feel free to contact us and offer your assistance.
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