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Perspectives on B2B Software

Studies, analysis and articles on AI strategy, regulatory compliance and software delivery for mid-market companies.

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Vintage Avery scale with a gram dial in a shop window, salt jars below

Market & StrategyPE Operations

Rule of 40 in the AI era: what a software company should check after a PE deal

The Rule of 40 in a typical case: a German software company adds AI features after a private equity deal. What that does to gross margin, pricing and the score.

October 20266 Min. read

Long-exposure surf around dark rocks at blue hour, symbolizing fast and slow change in the AI scenarios to 2029

Market & StrategyAI & Technology

AI Scenarios to 2029: What's Possible and What Creates Lasting Value

AI scenarios to 2029: which AI projects create lasting value, and which early indicators point to a plateau or an acceleration.

September 202621 Min. read

Rowing crew with a standing coxswain in a wooden boat on choppy sea, symbolizing the topic of scaling B2B software sales

Market & StrategyPE Operations

Scaling B2B software sales: four stages from founder-led selling to a sales machine

Scaling B2B software sales in four stages: the number that matters at each stage, and how to tell where your sales team stands today.

September 20269 Min. read

AI pricing models as a stair diagram: the AI price ladder in five steps from price per token to price per outcome

Market & StrategyAI & Technology

AI Pricing Models in 2026: The AI Price Ladder from Tokens to Outcomes

Token prices keep falling while AI bills keep growing, and vendors keep swapping their counting units. The AI price ladder sorts today's AI pricing models in five steps.

August 202616 Min. read

Exposed mechanical watch movement without a dial, symbolizing headless software run by AI agents

Market & StrategySoftware & Delivery

Headless Software: Why Value Moves into the Permission Layer When AI Agents Skip the Interface

AI agents run software through APIs and MCP while the screen stays dark. Why headless software shifts value into permissions, audit trails and codified business rules.

August 20267 Min. read

Hourglass with black sand nearly run out, symbolizing time-based fees giving way to outcome-based pricing

Market & Strategy

Outcome-Based Pricing Comes for the Day Rate: Consulting Fees in the AI Era

Most consultancies say AI hasn't touched their prices. The largest firms are already tying fees to results. When outcome-based pricing beats the day rate, and when it doesn't.

August 20268 Min. read

An older man in a work apron leans over a potter's wheel in a workshop, watching a boy shape the clay

PE Operations

More German SMEs Now Plan to Close Than to Hand Over

By 2029 some 114,000 German SMEs plan to wind down each year, against 109,000 looking for a successor. The IfM points to earnings, not to ageing owners.

August 202610 Min. read

Steel structure seen from below, an image for AI due diligence in software deals

PE OperationsMarket & Strategy

AI Due Diligence: How Investors Re-Underwrite Software Deals in 2026

Tech deal value fell 70% in a single quarter because investors stopped trusting software valuations under AI pressure. A four-field AI due diligence playbook for boards, buyers and sellers.

July 20268 Min. read

Large truck on a narrow winding road, an image for cutting AI costs through the right model choice

AI & Technology

A Forty-Ton Truck for a Loaf of Bread: Cutting AI Costs Without Cutting Quality

A factor of ten separates the strongest model from the smallest. Cutting AI costs starts with sorting your tasks.

July 20269 Min. read

Empty office chairs at a conference table, an image for SaaS pricing models losing their per-seat anchor

Market & StrategyAI & Technology

SaaS Pricing Models in the Agent Era: Per-Seat Pricing Is Losing Its Anchor

AI agents complete work without filling seats, and SaaS pricing models are shifting toward hybrid and outcome billing. What buyers and software leaders should sort out before the next renewal.

July 20268 Min. read

A person photographing the Brandenburg Gate with a smartphone, a picture of digital communication in Germany.

AI & TechnologyMarket & Strategy

AI Usage in Germany: Who Uses ChatGPT and Where Trust Ends

The Internet Communication Study 2025/26 shows who uses AI in Germany: ChatGPT reaches 87.5% of the youngest, autonomous AI shopping meets resistance, email stays the preferred channel.

July 20265 Min. read

Aerial of a magnificent moated castle with intact walls, a picture of a defensible niche B2B SaaS.

Market & StrategySoftware & Delivery

Building your B2B SaaS castle: how niche players dig a moat in the AI era

How smaller, niche B2B SaaS companies build a defensible castle, on their own data, deep workflow, regulation and a physical layer.

June 20268 Min. read

Aerial view of a medieval castle ringed by a river moat, a picture of a defensible B2B SaaS business model and its competitive moat.

Market & StrategyAI & Technology

Scaling B2B SaaS in the AI era: the wall everyone builds and the moat that pays

Around six percent of companies turn AI into real bottom-line value. Four levers and a well-dug moat separate the winners from the expensive rest.

June 20269 Min. read

Stacked cargo containers on one identical grid in different colours, an image for the buy-and-build platform

PE OperationsMarket & Strategy

The clock is gone: how longer hold periods change the buy-and-build platform

Hold periods keep stretching and evergreen vehicles keep launching. What that does to the buy-and-build platform, and where the line between group and company should really run.

June 20269 Min. read

RegulationTalks

AI Agents, Vibe Coding and the EU AI Act

A practical impulse for mid-sized firms: a checklist for responsible AI use, six decisions and the legal context (EU AI Act, GDPR, NIS2). Slides and checklist as PDF.

June 20264 Min. read

Two traders at a multi-monitor desk. One walks the other through the market on screen — coaching at the touchpoint, one step before the trade.

Software & DeliveryMarket & Strategy

How B2B software scales beyond direct sales: three levers from three operator roles

In 2026, most B2B software no longer scales through direct sales alone. Three levers from three mandates, plus one thing that holds them all together.

May 202611 Min. read

Abstract network of connected nodes illustrating MCP and B2B software business models

Market & StrategyPE Operations

MCP and B2B Software Business Models: What Changes for Private Equity

Anthropic's keynote on the future of the Model Context Protocol in London and what it implies for B2B software business models, pricing, and PE valuations.

April 202610 Min. read

Abstract black-and-white 3D wire network with interconnected nodes, representing knowledge graph architecture and multi-agent systems in AI compliance

AI & TechnologyRegulation

AI Compliance Architecture: Three Decisions That Outweigh Your Framework Choice

The framework question is the wrong first question. Three architecture decisions decide whether your AI compliance architecture survives an audit.

April 20269 Min. read

AI agent with speech bubbles and AI icons in front of a laptop, representing multi-agent RAG systems in enterprise use

AI & TechnologySoftware & Delivery

Multi-Agent RAG in Production: Four Complexity Levels and What Each One Costs

Multi-agent RAG for mid-sized companies: when does it pay off, what does it cost, and which architecture fits 50 to 500 employees? Complexity levels, costs, and concrete first steps.

April 202614 Min. read

Regulation

AI Regulation 2026: What German SMEs Must Do Now

Six EU regulations active simultaneously. NIS2 enforcement live since December 2025. What German SMEs must implement before autumn 2026.

April 20268 Min. read

AI investments in mid-market companies generating returns, represented as a tree growing from coins

AI & TechnologyMarket & Strategy

AI ROI Map: Where AI Investments Pay Off

81% of mid-market firms don't measure AI ROI. The AI ROI Map shows which investments pay off and how fast.

March 202610 Min. read

AI frameworks for mid-market companies, Rubik's cube reading Figure it out representing strategic clarity

RegulationAI & Technology

15 AI Frameworks That Shape Your Strategy

43% of mid-market firms lack an AI strategy. 15 frameworks reveal where you stand, what's legally required, and where to find free support.

March 202611 Min. read

AI terms for business leaders, dictionary entry for artificial symbolizing the language of AI

AI & TechnologyPE Operations

25 AI Terms Every CEO Must Know in 2026

36% of German companies use AI. Most CEOs have a hard time catching up with the terminology. 25 terms explained through five real situations from mid-market companies.

March 202612 Min. read

Centaur vs. Cyborg model: humans and AI working as a team

AI & TechnologyMarket & Strategy

When the AI Reflex Gets Expensive: The Real Value of Expertise

Executives use AI, and students rely on AI. Neither checks the output properly. When does AI make sense, and when does it take human judgment?

March 202612 Min. read

Cover image: 35 percent replace SaaS with custom code, which business models survive AI disruption

RegulationAI & Technology

35% Replace SaaS With Custom Code: Which Business Models Survive AI

35% of enterprise teams have already replaced SaaS with custom builds. But disruption hits unevenly. A framework separating fixed market dimensions from controllable levers.

March 20266 Min. read

Agentic AI in enterprises: moving from pilot to production

AI & Technology

Agentic AI: Why Moving from Pilot to Production Fails 42% of the Time

42% of companies abandon AI initiatives before production. Three root causes and four steps to move agentic AI into operations.

March 20269 Min. read

Setting up an AI operating system for midmarket companies

AI & Technology

Build Your AI Operating System: A CEO Field Report

How an AI operating system works in practice: field report, CLAUDE.md template, and an honest three-week assessment with Claude Code.

February 20268 Min. read