Caps & Collars: Agentic AI Enterprise Platforms Hamburg
We build companies and products at the intersection of AI, automation and agentic systems.
- Building and running a tech joint venture
- Three active ventures: HIVE, KLARSTAND, POLI8
- An ecosystem of ARIC, HQIC, DeepTech Campus Circle and 12MIN.ME
The name
Momentum and foundation
We are convinced that the most impactful ventures emerge where these two worlds meet. Where the established opens up to the new. And where the new brings respect for what has stood the test of time.
Caps stands for the bold move forward: curiosity, ambition, the willingness to challenge the status quo.
Collars stands for the foundation: experience, proven structures, entrepreneurial substance built over years.
About Us
We build what AI can truly deliver in the enterprise
AI, automation, agentic systems: we master the technologies that are transforming businesses right now. Not at slide level, but in code, architecture and live operation.
Industry expertise
We immerse ourselves rapidly and deeply in new domains. An AI model from the automotive aftermarket becomes clinical decision support, image recognition from agriculture becomes industrial quality control.
Operational depth, not outside advice
We take on management roles, assemble teams and carry operational responsibility. Not as external advisors, but as part of the team.
Sovereignty is an architecture question
We build for interchangeable models and keep control inside the company. That is what HIVE stands for, our sovereign AI operating layer.
Our Focus
DeepTech & AI
Production-ready AI systems and enterprise agent platforms. Multi-agent systems, governance, auditability.
Automotive & Dual Use
Repair data, fleet management, workshop diagnostics. Building and running a tech joint venture in the aftermarket.
MedTech & GovTech
AI-powered clinical decision support and digital solutions for the public sector.
Regulation & Cybersecurity
AI Act, GDPR, Dual Use, patient data. From architecture to audit: software for regulated environments.
Technology & Expertise
What We Master
Agentic AI & Agent Platforms
AI agents embedded in enterprise processes: from knowledge assistance to fully automated process control. We build platforms where teams can create and operate agents independently.
LLMs & RAG
Unlocking enterprise knowledge with Retrieval-Augmented Generation, fine-tuning and domain-specific models. Structured, searchable, up to date.
Computer Vision
Image recognition for industry, medicine and quality control. From vehicle damage detection to clinical image analysis.
Secure Architectures
RBAC, audit trails, end-to-end encryption, zero data retention. EU-compliant from day one. Not an afterthought, but a design principle.
Integration & Deployment
API-first approach. Connect existing system landscapes, not replace them. On-premise, EU cloud or hybrid scenarios.
Predictive Analytics
Data-driven predictions for maintenance, diagnostics and market analysis. Turning raw data into decision-making foundations.
Our Ventures
HIVE
Sovereign AI operating layer for enterprises and critical infrastructure. Use the best AI without handing over control of data, cost and vendors.
hhive.euKLARSTAND
AI-powered data layer for workshops and vehicle service. Born from our AHEAD experience in the automotive aftermarket.
klarstand.dePOLI8
Clinical Guideline Intelligence: AI-powered sounding board for tumor boards. Clinicians retain full control.
poli8.de
Previous Venture Projects
AHEAD Automotive GmbH
Joint venture of four international corporations (ZF, Hella, Niterra, Clarios). Two products built from zero to market readiness and rolled out in the aftermarket: QIRA and ProPoints.
Qira: AI-powered workshop software for vehicle diagnostics and repair
ProPoints: Loyalty program for workshops with 8 manufacturers and 14 product brands
ahead.groupHaufe Group
Mixed reality platform for onboarding and training. Rolled out internally for several hundred employees.
AgriTech: Seed & Drones
Autonomous drone flights for seed manufacturers and agricultural companies, AI models for pest detection and targeted treatment.
Approach
From Idea to Scale
No rigid framework. Every project is different. But our approach follows a clear principle: validate, build, secure, scale.
Validate
Understand the problem, analyze the market, test the business model. Together we decide: build or don't.
Assemble the Team
Depending on the project, we build a founding team or integrate into existing structures.
Build
Full-stack development with Agentic AI, Computer Vision and proprietary data sources.
Secure
GDPR, AI Act, corporate governance: regulation is not an afterthought but a design principle.
Scale
Validate MVP, go-to-market, growth. With investors, corporates or the public sector.
Operate
After launch we stay operational: monitoring, iteration, further development.
Our Ecosystem
Over more than a decade, a network has grown that connects science, industry and the public sector.
DeepTech Campus Circle
Exclusive innovation hub in an Art Nouveau villa in Harvestehude. Startups, research and industry under one roof.
deeptech.hamburgTHE FORGE
The critical-infrastructure vertical of the DeepTech Campus Circle. Resilience, sovereignty and dual use.
deeptech.hamburg/the-forgeDEEPTECH DEEPTALK
The podcast about tomorrow's technologies. Co-host: Alois Krtil. More than 40 episodes as of September 2026.
deeptechdeeptalk.com12MIN.ME Startup Slam
Pitch night in Hamburg, 25 November 2026. Twelve startups, 144 seconds each, a jury of five, and in the final the room decides by applause. Caps & Collars is a partner of the night.
12m.inAUFBRUCH.Hamburg
Regional innovation strategy for the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, built with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Innovation.
hamburg.deARIC Hamburg
Artificial Intelligence Center Hamburg. Co-founded by our CIO Alois Krtil.
aric-hamburg.deHQIC
Hamburg Quantum Innovation Center. Bridging quantum research and industrial application.
hqic.de12MIN.ME
More than 1,500 meetups, 6,000 speakers, 70 cities and 100,000 people as of 2026. Built by Oliver Rößling since 2013.
12min.menextReality.Hamburg e.V.
Ecosystem for immersive technologies and XR media, built with Hamburg's Creative Authority.
nextreality.hamburg
Leadership
Oliver Rößling
CEO & Founder
Built three ventures as CEO. Previously CDO at umlaut (now Accenture). Founder of 12MIN.ME.
LinkedIn
Sophia Bartsch
COO
Coordinated the operational build-up of AHEAD. Manages multi-stakeholder projects from planning to rollout.
LinkedIn
Raphael Wittgruber
CTO
Builds end-to-end: from hardware integration to backend architecture to AI pipelines.
LinkedIn
Dr. Pascal Wichmann
Head of AI
PhD Cambridge in Engineering & AI. Ex-EY-Parthenon. Translates data problems into production-ready AI systems.
LinkedIn
Dr. Lars Karsten
Sr. Advisor
Co-founder umlaut (acquired by Accenture). PhD in quantum physics.
LinkedIn
Why Caps & Collars
Built in line with GDPR and the EU AI Act, operated in the EU cloud or on premises, on fully European technology if required.
Cross-industry technology transfer
recognize patterns, translate, scale
Integrating cutting-edge AI into existing systems and legacy landscapes
Regulation and compliance
AI Act, GDPR, data protection and cybersecurity are integral to our work
Automating complex processes with measurable business outcomes
Operational responsibility on the founding team, not just external advice
Open Application
Join Our Team
We grow deliberately. Not through job postings, but through people who convince us.
If you don't just use technology but truly understand it. If you don't manage projects but drive them forward. If you don't just lead teams but build them. Then we should talk.
We are looking for individuals with operational excellence, strategic vision and the ambition to deliver lasting results in record time.
Frequently asked
What does Caps & Collars actually do?
We build companies and products at the intersection of AI, automation and agentic systems. We do not advise from the outside: we take on management, build teams and carry operational responsibility. Out of that come our own ventures and systems that run in production at partner companies.
What is HIVE?
HIVE is our sovereign AI operating layer for enterprises and critical infrastructure. It decides which model runs, where the data stays and what it costs. Frontier models, European providers or local operation on your own systems are interchangeable, without lock-in. Built around GDPR and the EU AI Act, with governance, audit trails and one central view of cost.
What is KLARSTAND?
KLARSTAND is an AI-powered data layer for the independent automotive aftermarket. One interface brings together catalogue, technical data, diagnostics and workshop system and makes them searchable by AI. API-first, white-label ready, built for the EU Data Act and the Right to Repair. KLARSTAND runs on HIVE.
What is POLI8?
POLI8 is clinical guideline intelligence for tumour boards. It checks recommendations against current guidelines, highlights deviations and delivers transparent, referenced suggestions. The decision stays with the clinicians. It starts in prostate oncology.
How do you work with companies?
In six steps: understand and advise, build the team, build the technology, secure it for regulation, scale, operate. Depending on the project we co-found, take on leadership, or bring in focused expertise without holding equity.
Where do your systems run, and how do you handle GDPR and the AI Act?
On-premise, in an EU cloud or hybrid, depending on the protection required. Role-based access, audit trails, end-to-end encryption and zero data retention are design principles, not afterthoughts. Risk-based approvals and red teaming happen before anything goes live.
Which industries do you know well?
Automotive aftermarket, medtech, defense and dual use, and the public sector. Transfer between those fields is method, not coincidence: a model from the aftermarket becomes clinical decision support, image recognition from agriculture becomes industrial quality control.
How does working together start?
With a conversation. Write to us through the contact form or at info@capsncollars.com. It usually turns into one clearly scoped first step: a validation, a pilot or a concrete system project.
Contact
Get in Touch
If you believe we are a good fit, we look forward to hearing from you.
DeepTech Campus
Heimhuder Straße 56
20148 Hamburg
Second office and meetings, Harvestehude
Headquarters
Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 23
20251 Hamburg