Learn.
Create.
Grow.
We create the spaces for the future.
Learn. Create. Grow.
We create the spaces for the future.
Knowledge is everywhere today.
Experience happens here.
Knowledge is everywhere today — free, available at any time, in seconds. That shifts the decisive question: no longer “What do we know?” but “What can we actually create with what we know?”
Because reading changes nothing. Understanding changes nothing. Only doing — at the right moment, on the right topic — transforms information into experiential knowledge that truly sticks.
We create spaces where people don’t talk about change, but live it. Where new knowledge is applied immediately: to real challenges, in real teams. What emerges: the competence to actively shape the future.
Andrea del Verrocchio was not a master who distributed knowledge. He created spaces in which geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci could first come into being. That is our mission.
In the spaces we create, people can
We are present when teams move into unfamiliar territory — with structure, methods and a clear outside perspective. And we step back when the team has found its direction.
Many innovation projects fail not from a lack of ideas, but from a lack of focus. We help teams to identify, from a wide range of approaches, the few that will actually hold up.
Those who decide under pressure often decide badly. We create situations in which leadership teams pause, assess their position clearly, and then choose a direction with genuine conviction.
The longer you work in an organisation, the more you get used to what is actually not working. We bring the outside perspective — and ask the questions that no one internally asks anymore.
Future readiness does not come from better forecasts, but from teams that have learned to actively navigate uncertainty. We work with leadership teams to develop concrete options for action — even when the future feels unclear.
What makes our spaces distinctive
A space for the future is not always a conference room with post-its on the wall.
The spaces we create exist in 6 dimensions and often have their greatest impact where you least expect it.
01
Emotional
Emotions are not a disruptive factor in innovation processes — they are the fuel. We design resonance spaces where genuine concerns are heard and real enthusiasm is welcome.
02
Conceptual
Sometimes the most important space is a mental one: a model that suddenly makes complexity readable. A map of thinking that shows where you are and what paths exist.
03
Without taboos
Truly new ideas emerge where the unspoken assumptions of an organisation finally come to the table. Where “And why not, actually?” is an accepted question.
04
Inspiring
Inspiration is not chance — it is a craft. We know the conditions under which ideas emerge and which impulses open up spaces for thinking that would have remained closed without us.
05
Visual
Complexity that is made visible loses its threat. Ideas that appear on paper gain reality. Strategies told visually find more supporters.
06
Physical
Sometimes the space really does need to be a space — a place that breaks you out of everyday routine, that makes different conversations possible and concentrates energy rather than dispersing it.
How our spaces work
Four principles proven over two decades.
Every space has an architecture. These four principles are the foundation — developed across more than 2,200 projects and tested in thousands of situations.
Solve & Grow
The guiding question
We ask first: What should be? What should be different? And then we grow towards those answers, rather than shying away from them.
Action before talk
The working principle
At the verrocchio Institute, we work — we don’t talk about working. Doing generates insight that no conversation and no presentation can replace.
Specific over generic
The mindset
Generic solutions for specific problems are not solutions. We go deep into the concrete situation, because relevance only comes from specificity.
View & Apply
The difference
Insight without application is academic. Application without insight is blind. Our spaces connect both — immediately, on your own topic.
Why verrocchio
Over 20 years at the heart of innovation.
We have contributed to more than 2,000 projects, inspired more than 25,000 people, across 32 countries.
The founders
Christian Buchholz and Benno van Aerssen are among the most experienced innovation coaches in the German-speaking world. Together they built the verrocchio Institute from the conviction that innovation is not a question of talent, but of the right context. Together with Christina Westing, the Institute is today their shared answer to the question of how organisations truly become capable of innovation.
The experience
2.000+ projects
32 countries
20+ years
15 books
These numbers are not marketing. They are the foundation on which every workshop, every engagement and every format rests. What we recommend, we have tested ourselves. What we use, has proven itself in practice.
The Fellows
The verrocchio Institute is more than a fixed team. Our knowledge is complemented by over 40 Fellows from different industries, disciplines and contexts. This means: for every challenge, we bring the people who are truly right for it — not simply those who happen to be available.
Our landmark publications — essential for every innovation library.
Inspired? Let's talk.
Tell us about your challenge — no commitment, no cost. Book a slot for an initial conversation: a 30-minute call in which we explore where you currently stand, which format fits your situation, what a realistic scope looks like, and how we can move forward together.
Christina Westing will respond to your enquiry personally and promptly — by phone if you prefer.
Our story is different
Our work is based on 500 years of knowledge about the mindset of successful innovators and the latest agile expertise.