Co-Founder and Managing Director of Aeon Robotics GmbH. Doctor of economics, published author, and editor of the Springer Gabler series Entrepreneurship der Zukunft, covering business model stress testing, AI, and blockchain.
At the intersection of rigorous economic research and forward-looking industry: from academic work at TU Clausthal to disrupting industrial robotics in Braunschweig.
Since 2021, Dr. Lars Heim is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Aeon Robotics GmbH — a start-up focused on modular robotics, artificial intelligence, and smart components. With the HandEffector technology, the company enables industrial robots to intuitively learn gripping movements and forces directly from humans.
He holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg (2012), a Master’s in Marketing from Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (2013), and a Master’s in Business Psychology from FOM (2017). Between 2017 and 2021 he completed his doctorate at TU Clausthal, researching the impact of blockchain technology on business models.
He is editor of the Springer Gabler series Entrepreneurship der Zukunft (2022, 2023, 2026 — with another edition in preparation) and author of Zukunftsfähigkeit durch Business Model Stress Testing and Mastering Business Model Stress Testing.
Professional experience and academic positions.
Spin-off of TU Braunschweig focusing on modular robotics, AI and drive technology. With the HandEffector system we enable robots to intuitively learn gripping forces and movements — without programming knowledge.
Doctoral thesis: The Impact of Blockchain Technology on Business Models — Development of a Procedural Model Using the Example of Intermediary Actors. Specialisation: business models, blockchain technology, Jobs-To-Be-Done theory.
Set up and established the Clausthal Executive School (CES) as the central continuing-education institution of TU Clausthal. Conception, accreditation and implementation of a new continuing-education programme (ESF-funded project). Teaching, thesis supervision, and research at the Chair of Business Administration and Corporate Management.
Product development from initial concept through to distribution. Conception and prototyping of a kitchen tool for students, supplier and manufacturer selection, trademark protection, social-media marketing, and direct sales via the company’s own online shop.
Part-time degree programme, specialisation in organisational forms and development. Master's thesis: The Need for Cognitive Closure and its impact on consumers' purchase intentions. Final grade 2.0.
Targeted market development across existing and prospective customer accounts, competitive analysis, weekly KPI reporting, and conception and launch of new digital products.
Coordination of B2B online and offline marketing campaigns, leading project teams with CMS and project-management systems, planning and implementation of a customer-facing online shop, and strategic repositioning of an IT-service brand.
Specializations: Marketing Research & Management, Market Analysis, Brand Management. Master's Thesis: Social Proof Mechanisms — How Demand-Generated Scarcity Influences Consumer Purchase Intentions. Grade: 7.5 (Good).
Specialisations: e-business, marketing concepts and strategies, Management & Entrepreneurship, logistics, and operations management.
Six book publications at Springer Gabler and Cuvillier, nine peer-reviewed chapters and conference papers on business model innovation, blockchain and AI.
Sustainable business models through digital innovation and transformation. Co-edited with Dr. Sebastian Gerth.
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Navigating Megatrends and Market Dynamics through Strategic Analysis and Innovation.
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German-language companion volume. Six-step BMST process built on the Business Model Canvas for resilient business models.
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Prerequisites, implementation and application of AI in data-driven business models. Co-edited with Dr. Sebastian Gerth.
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Digital technologies and the transformation of business models. Co-edited with Dr. Sebastian Gerth.
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Doctoral thesis at TU Clausthal — development of a procedural model using the example of intermediary actors.
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Peer-reviewed chapters in edited volumes, conference proceedings, and journal articles.
Outlook on future AI capabilities in Human–Machine Interaction, Blockchain, Green Tech, and Mobility. Reflects on AI as an autonomous megatrend with far-reaching implications for business and corporate strategy.
Examines how SMEs can scale production lines with the next generation of flexible industrial robots — particularly relevant against the backdrop of skilled-labour shortages and repetitive manual tasks.
Examines AI as a fundamental trend in economic and social development — from automated processes and new products to ethical challenges and labour market transformation.
Introduces Business Model Stress Testing as an adapted method for analysing the effects of blockchain technology on existing business models and actively shaping the emerging ecosystem.
Practical application of the trend-anticipatory business model innovation framework by Granig et al. for systematically testing business models against future megatrends.
Investigates the conditions under which futures outlooks can yield reliable forecasts for entrepreneurs. Relates megatrend typologies from the Zukunftsinstitut and Grömling/Haß to one another.
Historical analysis of an ego-document by an "alte Kämpfer" (early NSDAP member) from the Braunschweig region — demonstrates how National Socialist power became an unmarked, taken-for-granted element of personal reality perception.
Examines secure data storage in an increasingly digital society, using the example of health-related online consultations. Shows how blockchain technology creates trust in digital platforms.
Conference paper applying adapted Business Model Stress Testing to analyse the effects of blockchain on existing business models — relevant for companies operating in established markets.
Examines the establishment of trust in digital online consultancy services via blockchain, with a focus on federated blockchains for protecting sensitive data.
Selected media coverage on Aeon Robotics, the HandEffector and my work between science and entrepreneurship.
In-depth feature on Aeon Robotics and the humanoid robotic hand with 15 joints, controlled via an input glove. A portrait of the Heim/Michalik/Michalik trio — from the initial concept to market launch, with reference to the Automatica trade fair in Munich.
Practical report on the German patent grant in late 2024 for Aeon Robotics's AI-based training process. Lars Heim discusses in interview the strategic importance of patent protection for young tech companies — from signalling innovation to securing long-term market position.
Aeon Robotics awarded second place in the Braunschweig Founders' Prize. The jury was won over by the AI-driven HandEffector robotic hand, which learns movements directly from humans and requires no programming skills to operate.
Aeon Robotics wins third place in the Best of Technology 2023 Award by WirtschaftsWoche in cooperation with KIT, Fraunhofer ISI and Capgemini — Production category, for innovative digital technologies in the context of Industry 4.0.
Review of the year-long W.IN Accelerator programme: Aeon Robotics won the Lower Saxony Innovation Prize and the Gründerpreis+, and initiated integration projects with industrial partners across sectors from cleaning services to aerospace.
A portrait of Lars Heim: three degree programmes including a Master's in Business Psychology at FOM Stuttgart, a doctorate at TU Clausthal — and ultimately co-founder of a multi-award-winning robotics start-up in Braunschweig.
We redefine the boundaries of industrial automation. With sensitive grasping systems and adaptive AI controllers, we enable robots to flexibly and autonomously master complex manual processes.
As Co-Founder and COO of Aeon Robotics GmbH, I am responsible for the strategic and commercial direction of the company.
Our flagship product is the HandEffector—a humanoid robotic hand that learns gripping movements directly and intuitively from humans. This teaching process is achieved seamlessly via a force-feedback glove paired with AI-driven adaptation.
In late 2024, we were awarded a German patent for the core components of this technology. We are currently driving the go-to-market of the HandEffector through exciting integration projects. Industrial applications range from pick-and-place tasks in diagnostics and end-of-line quality control all the way to space robotics.
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