Success Story

From Lab to Construction Site: The Idea behind Open Experience

Technology transfer with impact

Every day, construction sites generate enormous amounts of data – from photos and notes to defect reports and logs. For a long time, however, this data was rarely recorded or utilized in a structured manner. For former FZI researcher Konstantin Krahtov, this was precisely the starting point for an idea: to organize construction sites so that information flows just as precisely as materials and machinery. In 2009, this idea led to the FZI-spinoff Open Experience GmbH.

An idea from research

Before founding Open Experience GmbH, Konstantin spent several years at the FZI working on topics related to product data management and information systems in engineering. His work there focused on better structuring complex technical processes and supporting them with digital methods.

During this time, it became increasingly clear to him that the construction industry had a lot of catching up to do: While many industries were already working intensively with digital data, much of the work on construction sites was still done in analog form. Information was jotted down by hand, photographed, or collected in various documents. He recognized enormous potential here and therefore decided to take the plunge into self-employment. With support from programs such as the EXIST Start-up Grant and Young Innovators Baden-Württemberg, Open Experience GmbH was founded in 2009.

The vision of the digital construction site

The idea behind Open Experience: All relevant information from a construction site is digitally consolidated and integrated into a single, unified view of the construction project. This allows site managers, engineers, and tradespeople to capture up-to-date data directly on-site using mobile apps and link it to the planning information. To this end, Open Experience develops the appropriate software solutions. Among other things, these make the following possible:

Defect management: Issues are recorded immediately and communicated to all parties involved
Photo documentation: Images capture construction progress in a structured manner
Digital checklists: Support for quality control and inspection processes
Construction log: Important events are automatically compiled into daily reports

In addition, the company relies on a combination of software and proprietary hardware to capture data as comprehensively and automatically as possible. This includes, for example, a robot with a 360° camera for seamless construction site documentation, weather stations for recording weather conditions, or webcams for continuous construction site monitoring.

All collected data is securely stored and processed in a cloud infrastructure operated by Open Experience. This ensures that both the company and its customers retain full control over data protection, availability, and information quality.

During my time as a research assistant at the FZI, I realized that the construction industry has enormous potential when construction expertise and computer science are consistently brought together. That is exactly what Open Experience does: We combine an understanding of real-world construction-site processes with modern software technology. This intersection between two disciplines that traditionally had little to do with each other fascinated me from the very beginning and continues to drive me to this day.

Konstantin Krahtov

Founder of Open Experience GmbH

Research remains part of the DNA

What began as an idea born out of research is now a company that combines software, hardware, and research. Open Experience continues to work closely with universities and research institutions to develop new technologies for the construction industry.

The FZI also played a crucial role in the company’s founding: In addition to support with the EXIST startup grant, the team was able to use the FZI’s infrastructure and facilities during the first few months. This made the launch considerably easier and allowed the team to focus fully on product development.

The success story of Open Experience GmbH demonstrates how application-oriented research gives rise to innovative solutions for real-world challenges—and how the close integration of science and practice can bring about lasting change across entire industries.

Would you like to find out how the FZI turns research in the field of intelligent information systems into practical applications? Feel free to get in touch!