Introducing our Cluster Initiator LEG
Shifting real estate towards emission efficiency.
About LEG
With around 172,000 rental apartments, LEG SE is a leading listed housing company in Germany. With around one fifth of its portfolio comprising social housing and its ongoing commitment to efficient climate protection in the housing industry, including the establishment of innovative ventures, LEG is underlining its digital and sustainable commitment in various areas.
Key Facts:
- Around 172,000 rental apartments
- Affordable housing for 500,000 residents in more than 200 locations
- 1,900 employees
- Revenues of €1.3 bn in FY 2024
- Eight regional branches
- Target: Halving the carbon footprint per sqm by 2030
Current Challenges: Shifting towards emission efficiency
What are the most pressing challenges in your field right now?
“One of the biggest challenges is realising that focusing solely on energy efficiency will not be enough to tackle climate change. The industry must shift towards emission efficiency to truly decarbonize the real estate sector. Strong dependencies on regulation, the energy transition, and customer behavior shape the pace of progress. The systematic use of digitization and artificial intelligence to support our business model and financial goals is another relevant challenge.”
Which developments do you expect to have the biggest impact on your business in the coming years – whether as a challenge or a driver?
“Upcoming developments in regulation and the overall energy transformation will have a major impact on our business. Political decisions such as rent control (‘Mietpreisbremse’) and the evolution of interest rates and construction costs will strongly influence future investments and strategic directions. Leveraging digitization and artificial intelligence is a driver and a challenge at the same time.”
Innovation Focus: Decarbonisation and digital solutions
In which innovation fields are you active today – and which topics do you want to drive forward with startups, research & the BRYCK Startup Alliance?
“We currently operate three in house Green Ventures that aim to help decarbonize the real estate market. Additionally, Youtilly is the industry solution for transparent, digital, and tenant oriented order management in the areas of green space and outdoor maintenance as well as winter services. Our focus is on developing innovative and customer centered solutions that promote affordable and sustainable housing. Collaborations with startups and researchers are key to driving these ideas forward. We are also in the midst of a structured digitization program and are keen to see and use suitable digital and tech solutions and ideas.”
Which technologies or solutions are particularly relevant to you?
“We are particularly interested in technologies that reduce emissions while remaining close to the customer and financially accessible. Solutions that combine climate impact with affordability and scalability are especially valuable to our mission. In addition, we are interested in digital and AI solutions which may help us increase turnover, reduce costs or support customer satisfaction.”
Ecosystem: New perspectives through a strong network
What‘s your main goal in partnering with the BRYCK Startup Alliance? (e.g. concrete use cases, trends & inspiration, connect to Innovation ecosystem…)
“Our main goal is to harness the innovative spirit of young minds to challenge the traditionally conservative mindset of the housing industry. We aim to form alliances and create synergies between different needs and perspectives within the innovation ecosystem.”
How can the BRYCK Startup Alliance help to accelerate the transfer of research into business practice?
“The BRYCK Startup Alliance can serve as an incubator for brainstorming, idea generation, and networking. By connecting with startups and research partners, we can turn theoretical findings into practical, scalable solutions by providing the stage to do the testings.”
How do other ecosystem players in the BRYCK Startup Alliance – such as investors, incubators, experts, or researchers – contribute to your corporate innovation?
“Researchers help us validate the effectiveness of our sustainability measures, while collaboration with diverse stakeholders such as Vivawest broadens our perspectives. This interdisciplinary exchange brings academic insights into real world problem solving and accelerates innovation.”
Why is it important to build an ecosystem – rather than relying on single partnerships or matchings – when it comes to transferring research into the economy?
“Change and new perspectives emerge through collaboration within a strong ecosystem. Only such an interconnected network makes it possible to identify and address new opportunities effectively and sustainably. Especially through our collaboration with Vivawest we combine our assets and therefore represent residential housing in Germany in a significant way.”
Looking ahead ten years from now: how would you describe a successful partnership with BRYCK Startup Alliance?
“A successful partnership would mean that together we have solved current and future challenges in our sector. Ideally, our joint efforts will have made a measurable contribution to the decarbonization of the real estate industry in Germany or measurable business impact, e.g., increased turnover, reduced costs, improved customer satisfaction.”
Startup Collaboration: From pilots to real impact
Have you had successful collaborations with startups in the past? Please share 1–2 highlight cases (startup, topic, solution, outcome).
“Yes, for example with our Green Venture termios. Their product is a smart heating thermostat for the dynamically adaptive hydraulic balancing of heating systems in multi family houses. The business model is based on the development and distribution of innovative, digital solutions for energy efficient heating in residential properties. This product is not only helping to save emissions within LEG but for the whole residential real estate market. In the tech sphere, we are successfully collaborating with OneThousand AI, a Berlin based AI startup.”
What have you learned from these collaborations that could also inspire other startups or corporates?
“We learned that it is essential to continuously broaden one’s horizon and remain open to new perspectives. True change only happens when we actively seek and implement solutions rather than merely identifying problems.”
Any other Startup offerings you want to mention? (Labs, Venture Capital, …)
“We have also participated in various pilot projects and are always open to testing new ideas, such as Grundels (window solutions), Bauter facade coatings, or Spardusche water saving systems. These collaborations help us explore innovative ways to increase sustainability in housing.”