Why the Mittelstand lags on AI — and what changes with patient ownership

The German Mittelstand is home to some of the most resilient businesses in Europe — profitable, with loyal customer bases, recurring revenues, built to last. Yet a striking pattern emerges: only 20% of German SMEs currently use AI applications.

Not because the businesses lack potential, but because owners navigating a succession often have other priorities than digital transformation.

We believe this is one of the most interesting dynamics in European markets right now. When a business with strong fundamentals meets long-term, stable ownership — the kind that thinks in decades, not quarters — something changes. There is finally room to invest: in people, in processes, in technology.

Not to “disrupt” what works, but to strengthen it.

Over half a million German SMEs are currently looking for a successor. The EU’s SME sector generates over EUR 5.4 trillion in value added annually. This is not a niche. It is the backbone of the European economy — and it deserves owners who are in it for the long run.

That is why at Cornus Holding we are building exactly that: a permanent home for outstanding small businesses.