Tech as a Profit Center – Maximizing P&L Impact by Research Funding and Capitalization

Tech organizations are often seen as cost centers: valuable, but rarely measured in terms of direct P&L contribution. Yet there is enormous untapped potential: many startups and scale-ups miss out on research funding and capitalization opportunities that could directly improve cash flow and profitability. In this session, Henriette Brune, Chief of Staff at FINN, shares how the company turned R&D from a cost driver into a profit lever by leveraging Germany’s "Forschungszulage" and capitalization strategies. Smaller companies in particular often underestimate the impact. Either because they don’t know these instruments exist or because they assume the overhead is too high. Henriette will demonstrate how FINN built a streamlined, largely automated process that keeps the effort for engineers and leaders minimal and non-disruptive, while still creating significant financial impact. Attendees will learn how to design lightweight processes that connect engineering work to financial reporting, how to automate compliance using tools like Personio, JIRA, Make, and OpenAI, and how to align tech and finance stakeholders around shared goals. The outcome: a playbook that allows tech leaders to keep their teams focused on innovation, while turning overlooked funding and capitalization opportunities into real contributions to the company’s bottom line.