Particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the search for the right software is often too costly an undertaking to be tackled with the necessary depth. But how can I avoid expensive poor decisions, and whichsoftware truly suits my processes?
The Potsdam-based start-up Sectorlens, which has been part of the MediaTech Hub Accelerator since 2025, addresses precisely this problem with its “Find-Your-Software” solution. With a unique combination of strategic consultancyand neuro-symbolic AI, they aim not merely to safeguard the competitiveness of SMEs, but to expand it massively.
We spoke to Benedict Bender, one of the co-founders of Sectorlens, about how their technology works, why it is superior to ChatGPT, and where the start-up’s journey is heading over the next five years.
MTH Potsdam: Hello and a very warm welcome! It is great that you could take the time today. To bring our readers right up to speed: who exactly are you, and what specific problem are you solving for businesses out there?
Benedict Bender: We are Sectorlens from Potsdam, and we have set ourselves the goal of not just securing the digital competitiveness of SMEs, but massively expanding it. The problem we are solving is a structural one: manySMEs have world-class products, yet fail internally due to inefficient processes and an IT landscape that does not fit their business model. Often, the in-house expertise required for complex selection decisions is lacking, whilstexternal consultancy is expensive and slow. We bridge this gap by combining the best of strategic management consultancy with the scalability of an AI start-up. We are democratising access to digital competitiveness: what used totake months and require expensive consultants, our platform achieves in minutes – objectively and driven by data.
MTH Potsdam: That is a bold promise, particularly in times of a skilled labour shortage. Now, our readers are probably wondering: “Hang on, searching via AI? Can’t ChatGPT do that too?” Could you explain what your engine”understands” better than classic language models when searching for business software? Where does the difference lie, perhaps with a concrete example?
Benedict Bender: The crucial difference lies in the depth and the provenance of the data. A language model like ChatGPT calculates the probabilities of word sequences. Our engine calculates the logical fit of business processes. Weuse neuro-symbolic AI: this combines data-driven learning with fixed expert rules and industry logic. An LLM might hallucinate or provide generic answers. Our engine, on the other hand, accesses the largest structured database ofsoftware usage contexts in the German-speaking region, which we have built up over several years. The tangible advantage: we understand the context. If a manufacturer operates in a specific niche, our AI knows not only whichsoftware is used there, but which functions (e.g. a specific batch-size logic) are absolutely essential and why. This is knowledge that large LLMs lack at this level of granularity – which is actually why we regularly receive enquiriesasking if we also offer our data for sale.
MTH Potsdam: Your vision is to make professional selection processes, which until now primarily large corporations could afford, accessible to a broad target audience. Looking five years into the future: will Sectorlens then be thestandard first port of call for investment decisions in European companies – or where do you consciously draw the line regarding your own role?
Benedict Bender: In five years’ time, no company should have to make a digital investment decision without having consulted Sectorlens first. We see ourselves as the navigation system for digital competitiveness. However, we do not draw the line at mere “selection”. Our vision goes further: we want to close the “consulting gap” – that is, the gap between a concept, its actual implementation, and continuous improvement. Sectorlens will become the standardfor how businesses plan, monitor, and adjust their digital roadmaps. We want SMEs not just to catch up technologically, but to overtake international competitors from a position of strength.
MTH Potsdam: You passed a major milestone last year: in 2025, you were awarded the Special Prize at the Brandenburg Innovation Awards. Was this primarily an “internal” validation of your work for you, or did this officialaccolade also tangibly help to build trust with new clients?
Benedict Bender: Both, but the trust aspect is crucial in the B2B sector. We operate in a strategically sensitive area of a company – its IT architecture. An award like this acts as an enormous “anchor of trust”. It confirms to potential clients that there is more than just hype behind the AI; it is validated, award-winning technology “Made in Brandenburg”. For us as a team, it was a genuine milestone and confirmation that we are solving a highly relevant problem. I can only advise any start-up: apply! This visibility opens doors that are incredibly difficult to unlock through cold calling alone.
MTH Potsdam: Speaking of doors that are hard to open: during your pitch phases, was there a critical, perhaps even uncomfortable or surprising question that prompted you to further refine your business model or yourcommunication?
Benedict Bender: A pitch is never truly “finished”, after all. Investors put the business model through a stress test – they unerringly identify every logical loophole and every ambiguity. An important lesson for us was the realisationthat investors and clients speak entirely different languages. Whilst clients are looking for operational relief, investors are looking for “product-market fit” and the scalability of the data assets. Every critical query forced us to becomemore precise: moving away from generic phrases towards measurable benefits and clear differentiation through our proprietary data. That has sharpened our communication massively.
MTH Potsdam: A topic that is undoubtedly of great interest to your clients: on many comparison portals, the advertising budgets of the providers play a central role. How do you ensure with “Find-Your-Software” that a “hiddenchampion” appears just as fairly in the results list as major players – such as SAP or Microsoft – if it objectively better suits the client’s needs?
Benedict Bender: That is our core value proposition: well-founded decisions driven by data. Our algorithms are completely blind to advertising budgets. The ranking is based entirely on the “fit” between the company’s requirementsand the software’s capabilities. Because we use our own curated databases and do not rely on the vendors’ own claims in marketing brochures, we can evaluate objectively. If a specialised niche provider accommodates a client’sprocesses better than a large ERP giant, then it takes first place. Full stop. This is what fundamentally distinguishes us from ad-funded search engines.
MTH Potsdam: You often speak of ‘democratising’ professional management consultancy. What does that mean in concrete terms for an SME that previously could not, or would not, afford major strategy consultants?
Benedict Bender: It means that excellence is no longer a question of budget. Previously, many companies faced a stark choice: either hire expensive consultants for a short period, or have no support at all. We are radically changingthat. Through our hybrid approach, every company gains a permanent digital partner that is available around the clock, is deeply integrated into its own processes, and proactively points out potential for optimisation.
For the SME, this means getting the analytical power and methodological expertise of a large corporation, but at a fraction of the cost. Our vision is to empower every company to become the best version of itself. We bridge the gapbetween strategy and execution by not merely delivering concepts, but ensuring their implementation in day-to-day operations – permanently and measurably.
MTH Potsdam: Let’s return to Potsdam for a moment. You work at the MediaTech Hub in an environment full of media and technological innovations. To what extent has this specific ecosystem tangibly helped you? Were therecontacts or formats that simply would not have come about without this setting?
Benedict Bender: Potsdam is the ideal location for us. The concentration of excellence – the University of Potsdam, the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), the University of Applied Sciences (FH), and the MediaTech Hub – is trulyunique. The MTH, in particular, helped us to package our AI solution (“Deep Tech”) better in terms of communication. Technology is only ever as good as your ability to explain it. Through the ecosystem and the one-to-onecoaching, we learnt how to present our innovation in a way that people can understand. Furthermore, partnerships and pilot projects have been forged here that we could never have got off the ground so quickly in isolation.
MTH Potsdam: Were there any specific insights from the Accelerator programme that are still reflected in your product development or go-to-market strategy today?
Benedict Bender: Many of these insights can be found, particularly in our external presentation and the “packaging” of our new products. The Accelerator helped us shift our focus away from the pure technology (“What can the tooldo?”) towards the customer benefit (“What problem does it solve immediately?”). You can see this very clearly today in how we position Find-Your-Software in the market: as an instant solution for a specific pain point, accessible in just 6 minutes.
MTH Potsdam: Thank you very much, Benedict, for these fascinating insights! We are excited to see what the future holds for Sectorlens.
