SI & Advisory Partners
Partner Type Overview
| Partner Type | Examples | Where to Meet | Kaphera Offer | Competitor Conflicts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advisory SI (partner) | BearingPoint | Catena-X expert groups, automotiveIT | Managed EDC referral | No confirmed preferred-vendor deal |
| Enterprise SI (incumbent) | NTT DATA | Hannover Messe, automotiveIT | Compete on Mittelstand pricing | Direct at enterprise |
| Consulting (referral) | PwC, KPMG | Data Spaces Symposium | White-label managed EDC | Accenture/Capgemini absent from Cofinity-X |
Other SIs evaluated: CGI and Consileon hold Cofinity-X marketplace listings but offer their own managed services. SSC-Services and 8020 Consulting are niche players. Accenture and Capgemini are absent from the Cofinity-X marketplace entirely.
BearingPoint (Highest Potential)
Status: Unvalidated. No conversation has occurred. Referral willingness pending first contact.
Why BearingPoint is the #1 SI target:
- Certified Qualified Advisor from Catena-X e.V.
- Active in four Catena-X expert groups
- Advisory-only: no managed-connector product
- No confirmed preferred-vendor arrangement with Sovity or T-Systems
Catena-X practice coverage:
- Product Carbon Footprint (PCF), built on SAP Sustainability Data Exchange
- Traceability
- Demand and Capacity Management (DCM)
- Circular Economy / Digital Product Passport
Each of these use cases requires EDC connector infrastructure that BearingPoint advises on but does not operate.
Why the referral economics are clean: Every client BearingPoint advises on PCF, traceability, or DCM eventually needs a production EDC connector. BearingPoint has no connector product to sell them; the referral does not cannibalize any BearingPoint revenue line.
How to Approach
- Warm context: Engage via Catena-X expert group co-participation (not cold outreach)
- Contact: Manuel Schuler (Global Leader Automotive), Christoph Landgrebe (Partner, active in expert groups)
- Pitch: “We run 150+ EDC connectors in MDS production. Your advisory clients need a managed connector provider with production track record.”
- Offer: Formal referral arrangement for advisory clients who need managed connector infrastructure
- Where to meet: automotiveIT Kongress, Catena-X expert groups, Tractus-X Community Days
Timeline
- Week 1-2 of 90-day plan: Email Manuel Schuler
- Ongoing: co-participate in Catena-X expert groups for warm relationship building
NTT DATA
Profile: Global Data Space Team formed March 2025; targets 200 trained data space experts and ~EUR 300M in data space revenue by 2030. Holds IDSA and Gaia-X partnerships. Has developed its own “Data Space Builder” product.
Active projects:
- Battery traceability platform for EV batteries
- International testbed demonstrations with University of Tokyo
- Mobility and sustainability data spaces
- Public Procurement Data Space in Europe
Kaphera’s positioning: NTT DATA is an enterprise SI with global reach. They are a competitor at enterprise scale but a potential channel partner for Mittelstand. Their Data Space Builder targets large organizations building custom data spaces; Kaphera’s managed connector targets SMEs who need to participate without building.
The non-compete zone: NTT DATA advises Fortune 500 companies on data space strategy; Kaphera operates the connectors for their Tier-2/3 suppliers.
Where to meet: Data Spaces Symposium, IDSA working groups, Hannover Messe
Approach: Frame as complementary (their enterprise clients’ supply chains need Kaphera for SME onboarding), not competitive.
Caveat: NTT DATA partnership is speculative. No contact has occurred. Their Data Space Builder product could position them as competitor rather than partner if they move downmarket.
PwC
Profile: Operates a Data Space Centre of Excellence spanning Spain, Belgium, and Germany. Positions itself as “bridge builder” and names local service providers as key SME enablers.
Where to meet: Data Spaces Symposium 2027
Relevance: PwC’s framing of local service providers as essential for SME adoption aligns directly with Kaphera’s managed-connector positioning. A white-label or recommended-provider arrangement could channel PwC advisory clients toward Kaphera.
Priority: Lower than BearingPoint (PwC’s connector infrastructure needs are less clearly defined). Monitor and engage at Data Spaces Symposium 2027.