"59% of companies that achieve Product-Market Fit still fail to scale — not because of the market, but because of internal misalignment. After 30+ years and €1.5B+ in revenue impact, I wrote The Missing Link to give leadership teams the framework that closes that gap."
Norbert Steinhauser has spent 30+ years at the intersection of product strategy and organizational alignment — turning expected failures into billion-euro market successes. His track record includes 110+ product launches, €1.5B+ in monthly revenue impact, 25%+ average valuation increases for clients, and an agile training NPS consistently above 85. His products are used in 70% of German households. He sold the world's first DSL lines.
Drawing on an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, an M.Sc. in Engineering Physics, and postgraduate studies at MIT, Columbia, and INSEAD, Norbert has advised CEOs and CPOs at companies ranging from global financial services to industrial manufacturing.
His central discovery: 70% of product failures are internal, not market-related. Companies achieve Product-Market Fit — then stall, not because demand disappears, but because their internal systems, culture, and leadership aren't built to scale what they've built. He calls this gap Product-Company Fit.
The Missing Link: A Business Fable About the Hole Between a Successful Company and a Great Company is his debut book — written for leadership teams in the tradition of Eliyahu Goldratt — walking them through the PMF-to-PCF framework. It publishes January 2027 via Vallenstone LLC.
Norbert is available for keynotes, executive workshops, and podcast appearances. He speaks in English and German.
Norbert Steinhauser arbeitet seit 30+ Jahren an der Schnittstelle von Produktstrategie und organisationaler Ausrichtung. Sein Track Record: über 110 erfolgreiche Produktlaunches, mehr als 1,5 Mrd. € monatlicher Umsatzimpact, durchschnittlich 25%+ Bewertungssteigerungen bei seinen Klienten, und ein Agile-Trainings-NPS von konstant über 85. Seine Produkte sind in 70% der deutschen Haushalte im Einsatz.
Mit einem Executive MBA der Kellogg School of Management, einem M.Sc. in Ingenieurphysik sowie Weiterbildungen an MIT, Columbia und INSEAD berät er CEOs und CPOs in Finanzdienstleistung, Industrie und Technologie.
Seine zentrale Erkenntnis: 70% der Produktmisserfolge sind intern bedingt, nicht marktgetrieben. Unternehmen erreichen Product-Market Fit — und stagnieren dann, weil ihre internen Strukturen, Kultur und Führung nicht auf das Skalieren ausgerichtet sind. Er nennt diesen Zustand den Product-Company-Fit-Gap.
The Missing Link: A Business Fable About the Hole Between a Successful Company and a Great Company ist sein erstes Buch für Führungsteams — geschrieben im Stil von Eliyahu Goldratt. Erscheint Januar 2027 bei Vallenstone LLC.
Norbert hält Keynotes, Executive Workshops und Podcast-Interviews — auf Englisch und Deutsch.
