Ottobock is expected to go public in October 2025. As a highly innovative company, it wants to achieve the highest possible valuation. But how strong is Ottobock’s innovation potential? A look at the statistics provides clarity. Its innovative capacity has been declining steadily for seven years.
According to the Patentguru.com database, Ottobock had 179 patents filed worldwide in 2018. In 2024, there were only 9, and in 2025, there have been 2 so far. This could indicate that the relatively high development costs compared to the overall R&D costs are more likely to be costs for further development than for real innovations.
In the car sector, this would be referred to as model maintenance. It is striking, by the way, that development costs are amortized over very long periods – up to 15 years – especially since innovation cycles are significantly shorter.This is exactly what Ottobock does. This type of accounting relieves the EBITDA and shows a “virtual profit” that only has a minor impact on the result due to the long depreciation period.
