Inside Keen: Building better partnerships from Matrikel1

When our landlord and community hosts at Matrikel1 and Mesh Community asked to feature Keen in their Monday Meetings series, we were genuinely happy. A feature like this is more than visibility. It is a sign that the people around us are curious about what we are building and want to share it with a wider network.

Following their feature, we wanted to share the story from our perspective: why we built Keen, what we are trying to change in B2B partnerships, and why building the company from Matrikel1 matters to us.

Watch our conversation from Matrikel1

Watch Jesper and Christian’s conversation at Matrikel1.

The problem that became Keen

Our story began with a problem that kept appearing across industries. Strong B2B partnerships had real potential, but scaling them was often held back by the operational work surrounding them.

Leads were tracked in spreadsheets. Updates lived in long email threads. Payouts had to be chased, reporting was assembled by hand, and every new integration created another project. GDPR and compliance added more complexity. Too much time went into keeping the machinery running and too little into strengthening the relationships that actually created value.

Jesper Krarup Kristensen had encountered this pattern repeatedly through his work with partnerships. Christian Thisted joined the idea, and together we founded Keen because we were tired of seeing promising partnerships lose momentum through operational friction rather than a lack of value.

From spreadsheet operator to relationship builder

Keen is the platform we wished partnership teams already had: one place for the administrative work that otherwise gets handled manually.

Lead sharing, partner channels, CRM integrations, reporting, rewards and commission payouts can live in the same system. Instead of spending the day reconciling spreadsheets and chasing status updates, teams can focus on building the relationships that drive revenue.

That matters whether you are launching your first referral partnership or operating a growing partner program. The goal is the same: less friction, better visibility, and a clearer view of what each partnership contributes.

Why Keen AI is different

What often surprises people is that Keen AI does more than answer questions. It can help configure partner channels, support the integration between Keen and your CRM, and turn raw partner data into custom reports.

We have also built an MCP, which allows a customer’s own AI tools to access their partner data directly from Keen. It removes much of the setup and reporting work that teams expect to handle manually, while keeping people in control of the changes that are made.

For us, AI is most useful when it turns information into action and gives people more time for the human side of partnerships.

Why we chose Matrikel1

We chose to base Keen at Matrikel1 because it puts us shoulder to shoulder with other founders and teams working through many of the same challenges.

That proximity is genuinely useful. When we hit a wall, there is often someone nearby who has already faced something similar. The conversations between meetings, introductions across the community, and the simple experience of sharing a workplace with other builders all make a difference.

The morning breakfasts have been a particularly good way to meet more people and quickly feel part of the community. We are looking forward to taking part in more of what Matrikel1 and Mesh Community create from here.

Why being featured by our community matters

We appreciate that Matrikel1 and Mesh Community choose to use their platforms to tell the stories of the companies based here. Their Monday Meetings series gives the wider community a closer look at the people, ideas, and problems being worked on inside the building.

For Keen, being included creates a welcome opportunity to introduce our work to customers, partners, fellow founders, future teammates, investors, and anyone curious about how modern B2B partnerships are built.

It also reflects something we value about the community itself: people notice what others are building, ask thoughtful questions, and help good ideas travel further. We are grateful to be featured and proud to be building Keen from Matrikel1.

Follow the journey

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