Early detection of weak external signals is increasingly critical for strategic agility. While many organizations scan for weak signals, most dismiss them as anomalies, principally due to poor amplification strategies. Several challenges hinder the necessary amplification and sensemaking of weak signals for organizational awareness. This article analyzes 139 proof-of-concept projects with startups and 15 interviews with executives involved in the projects at a leading German mobility corporation, and it reveals four actions to amplify weak external signals, thereby enhancing organizational hyper-awareness. It illustrates the actions with examples and presents the implications for both weak signals and strategic agility management.

Mercedes-Benz's Startup Autobahn is an open corporate accelerator built on an open innovation platform that enabled the automaker to screen thousands of startups, execute more than 150 pilot projects, and implement 17 innovative solutions between 2016 and 2021. Mercedes's experience demonstrates how companies can leverage the open corporate accelerator model to more effectively integrate startups into the corporate R&D processes and accelerate their innovation efforts.