What Elektor does

Elektor is an electronics media and learning company operating continuously since 1961 as Elektor International Media BV, a Dutch private limited company headquartered in the Netherlands with engineering operations in Aachen, Germany. It publishes a flagship magazine in print and digital formats and serves professional electronics engineers, students, hobbyist makers, and electronics startups globally across four languages and 15+ media channels, including a YouTube channel with 125,000+ subscribers. The company's core technology is a content and community platform: articles, videos, podcasts, webinars, books, online courses, and Elektor Labs, a collaborative project-sharing community with more than 5,000 Gerber files accessible to members.

Elektor monetizes through a diversified mix of subscription memberships (Gold print+digital at €144.95 per year; Green digital-only at €99.95 per year or €20 for a four-month trial), paid programming courses bundled with hardware kits (€69.95 per course), e-commerce sales of components and books via the Elektor Store, sponsored professional webinars (€25 per registration, often waived via sponsor underwriting), and paid participation in the electronica Fast Forward startup platform (€2,500 per startup). Distribution is multi-channel: own e-commerce storefront, direct magazine subscriptions, the Elektor Academy online learning platform, the Elektor Labs community, and a presence at major industry events including electronica Munich and Embedded World.

In January 2024, Elektor acquired European Business Press SA, publisher of eeNews Europe and ECI France, extending its B2B electronics news footprint across Europe and adding a 33% traffic-growth asset in 2025. Recent thematic emphasis has been on edge AI (a dedicated Edge AI issue with Edge Impulse/Qualcomm), post-quantum cryptography, robotics and automation, and ESP32-based learning kits, indicating a deliberate shift into higher-value technical verticals with stronger B2B sponsorship potential.

Name

Elektor

Legal name

Elektor International Media BV

Website

https://elektormagazine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Elektor is a Netherlands-based electronics media and learning company operating a 65-year-old magazine, online courses, webinars, and community platforms that serve professional engineers, students, makers, and electronics companies globally across multiple languages and channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electronics Media and Engineering Education

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Science, Technology & Gaming Magazines (MPAJAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Reference Works & Academic Databases (Encyclopedias, Indexes, Abstracts) (MPAJABAI)

Keywords

• Electronics publishing
• Engineering magazine
• Embedded systems education
• Microcontroller programming courses
• Electronics components retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Aachen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital magazine subscriptions (Gold/Print and Green/Digital tiers) providing access to Elektor Magazine issues, archive, and member discounts.
2. Online Courses and Learning: Paid programming courses for Arduino, ESP32, and Raspberry Pi Pico sold as bundled kits with textbooks, component kits, and online learning modules.
3. Elektor Store E-commerce: Sale of electronics components, books, kits, and accessories with member discounts. Also includes PCB service.
4. Academy Pro Webinars: Technical webinar programs for electrical and embedded systems engineers on topics like IoT, power electronics, and renewable energy.
5. Event and Conference Services: Sponsorship, media visibility, and award program services for industry events like electronica Fast Forward.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Elektor publishes a print and digital international electronics magazine and operates a media and learning ecosystem for electronics engineers, makers, and students. The company sells annual magazine subscriptions, paid programming courses for Arduino, ESP32, and Raspberry Pi Pico bundled with hardware kits, technical books, professional webinars and conferences, components and kits through its e-commerce store, and PCB fabrication services. It also runs the Elektor Labs community platform, a YouTube channel with 125,000+ subscribers, and the electronica Fast Forward startup platform in partnership with Messe München.

Product overview

Elektor is a media and learning company offering a comprehensive electronics publishing ecosystem. The core offering includes Elektor Magazine (print and digital) with themed issues covering embedded systems, AI, power electronics, test and measurement, and robotics. Supporting products include Elektor Academy Pro for professional webinars and courses, Elektor Labs community platform with project sharing, Elektor TV YouTube channel with over 125,000 subscribers, Elektor Engineering Insights podcast, Elektor Lab Talk video series, and the Elektor E-Zine newsletter. The Elektor Store provides e-commerce for components, books, and kits. Elektor acquired eeNews Europe in 2024 to expand B2B electronics news coverage. The company also operates Elektor PCB Service for custom PCB manufacturing and organizes electronica Fast Forward startup platform. Membership tiers (Gold/Digital) provide access to archives, project files, and store discounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Elektor Labs: Community platform for sharing and interacting with electronics design projects
• Elektor Academy Pro
• Elektor TV
• Elektor Store
• Elektor Engineering Insights
• Elektor Lab Talk

Products and services

• Elektor Magazine (Print and Digital) International electronics magazine publishing hundreds of articles, projects, and technical content annually in print and digital formats, with themed issues on embedded systems, AI, power electronics, test and measurement, and robotics, targeted at engineers, designers, and makers.
• Elektor Membership (Gold/Print and Green/Digital Tiers) Annual membership subscriptions providing access to Elektor Magazine issues, the 5,000+ Gerber file archive, project files, and store discounts. Gold includes 8x print and 8x digital issues; Green provides digital-only access with a 4-month trial option at €20.
• Elektor Academy Pro Professional learning platform targeting electrical and embedded systems engineers with webinars, online courses, and conferences on topics including IoT, power electronics, renewable energy, and post-quantum cryptography.
• Elektor Programming Courses (Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico) Five beginner-friendly programming courses for Arduino, ESP32, and Raspberry Pi Pico using C/C++ and MicroPython, each sold at €69.95 and bundled with a printed guide, hardware kit, and online learning environment featuring simulations and downloadable project files.
• Elektor Engineering Insights (Podcast/Video Show) Podcast/video show featuring interviews with industry experts on electronics, embedded systems, AI, and engineering topics, with periodic live episodes, audience Q&A sessions, and hardware giveaways (e.g., Arduino Pro Portenta Vision Shield boards).
• Elektor Lab Talk (Video Series) Video series featuring lab demonstrations, electronics project builds, and discussions with engineers and makers.
• Elektor TV (YouTube Channel) YouTube channel with interviews, reviews, project demonstrations, and technical content, reaching over 125,000 subscribers as of May 2026.
• Elektor E-Zine (Weekly Newsletter) Weekly electronics newsletter delivered to subscribers featuring the latest articles, projects, industry news, and offers targeting engineers and makers.
• Elektor Labs (Community Platform) Community platform for electronics projects where engineers and makers can share, collaborate on, and publish projects, access over 5,000 Gerber files, and earn from published projects or products listed in the Elektor Store webshop.
• Elektor Store (E-commerce) E-commerce platform selling electronics components, books, kits, development boards, and accessories, with member discounts available to Gold/Green subscribers.
• Elektor PCB Service Custom PCB manufacturing and assembly service for electronics projects and prototypes, accessible via the dedicated elektorpcbservice.com portal.
• Elektor Books Technical book publishing covering electronics, embedded systems, microcontrollers, and engineering topics (e.g., 'Practical Microcontroller Cryptography', 'ESP32 by Example', 'LEDs, Lasers and Sunlight').
• eeNews Europe (Acquired Publication) B2B electronics industry news publication covering European electronics industry news, acquired by Elektor International Media BV in January 2024 and integrated as a wholly-owned subsidiary alongside Elektor's magazine properties.
• electronica Fast Forward 2026 (Startup Platform) Startup platform at electronica Munich connecting hardware and deep-tech startups with investors and industry leaders, featuring pitch competitions, exhibition space, and €25,000 in international media budget awards across four categories; selected startups pay €2,500 participation fee.
• Elektor Robotics and Automation Special Edition Special edition magazine publication offering hands-on guidance for building robotic systems using platforms such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi, with practical projects and industrial robotics concepts.
• Practical Microcontroller Cryptography Book Technical book covering encryption, hashing, and secure communications on resource-constrained microcontrollers, with working code examples for Arduino Uno and Raspberry Pi Pico, authored by Dogan Ibrahim and Ahmet Ibrahim.
• ESP32 by Example Course Comprehensive course teaching embedded systems and IoT development using the ESP32 microcontroller, including hardware kits, a detailed accompanying book, and online resources.
• Elektor Conference on Post-Quantum Cryptography Full-day online conference on post-quantum cryptography hosted by Elektor Academy Pro, focusing on practical implementations and standards for embedded and IoT systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 125,000+ YouTube subscribers
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Edge Impulse (Qualcomm company)coreTechnology or IntegrationElektor collaborated with Edge Impulse to create a specialized magazine edition focused on edge AI applications, featuring projects, tutorials, and expert insights on deploying machine learning on embedded devices. Edge Impulse sponsored free webinar attendance for Engineering Insights #58.
• Embedded AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerElektor partnered with Embedded Academy to offer eeNews readers a 30% discount on Embedded Academy's e-learning platform featuring 36 courses covering electronics, electrical engineering, e-mobility, embedded systems, and software development.
• Messe München GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElektor serves as the official international media partner for electronica Fast Forward 2026 startup platform at electronica Munich (November 10-13, 2026), providing €25,000 international media budget awards to winning startups across four categories.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hackster.io: Hackster.io is a community-driven platform for electronics projects, tutorials, and embedded development, directly overlapping Elektor Labs and Elektor Academy. Both serve engineers and makers with project-sharing, learning content, and industry partnerships.
• SparkFun Electronics: SparkFun sells components and kits while publishing tutorials, blog content, and learning resources for makers. Its combined commerce-plus-education model closely parallels Elektor's Elektor Store, Academy, and Magazine ecosystem.
• Adafruit: Adafruit combines open-source hardware retail, extensive learning content, and a large YouTube/community presence. Its blend of e-commerce (Elektor Store) plus editorial content (Elektor Magazine) and educational projects mirrors Elektor's vertical integration strategy.
• Make Magazine (Make Community): Make Magazine is the most direct peer in DIY electronics and maker publishing, operating a print/digital magazine, online project platform, and community similar to Elektor's stack. Both target the overlapping maker/engineer audience with multi-format content monetization.
• Circuit Cellar: Circuit Cellar is a long-running electronics engineering magazine and digital community covering embedded systems and design projects. It is a direct competitor in the professional electronics magazine category where Elektor Magazine also operates.
• Nuts & Volts: Nuts & Volts is a U.S. electronics hobbyist and professional magazine that publishes projects, tutorials, and columns. It targets the same engineer/maker audience as Elektor and is a comparable subscription-based electronics publication.

Emerging players

• Crowd Supply: Crowd Supply is a hardware startup launch and crowdfunding platform similar in concept to electronica Fast Forward. Both serve the hardware startup ecosystem with visibility, investor access, and product launch support.
• MagPi (Raspberry Pi official magazine): The MagPi is the official Raspberry Pi magazine, covering projects and tutorials for a platform Elektor also extensively supports. It represents both a content competitor and a potential partner for sponsored Raspberry Pi content within Elektor's ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Mouser Electronics: Mouser is a global electronics component distributor with extensive technical resources, project content, and learning material aimed at engineers. It competes with Elektor's content and e-commerce in serving the same engineering audience with adjacent offerings.
• EE Times (AspenCore): EE Times is a long-established broad electronics industry publication covering semiconductors, embedded, and B2B electronics news. It is comparable to Elektor's acquired eeNews Europe and competes for B2B electronics advertising and sponsored content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Elektor
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ElektorTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/ElektorDE
• Instagraminstagram.com/elektor_international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elektor