Smart Zebra

What Smart Zebra does

Smart Zebra (legal name: smartZebra) is a Germany-based cloud SaaS provider founded in 2017 that operates a unified database platform for business valuation and transfer pricing. The platform aggregates financial market data from premium global providers across 100+ countries and 100k+ securities, then applies automated analytics to deliver valuation parameters (risk-free rates, market risk premiums, beta factors, country risk premiums, size premia), trading multiples (EV/EBITDA, EV/EBIT, EV/Sales), global yield curves modeled via the Svensson and Nelson-Siegel approaches, and OECD-compliant profit-level indicators for intercompany benchmarking. The product is structured as a core platform with five integrated modules covering Cost of Capital (WACC), Beta Factors, Multiples, Credit Spreads/Interest Rates, and Transfer Pricing, with Excel export to support integration into existing valuation workflows.

The customer base spans Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFMs), Chief Financial Officers, Certified Public Accountants and tax advisors (including mid-market German firms such as Sonntag, Stoer, Winterhalter, Trewitax, and DEL, plus international names such as Moore and Hansa Partner), financial and tax authorities, and large corporates (E.ON, Deutsche Bahn, CommerzReal). Go-to-market is hybrid: a self-service 5-day free trial with no credit card required serves as a low-friction acquisition mechanism, while a consultative enterprise motion is run via 60-minute individual demos and direct outreach in the German market. Distribution is direct via the website, with secondary demand generation through a technical blog, webinars, and downloadable research reports (e.g., the 2026 Beta Factors guide).

The business model is subscription-based recurring SaaS revenue, augmented by a freemium trial; pricing tiers are not publicly disclosed. The company remains private, is headquartered in Cottbus, Germany, and operates with a very small team (1-10 employees) led by founders Torsten Frank and managing director Peter Schmitz. Capital structure appears bootstrap with only a non-dilutive EY Startup Academy participation (September 2020) disclosed; there is no evidence of subsequent venture funding, parent ownership, or M&A activity.

Name

Smart Zebra

Legal name

smartZebra

Website

https://smart-zebra.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Smart Zebra operates a cloud SaaS platform that automates business valuation and transfer pricing analytics — WACC, beta factors, trading multiples, yield curves, and OECD benchmarking — for auditors, CFOs, AIFMs, and tax authorities across 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cottbus

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription: Cloud-based subscription access to the smartZebra platform providing database access for business valuation and transfer pricing. Users access automated WACC calculations, peer group analysis, trading multiples, yield curves, and benchmarking tools. The platform offers a 5-day free trial with full platform access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

smartZebra is a cloud-based SaaS platform that provides a unified database for business valuation and transfer pricing. It automates WACC calculations, peer group analysis with levered/unlevered betas, trading multiples benchmarking, daily-updated global yield curves, and OECD-compliant transfer pricing documentation. The offering targets valuation professionals including CFOs, CPAs, AIFM asset managers, and financial/tax authorities across 100+ countries.

Product overview

smartZebra is a cloud-based SaaS platform offering a unified database for business valuation and transfer pricing. The platform is organized as a core platform with five integrated solution modules: the Cost of Capital (WACC) Module for automated weighted average cost of capital calculations, the Beta Factors Module for dynamic peer group analysis with levered/unlevered betas and regression, the Multiples Module for EBITDA/EBIT/Revenue trading multiples with global coverage, the Credit Spreads/Interest Rates Module for daily-updated global yield curves using Svensson and Nelson-Siegel methods, and the Transfer Pricing Module for OECD-compliant benchmarking and documentation. The platform targets valuation professionals including AIFM managers, CFOs, CPAs, and financial/tax authorities, covering 100+ countries and 100k+ securities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• smartZebra Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% reduction in valuation time through automation

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg Terminal: Industry-standard financial data terminal providing WACC parameters, beta, multiples, and yield curves via functions like WACC and FA. Overlaps with smartZebra but as part of a much broader news, data, and trading ecosystem.
• FactSet: Enterprise financial data and analytics platform providing portfolio analytics, multiples, and valuation data for buy-side and corporate users. Overlaps with smartZebra's multiples and WACC offerings as part of a much broader portfolio analytics suite.
• LSEG (Refinitiv) Workspace: Workspace (formerly Refinitiv Eikon) delivers company financials, multiples, beta analytics, and valuation data to enterprise finance and treasury teams. Comparable to smartZebra's WACC and Multiples modules within a far larger data and workflow platform.

Direct peers

• PitchBook: Financial data platform covering public and private company valuations, comparables, multiples, and transaction data. Comparable to smartZebra in its valuation and multiples use cases, with stronger private-market coverage.
• Moody's Analytics (Bureau van Dijk): Provides company financials databases (Orbis, Moody's DataHub) and valuation/risk analytics used by auditors, CFOs, and tax authorities. Directly comparable to smartZebra's multiples, peer group, and transfer pricing benchmarking use cases.
• S&P Capital IQ Pro: S&P Global's flagship financial data platform offering company financials, multiples, beta factors, WACC components, and valuation analytics for enterprises. Closely comparable to smartZebra's WACC, Beta Factors, and Multiples modules, but at a much larger scale and broader dataset.
• AlphaSense: Market intelligence and financial research platform combining proprietary content, broker research, and AI search for corporate strategy, consulting, and finance teams. Comparable to smartZebra in serving valuation and corporate finance workflows with AI-driven data access.
• Wolters Kluwer OneSource Transfer Pricing: Enterprise transfer pricing software for documentation, benchmarking, and country-by-country reporting under OECD guidelines. Directly comparable to smartZebra's Transfer Pricing Module, with deeper workflow tooling for multinational tax departments.
• Calcbench: Financial data platform for accountants, auditors, and valuation professionals providing structured access to XBRL-tagged company financials. Directly comparable to smartZebra's CPA and audit-focused customer segment and financial benchmarking workflow.

Emerging players

• EquityNet: Long-standing online platform for private business valuations, deal sourcing, and equity crowdfunding tools. Comparable to smartZebra as a SaaS-based valuation resource targeting SMBs and advisors, though with a focus on private-company rather than corporate-finance valuation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Smart Zebra