SHL Gruppe

What SHL Gruppe does

SHL Gruppe, operating through its principal entity SHL Versicherungsmakler GmbH, is an independent insurance brokerage (Versicherungsmakler) headquartered in Munich, Germany. Founded in 1997 by Günther Schwob, Florian Haas, and Frank Liepner, the firm employs approximately 50 staff at its Elsenheimerstraße office (~750 sqm) and serves both commercial and private clients across Germany. The commercial book spans more than 1,000 business clients, ranging from SMEs and startups to franchise systems and enterprise property managers, while private customers receive personal-lines coverage supported by a digital customer file.

The offering centers on Firmenversicherungen (commercial insurance) covering liability, property, fleet, cyber, employee benefits, and D&O, alongside Privatversicherungen for personal lines. Two specialized sub-brands — kautionsbanking.de for guarantee/bond products, factoring, and credit insurance, and sichererbauen.de for construction-related coverage — extend the addressable market into liquidity and Bauherren segments. SHL differentiates on tailored product engineering rather than off-the-shelf placement, producing bespoke solutions such as a kilometer-based fleet insurance product for an independent carsharing operator, the Hausbau-Schutzbrief (house-construction protection package) for the Town & Country Haus franchise system in place since 2004, a multi-store franchise policy introduced in 2012, and custom digital tools including a claims management portal for the AWV housing manager (~10,000 residential units), a fleet registration portal for the carsharing client, and an AI-supported customer app (Kundenapp) with electronic customer file and contract-update service. Quality management has been DIN EN ISO 9001 certified since 2011.

Commercial revenue is primarily commission (Courtage) embedded in insurance premiums, with fee-based (Honorarbasis) consulting available for certain non-consumer commercial clients and transaction-fee income from guarantee and bailment products. Distribution is sales-led, organized into specialty teams (commercial, private, fleet/KfZ, bonds), with telephone advisory, online appointment booking, and a B2B2C franchise-channel program routed through franchise headquarters. Reported scale — over €20M in annual premium volume across commercial clients and over €400M in annual guarantee/bailment volume — indicates meaningful book size for a 50-person firm, with active customer engagement ranging from startup founding through multi-decade relationships.

Name

SHL Gruppe

Legal name

SHL Versicherungsmakler GmbH

Website

https://shlgruppe.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SHL Gruppe is a Munich-based independent insurance brokerage (Versicherungsmakler) serving German commercial and private clients, specializing in bespoke commercial coverage, guarantee/bond products, and franchise-wide insurance programs for SMEs, startups, and franchise systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Mid-Market Commercial Package (Package Policies) (FSAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Management Liability (D&O/EPL/Fiduciary) (FSAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Commercial insurance brokerage
• Private insurance advisory
• Surety bond services
• Guarantee insurance solutions
• Claims management services

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commission (Courtage): The primary revenue stream is commission (courtage) paid by insurance companies, included within the insurance premium. This is customary in German insurance brokerage and represents the vast majority of revenue.
2. Fee-based Consulting (Honorarbasis): For commercial clients who are not consumers, SHL also offers consulting on a fee (honorary) basis. For net products where the commission is not embedded in the premium, separate fee arrangements are agreed upon.
3. Bond/Guarantee Management Fees: Through kautionsbanking.de, SHL facilitates and manages guarantee/bailment products (Bürgschaften) for commercial clients, likely earning fees or commissions on the guarantees issued.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SHL Gruppe is an independent insurance brokerage (Versicherungsmakler) that brokers commercial and private insurance products on behalf of clients, earning commission embedded in insurance premiums. The core offering consists of Firmenversicherungen (commercial insurance covering liability, property, cyber, fleet, employee benefits) and Privatversicherungen (private insurance covering auto, household, health, legal protection), supplemented by specialized guarantee and surety products through its kautionsbanking.de sub-brand and construction insurance through sichererbauen.de.

Product overview

SHL Gruppe is an insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler) based in Munich offering a comprehensive portfolio of commercial and private insurance products alongside specialized services. The core offering consists of Firmenversicherungen (commercial insurance) covering business operations, liability, employee benefits, and property, and Privatversicherungen (private insurance) for individuals. The company operates specialized sub-brands including Kautionsbanking.de for surety bonds, guarantees, and factoring services, and sichererbauen.de for construction insurance. Key services include Schadenmanagement (claims management) with custom digital portals, fleet insurance with kilometer-based pricing, and customized insurance packages for franchises and startups. The company is not a software platform but rather a service-based insurance brokerage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Firmenversicherungen (Commercial Insurance) Comprehensive commercial insurance brokerage covering business operations, employee benefits, liability, liquidity management, transport, and property coverage for businesses, SMEs, startups, and franchise systems. Includes tailored products such as Betriebshaftpflicht, D&O, Cyber, Betriebsunterbrechung, Flottenversicherung, and bKV.
• Privatversicherungen (Private Insurance) Personal insurance brokerage including auto, household contents, health, legal protection, accident, travel, and retirement planning coverage for private individuals, supported by an AI-supported update service, a customer app, and an electronic customer file (Kundenorder) consolidating all contracts and documents.
• Kautionsbanking.de (Guarantee & Bond Platform) Specialized platform offering surety bonds (Bürgschaften), rental deposit guarantees (Mietkautionsbürgschaften), leasing guarantees, advance payment guarantees (Anzahlungsbürgschaften), factoring, and credit insurance (Kreditversicherungen) to secure liquidity and cash flow for commercial clients. Annual guarantee volume exceeds 400 Mio. EUR.
• sichererbauen.de (Construction Insurance)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 Mio. EUR in premium volume managed annually across 1,000+ commercial clients
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fernride GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020SHL serves as the primary insurance and risk management partner for Fernride, a German startup developing remote-control technology for autonomous logistics trucks. SHL developed bespoke insurance products covering liability, cyber, and operational risks when Fernride could not find off-the-shelf coverage. The partnership has evolved as Fernride grew (including a pilot with DB Schenker and later Volkswagen), with SHL continuously adapting coverage as the technology and business model evolved.
• Küchenheld GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHL developed an advance payment guarantee framework for Küchenheld, a rapidly growing kitchen retailer (reached Top 30 in Germany within 4 years), enabling the company to offer advance payment guarantees as a unique customer service differentiator. SHL acts as the exclusive guarantee broker for this product.
• Town & Country Haus Lizenzgeber GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2004, SHL has been the strategic insurance partner for Town & Country Haus, Germany's leading franchise provider of mass-market homes (hundreds of franchise and building partners). SHL developed the 'Hausbau-Schutzbrief' (House Construction Protection Brief) — a comprehensive guarantee and insurance package covering financing verification, completion guarantees, defect warranties, and site insurance. This protection package is a core element of Town & Country's marketing and sales process.
• DB SchenkerminorOthersDB Schenker ran a pilot project with Fernride (SHL's client) demonstrating remote-control truck technology. SHL's insurance partnership with Fernride was relevant to enabling this pilot.
• Schutzgemeinschaft für Baufinanzierende e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHL partners with the Schutzgemeinschaft für Baufinanzierende e.V. for Town & Country Haus clients, leveraging their financial verification services as part of the comprehensive Hausbau-Schutzbrief.
• Large German fitness chain (franchise system)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHL has developed a franchise-wide insurance and guarantee program for a major German fitness chain franchise system since 2012, covering rental guarantees, multi-store policies, and operational risks for individual studio operators, enabling easier franchisee onboarding and system-wide risk management.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Funk Gruppe: Funk Gruppe is one of Germany's largest independent insurance brokers and risk consultants, headquartered in Hamburg. Like SHL, it serves mid-market and enterprise commercial clients with bespoke insurance programs, surety/bond solutions, and consulting-driven delivery, making it a directly comparable peer in the German independent broker landscape.
• MRH Trowe: MRH Trowe is a leading German insurance broker focused on commercial and industrial clients, with specializations in surety, credit insurance, and franchise/retail chain programs. Its product breadth, mid-market positioning, and emphasis on bespoke solutions closely mirror SHL's commercial insurance and kautionsbanking franchise.
• Ecclesia Gruppe: Ecclesia Gruppe is a major German insurance broker specializing in institutional, healthcare, and complex commercial clients. Its model of tailored insurance concepts and long-term client relationships, combined with focus on specialist niches, makes it directly comparable to SHL's consultative, solutions-developer approach for non-standard risks.
• Helmsauer Gruppe: Helmsauer Gruppe is a mid-sized German insurance broker and benefits consultant serving commercial clients with multi-line coverage. Its headcount scale, regional German footprint, and mix of commercial insurance and bKV/Altersvorsorge advisory closely parallel SHL's positioning.
• GGW Grützner: GGW Grützner is a Munich-rooted independent insurance broker with focus on commercial and franchise clients. Geographic overlap with SHL in Bavaria and a similar mid-market commercial orientation make it a direct peer, with comparable franchise and SME servicing capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Aon (Germany): Aon is a global insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm with substantial German operations serving large commercial and enterprise clients. While not niche-comparable, Aon competes for the same German commercial insurance wallet and represents the broader incumbent landscape SHL competes against for mid-to-large accounts.
• Marsh (Germany): Marsh is a global insurance broker and risk advisor with significant German presence, serving large commercial and enterprise clients across all major lines. As a broad incumbent in the same commercial insurance brokerage space, Marsh competes for the upper end of SHL's enterprise and franchise system clients.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW) Germany: WTW is a global advisory and brokerage firm with German operations covering commercial insurance placement, risk management, and consulting. Its German commercial brokerage practice competes with SHL for enterprise and specialty-line mandates, representing the broader incumbent competitive set.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/shlversicherungsmakler

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 SHL Gruppe