Corporate Learning Community

What Corporate Learning Community does

Corporate Learning Community (CLC) is a non-commercial, vendor-neutral network for Learning & Development professionals operating across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Founded informally around 2011 and registered as a gemeinnützige UG (non-profit limited liability company) in Frankfurt on 20 February 2019, CLC is led by Managing Directors Giovanna Lo Presti and Harald Schirmer and organizes an annual flagship Corporate Learning Camp (unconference format, now in its 26th iteration), recurring virtual Lunch&Learn sessions, peer-coaching workshops, regional in-person meetups in cities including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and Vienna, and structured learning journeys such as the CLCPKM (Personal Knowledge Management) program launched in July 2026.

The community's core technology stack is lightweight and content-led rather than product-led: a WordPress-based blog and event hub, a Mastodon/Fediverse instance at colearn.social, a self-hosted Nextcloud for member collaboration, and a GPT-based CLC KI-Coach accessible via ChatGPT. Distribution relies on a LinkedIn community group of over 12,000 members, a YouTube channel, a weekly podcast that reached 200 episodes by mid-2026, and a monthly newsletter. There are no proprietary LMS, SaaS, or paid product offerings.

CLC's business model is non-commercial by charter: all events, programs, and member resources are offered free of charge, and operating costs are underwritten by 19 corporate sponsors (e.g., Haufe Akademie, WBS Gruppe, Cogneon, Area9 Lyceum) and ancillary revenue from collaborative book projects such as the 2025 title 'Gemeinsam Lernen, Gemeinsam Wachsen' (40+ co-authors). The primary customer segment is individual corporate learning practitioners — L&D managers, HR professionals, trainers, and educators — seeking peer exchange beyond traditional LMS-centric training approaches. The organization has explicitly stated no external funding rounds, no parent company, and no equity ownership; strategic posture is sustained community operations rather than scale venture growth.

Name

Corporate Learning Community

Legal name

Corporate Learning Community gUG (haftungsbeschränkt)

Website

https://colearn.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Corporate Learning Community is a DACH non-profit network offering free BarCamps, Lunch&Learn sessions, regional meetups, and peer coaching to over 12,000 Learning & Development professionals, funded by corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Learning Community Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning, Training & Corporate Education Consulting (BPAHAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC), Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA), Collaboration & Teamwork (EDABAMAC)

Keywords

• Corporate learning community
• Learning and development
• Peer coaching workshops
• BarCamp learning events
• Professional learning network

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sponsor funding: Corporate Learning Community operates as a non-profit network funded by sponsors. The organization lists multiple corporate sponsors (Area9 Lyceum, Bots & People, CLC Learning, Cogneon, Constellation Academy, Fischer Knoblauch & Co, Haufe Akademie, LND-PRO, Lacobe, Mobile Learning Labs, Oneclick Learning, Softdecc, IM-C, TicTac, Time4you, Tricat, TT-S, WBS Gruppe, You Know) who support the community financially. All community events and programs are offered free of charge to participants.
2. Book publications: The community produces collaborative books with multiple authors (e.g., 'Gemeinsam Lernen, Gemeinsam Wachsen' published in 2025 with 40+ authors). Revenue from book sales contributes to community funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Corporate Learning Community is a non-commercial, sponsor-funded network that delivers free community-based programming for Learning & Development practitioners, including annual BarCamp-style Corporate Learning Camps, virtual Lunch&Learn sessions, collegial peer-coaching workshops, regional meetups across the DACH region, a weekly podcast, a monthly newsletter, and collaborative book projects. All programs are offered free of charge to individual L&D practitioners, with operations funded through corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Corporate Learning Community is a non-commercial network for Learning & Development professionals that operates a community-driven platform with diverse formats including flagship Corporate Learning Camps (unconference/barcamp events), regular CLC Lunch&Learn virtual sessions, a community podcast, regional meetups across German-speaking regions, peer coaching programs, and learning journeys. The CLC also offers an AI-powered KI-Coach via ChatGPT, publishes collaborative books, and maintains communication channels including a newsletter, LinkedIn community (12,000+ members), Mastodon/Fediverse presence, and YouTube channel. The organization functions as a gemeinnützige UG (non-profit company) with a core team managing community operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Corporate Learning Camp (CLC BarCamp): Annual unconference/barcamp event series for corporate learning professionals, held in hybrid format.
• CLC Lunch&Learn
• Professionalität² – Kollegiales Peer-Coaching
• CLC Inspire & Network
• CLC Welcome & Lunch
• CLCPKM Lernreise
• CLC Regio-Communities
• CLC KI-Coach

Products and services

• Corporate Learning Camp (CLCamp) Flagship annual unconference/BarCamp event bringing together Learning & Development professionals for collaborative learning, knowledge sharing, and networking in a hybrid format; the 26th edition was held in Hamburg in March 2026 with regional iterations including CLCamp26 Herbst in Wien.
• CLC Lunch&Learn Series Recurring virtual lunch sessions featuring expert inputs on Corporate Learning topics including AI in learning, writing with AI, Future Skills, exnovation, and professional skills development, delivered via Microsoft Teams.
• CLC Newsletter Monthly email newsletter providing event reminders, Corporate Learning Lunch & Meet announcements, spontaneous Corporate Learning Chats, and community news; distributed via Germany-hosted Rapidmail with DSGVO-compliant processing and an 8-email onboarding series for new subscribers.
• Corporate Learning Podcast (CLP) Weekly podcast series covering corporate learning events, community insights, and practitioner interviews; the series reached episode CLP200 in mid-2026 with episode CLP199 covering Corporate Learning Camp 2026.
• Professionalität² - Kollegiales Peer-Coaching
• CLCPKM Lernreise (Personal Knowledge Management Learning Journey) Community learning journey focused on Personal Knowledge Management, with weekly check-ins, signal groups, and collaborative learning experiences; evolved into a 'Forschungsreise' (research journey) format for co-creating community knowledge.
• CLC Regional Meetups Local community meetups across the DACH region including CLC089 (Munich), CLC0711 (Stuttgart), CLC10 (Berlin), CLC90 (Nuremberg), CLC RN (Rhein-Neckar), CLC030 (Southern Lower Saxony), and CLCA (Wien), providing in-person networking and learning events.
• CLC Welcome & Lunch
• CLC Inspire & Network
• CLC KI-Coach (AI Coach for Corporate Learning)
• CLC Buchprojekt (Book Project) Collaborative book projects produced by CLC members, with the 2025 publication 'Gemeinsam Lernen, Gemeinsam Wachsen' documenting 15 years of community history and a 2026 PKM-focused book in progress.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NORDMETALLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2026NORDMETALL (employer association) co-organized Corporate Learning Camp 2026 (#CLCamp26) in Hamburg as a key partner. The event brought together corporate learning professionals in a hybrid unconference format.
• Berufliche Hochschule HamburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2026Berufliche Hochschule Hamburg (vocational/university of applied sciences) partnered as co-host for Corporate Learning Camp 2026 (#CLCamp26), providing the venue and academic partnership for the annual unconference.
• VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2024VDMA has partnered with CLC for multiple joint BarCamps (#VDMACLCBC, #FKBC), including events on 'Künstliche Intelligenz in der Arbeitswelt' (Artificial Intelligence in the Working World) and Fachkräfte topics.
• CLC Sponsors (19 organizations)minorOthersMultiple organizations provide financial sponsorship: Area9 Lyceum, Bots & People, CLC Learning, Cogneon, Constellation Academy, Fischer Knoblauch & Co, Haufe Akademie, LND-PRO, Lacobe, Mobile Learning Labs, Oneclick Learning, Softdecc, IM-C, TicTac, Time4you, Tricat, TT-S, WBS Gruppe, You Know. Sponsors receive visibility on the CLC website and at events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Bitkom: Bitkom is Germany's digital industry association, running working groups and events on digital learning and future skills. It overlaps with CLC's audience on digital transformation topics in L&D and is a regional peer in the German market.

Direct peers

• Association for Talent Development (ATD): ATD is the largest global professional membership association for talent development / L&D practitioners. It is directly comparable to CLC as a peer membership body serving corporate learning professionals with conferences, certifications, research, and communities.
• Learning and Performance Institute (LPI): LPI is a global professional body for learning and development practitioners, offering accreditation, certification, and a community network. It is comparable to CLC as an established L&D professional association focused on capability standards and peer exchange.
• The Learning Guild: The Learning Guild is a membership community for L&D professionals offering conferences, online events, and peer learning. It is directly comparable to CLC's BarCamps, Lunch&Learn sessions, and member-driven programming model.
• DGFP (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung): DGFP is Germany's leading professional association for HR management and personnel development. It is the closest direct regional peer to CLC, serving the same DACH L&D practitioner audience with conferences, working groups, and publications.

Broad incumbents

• Skillsoft: Skillsoft is a global incumbent enterprise learning content and platform provider. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in the corporate learning space that L&D practitioners routinely evaluate and discuss within communities like CLC.
• Haufe Akademie: Haufe Akademie is a major German commercial corporate training provider and a current CLC sponsor. It is comparable as an incumbent German L&D training and conference provider, though operating commercially rather than as a non-profit community.
• CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development): CIPD is the UK-based chartered professional body for HR and people development, with a much broader HR remit than CLC. It is comparable as a major incumbent professional association serving L&D practitioners with training, communities, and standards.

Emerging players

• 70:20:10 Institute: The 70:20:10 Institute is a niche community and methodology hub promoting work-based, informal, and social learning. It is comparable to CLC as an emerging community promoting peer-based and experiential learning models for L&D professionals.

Others

• Training Industry: Training Industry is a media, research, and community platform serving corporate learning buyers and vendors. It is comparable as an ecosystem participant that curates content, research, and networking for L&D professionals in a way that overlaps with CLC's information-providing role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/colearn_de
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CorporateLearningCommunity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corporate-learning-community
• Facebookfacebook.com/colearnapp

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Corporate Learning Community