Social Entrepreneurship Akademie

What Social Entrepreneurship Akademie does

Social Entrepreneurship Akademie (SEA) is a Munich-based, non-profit network organization founded in 2010 as a joint initiative of Munich's four universities and legally represented by the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE) gGmbH. SEA's mission is to educate, support, and connect individuals and organizations that pursue entrepreneurial action with social or ecological impact. It operates a comprehensive education portfolio across the credentialing spectrum: free MOOCs on edX (15,000 global learners), intensive workshops (SEA:start), semester-long certificate programs (SEA:certificate), a part-time master's degree at Munich University of Applied Sciences (SEA:master), a student consultancy matching service (SEA:lab), an international summer school (SEA:gess), and a train-the-trainer program (SEA:teach-the-teacher). Supporting services include the state-funded Social-Startup-Hub Bayern (free startup consulting across Bavaria) and the Impact For Future cross-university project funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Science to embed impact and sustainability in university curricula.

SEA's technology stack is modest and conventional: the primary platform is the edX MOOC delivery system, supplemented by a WordPress-style website CMS, MailChimp for newsletter distribution, and standard integrations (Google Analytics, Google Maps, YouTube, Vimeo, AddThis, reCAPTCHA, Google Ads). The only bespoke technology component is 'SEAri', a text-based conversational chatbot that guides learners through the MOOC experience. The educational IP layer also includes physical training cards (SEA:training Kartenset) sold via the website for €34.90.

SEA's business model is predominantly grant- and partnership-funded rather than commercial. The Bavarian Ministry of Science is the primary government funder (Social-Startup-Hub Bayern since 2022; Impact For Future across five Bavarian universities), supplemented by foundations (Siemens Stiftung, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Hans Sauer Stiftung, Deloitte Stiftung, Vodafone Institute) and corporate partners (SAP, HypoVereinsbank). Direct revenue comes from a small number of tuition-bearing programs (SEA:master, SEA:certificate, SEA:lab) and modest product sales (training cards). Customer segments are hybrid and mission-aligned: university students and faculty, aspiring and early-stage social entrepreneurs, established organizations pursuing CSR/impact integration, and global lifelong learners accessing MOOCs. SEA has reached 500+ social entrepreneur accompaniments, 45,000 program participants, and 73,000 social media followers, supported by a team of 11–50 employees and a network spanning 20+ European universities.

Name

Social Entrepreneurship Akademie

Legal name

Social Entrepreneurship Akademie, vertreten durch das Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship gGmbH

Website

https://seakademie.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Social Entrepreneurship Akademie (SEA) is a Munich-based non-profit network organization of Munich's universities that delivers social entrepreneurship education — MOOCs, workshops, certificates, a master's program, and free startup consulting — funded primarily by the Bavarian Ministry of Science and partner foundations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Entrepreneurship & Impact Business (EDAMAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Access & EdTech for Equity (Low-cost Learning, Skills Platforms) (BPAGALAH), Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), Online Nonprofit Universities (EDAHALAK)

Keywords

• Social entrepreneurship education
• University entrepreneurship programs
• Startup consulting services
• Online learning MOOCs
• Social impact training

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Programs and Consulting Services: SEA generates revenue through various educational programs including semester-long certificate courses (SEA:certificate), master's programs (SEA:master), consultancy programs (SEA:lab), and workshop programs (SEA:start). Revenue is also derived from free consulting services (Social-Startup-Hub Bayern) funded by public grants from the Free State of Bavaria. Some programs are free while others carry fees.
2. Training Cards Sales: SEA sells its SEA:training cards physical product for €34.90 (excluding VAT and shipping) within the EU. This is a one-time product sale.
3. MOOC and Online Education (Free/Freemium): Massive Open Online Courses are offered free of charge to learners globally via the edX platform. This drives user acquisition and brand reach for the organization.
4. Public Funding and Grants: Impact For Future project is funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Science (Bayerisches Wissenschaftsministerium). SEA also receives support from foundations and partners (Siemens Stiftung, etc.) for specific programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Social Entrepreneurship Akademie is a non-profit educational network organization offering a portfolio of programs and services for social entrepreneurship development. It delivers semester certificates, a master's program, workshops, free MOOCs on edX, train-the-trainer courses, student-run consulting projects for social enterprises, free startup consulting via Social-Startup-Hub Bayern, and cross-university curriculum integration (Impact For Future) funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Science.

Product overview

Social Entrepreneurship Akademie operates as a multi-product education platform offering a comprehensive portfolio of programs and services for social entrepreneurship development. The offering includes: SEA:mooc (free online courses on edX) as the scalable digital learning layer; SEA:certificate (semester program) and SEA:master (master's degree) as credential-bearing academic programs; SEA:start, SEA:gess, and SEA:lab as experiential learning formats; SEA:teach-the-teacher as a train-the-trainer offering; and SEA:training cards as supplementary educational materials. Supporting infrastructure includes Social-Startup-Hub Bayern for startup support, Impact For Future for university curriculum integration, and the SEA:university network for European scaling. The portfolio spans free services (MOOCs, consulting) to fee-based programs (master's, training cards), serving audiences from students to educators across Germany and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Social-Startup-Hub Bayern: Central contact point for social startups in Bavaria offering free consulting services
• SEA:gess
• SEA:certificate
• SEA:master
• SEA:start
• SEA:teach-the-teacher
• SEA:lab
• SEA:mooc
• SEA:training cards
• Impact For Future

Products and services

• SEA:certificate
• SEA:master (Systems Entrepreneurship & Transformation)
• SEA:start
• SEA:teach-the-teacher
• SEA:lab
• SEA:gess (Global Entrepreneurship Summer School)
• SEA:mooc - Enabling Entrepreneurs to Shape A Better World English-language MOOC on edX offering flexible, free virtual education in social entrepreneurship to global audiences.
• SEA:mooc - Future Skills German-language MOOC focusing on purpose, new work, storytelling, and system innovation modules.
• SEA:mooc - Social Entrepreneurship – Von der Idee zur Umsetzung German-language MOOC developed in collaboration with SEND (Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland), covering building a social enterprise from idea to implementation.
• Social-Startup-Hub Bayern
• SEA:training cards
• Impact For Future
• SEA:university network

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ social entrepreneurs accompanied
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

35 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEA is represented by and hosted within the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE) gGmbH. SCE is the parent organization providing institutional support, leadership (Prof. Dr. Klaus Sailer is CEO of SCE), and office infrastructure. SCE manages the legal representation of SEA.
• Hochschule München (Munich University of Applied Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHM is a core partner within the Impact For Future consortium and the primary university partner. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Gehra from HM co-developed SEA:lab. Klaus Sailer is a professor at HM.
• Technical University of Munich (TUM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTUM is a core partner in the Impact For Future consortium and co-developed SEA:lab. Prof. Oliver Alexy from TUM is involved in SEA:lab. Prof. Dr. Ann-Kristin Achleitner from TUM is a co-founder of SEA.
• Hochschule Landshut (University of Applied Sciences Landshut)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Impact For Future consortium. Prof. Dr. Martin Prasch from Landshut UAS is part of the IFF team.
• Universität der Bundeswehr München (Bundeswehr University Munich)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Impact For Future consortium. Prof. Dr. Bernhard Katzy (deceased) was a professor at this university and co-founder of SEA.
• Munich Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated partner in the Impact For Future consortium.
• SAPmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAP collaborated with SEA on scaling the Global Entrepreneurship Summer School (GESS). A reference project partner.
• Siemens Stiftung (Siemens Stiftung)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSiemens Stiftung posted job openings for SEA-related positions (Community Learning & Development, Social Innovation Hub). Active supporter of social entrepreneurship programs.
• Bertelsmann StiftungmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with SEA on developing a scaling workshop for social enterprises. Reference project partner.
• HypoVereinsbank (HVB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on transforming a non-profit organization into a Social Franchise. Reference project partner.
• AshokamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal social entrepreneurship organization. SEA participates in Ashoka U Exchange conferences and collaborates on promoting social entrepreneurship. Ashoka is listed as a network partner.
• Impact Hub BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the social entrepreneurship ecosystem. Collaborated on F-LANE accelerator (Europe's first accelerator for social ventures empowering women through technology).
• Impact Hub MunichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal impact hub partner in Munich. Listed as a network partner.
• Vodafone Institute for Society and CommunicationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiated the F-LANE accelerator for women in tech. Collaborated with SEA and Impact Hub Berlin on sourcing innovative technology ventures.
• Hans Sauer StiftungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation supporting social innovation and entrepreneurship. Listed as a partner.
• Deloitte StiftungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a network partner of SEA.
• Global Entrepreneurship Summer School (GESS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEA hosts the Global Entrepreneurship Summer School (GESS), an international boot camp. SAP collaboration mentioned for scaling GESS. GESS is a flagship SEA program held in locations including Shanghai and Munich.
• Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland (SEND)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEA is a member of SEND, the German national social entrepreneurship network. Co-developed a MOOC 'Social Entrepreneurship – Von der Idee zur Umsetzung' with SEND.
• Enactus MunichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent organization partner. SEA blog features Enactus Munich projects such as the Waterfilter project in Tanzania.
• Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunich-based interdisciplinary center bridging TUM and LMU. Listed as a network partner.
• Global Social Entrepreneurship NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network connecting social entrepreneurship organizations. SEA is a member.
• Wertebündnis BayernminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerValues alliance of Bavarian organizations. SEA is a member.
• Land der IdeenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarding body that recognized SEA as a winner of the 'Germany – Land of Ideas' competition.
• Start2 GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as a partner. SEA has an office location at Start2 Group, Balanstraße 73, Munich.
• Talents4GoodminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecruitment platform for social sector jobs. SEA posts its own openings and partner job opportunities on Talents4Good.
• Social Impact AwardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwards program for social startups. Listed as a network partner.
• Stiftung Entrepreneurship (Stiftung Entrepreneurship)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a network partner.
• Campus FoundersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunich startup center. Listed as a university network partner and European university network member.
• StifterverbandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman foundation supporting science, education, and culture. Listed as a partner.
• Grüne Startups (Green Startups)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork for green/sustainable startups in Germany. Listed as a partner.
• Make SenseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial entrepreneurship support organization. Listed as a network partner.
• SEIF (Social ImpactInitiative)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Impact Initiative. Listed as a network partner.
• OuishareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network for the collaborative economy. Listed as a network partner.
• Borderstep InstitutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitute for Sustainability and Digitalization. Listed as a network partner.
• EU University Network for Social Entrepreneurship Education (20+ European Universities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEA coordinates a network of 20+ European universities including: Hochschule Kempten, Universität Paderborn, Universität Lübeck, Universität Tübingen, Universität Koblenz-Landau, University of Bratislava, West Timisoara University, TH OWL, Evangelische Hochschule Berlin, Hochschule Landshut, KHSB Berlin, Universität Bamberg, Universität Wuppertal, akkon Hochschule Berlin, Universität Hohenheim, HWR Berlin, HTW Berlin, and others. These universities deliver the SEA:start workshop through trained coaches.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused hubs offering social entrepreneurship programming, co-working, and incubation. Impact Hub Munich and Berlin are direct local partners of SEA, serving overlapping communities of social entrepreneurs with comparable educational and consulting services.
• SEND - Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland: Germany's national social entrepreneurship network. SEA is a SEND member and co-developed a MOOC with SEND ('Social Entrepreneurship – Von der Idee zur Umsetzung'), making SEND a direct peer in German-language ecosystem coordination and capacity building.
• Enactus: Global student-led social entrepreneurship and business education organization active in universities. Enactus Munich is a direct local partner of SEA, and the two compete and collaborate for the same student social entrepreneur audience across European universities.
• Social Impact Award: European program supporting student social entrepreneurs via awards, training, and incubation. Listed as a SEA network partner, Social Impact Award operates an adjacent model (awards + training) for the same student social entrepreneur segment.
• Campus Founders: Munich-based startup center and European university network member. Listed as a SEA network partner with overlapping European university coverage and a shared focus on equipping students to launch ventures with impact.

Broad incumbents

• Ashoka: The world's largest social entrepreneurship network and a global incumbent in the same space. SEA is a listed Ashoka partner and participates in Ashoka U Exchange conferences, making Ashoka both a peer and a collaborator at the global scale.
• Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship: Global foundation that identifies, networks, and supports leading social entrepreneurs. Operates as a broader, higher-profile incumbent in the same social entrepreneurship ecosystem where SEA operates.

Others

• Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE): Parent organization of SEA and a university-affiliated entrepreneurship center. SCE provides legal representation, infrastructure, and leadership to SEA, and is more of a strategic enabler than a direct competitor despite overlapping scope.

Emerging players

• Yunus Social Business: Organization promoting Muhammad Yunus's social business model, providing incubation and education to social enterprises. Overlaps with SEA's mission to develop and educate social entrepreneurs, particularly in the European and emerging-market ecosystem.

Regional players

• Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM): Munich-based interdisciplinary center bridging TUM and LMU, offering entrepreneurship and innovation education. Listed as a SEA network partner and serves a comparable Munich student audience, making it a regional peer in entrepreneurship curriculum design.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/seakademie
• Facebookfacebook.com/seakademie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/social-entrepreneurship-akademie
• Instagraminstagram.com/socialentrepreneurshipakademie/?hl=de
• Xx.com/seakademie

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Social Entrepreneurship Akademie