What Betterplace Lab does

Betterplace Lab is a Berlin-based, tax-exempt non-profit (gGmbH) operating as the research and program-delivery arm of the betterplace.org ecosystem. Incorporated on 10 August 2020 as a spin-off from gut.org gAG, the organization runs three principal programs for German civil-society actors: betterplace well:being (a five-part workshop series on self-contact and inner stability), betterplace co:lab (collaboration-skills workshops plus 6–12 month thematic cluster process coaching), and L'Echelle (a Fondation CHANEL-backed €100,000-per-organization funding and mentoring program for women's rights NGOs). All offerings are free to participants, and program delivery is overwhelmingly digital with occasional in-person sessions at the bUm space in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

The organization runs on a lean two-person permanent staff as of August 2025, supplemented by an extended network of trainers, coaches, and partner organizations, and shares a 450 m² co-working office at Schlesische Strasse 26 with sister organization Das NETTZ gGmbH. Its technology footprint is limited to a Drupal-based CRM, video conferencing, Eventbrite, and a podcast (season 3 in production); there is no proprietary software product. FY2024 revenue of €810,513.10 was generated through project grants (€551,898 ideeller Bereich), foundation and corporate philanthropy (Schöpflin Stiftung, BMW Foundation, Fondation CHANEL, Luminate), public sector funding (GIZ, Bundesamt für Familie, Deutsche Stiftung für Engagement und Ehrenamt), health-insurance partnerships underwriting well:being (BKK VBU, pronova BKK, Salus BKK), and private donations. Go-to-market is community-led — website, labnews newsletter, organic social, podcast, and co:lab X events — targeting full-time and voluntary workers from NGOs, social collectives, and political initiatives, with the L'Echelle and GIZ Makers Innovation Award (Ukraine) partnerships extending reach into women's rights and international civil-society capacity building respectively.

Governance is provided by a three-person Managing Director team (Isabel Gahren, Timo Kladny, Dr. Josefa Kny) under Chairman of the Supervisory Board Till Behnke, with gut.org gAG as 100% parent. The organization is a signatory to the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft and reports full GDPR compliance, reflecting a non-profit governance and accountability posture rather than a venture-backed operating model.

Name

Betterplace Lab

Legal name

betterplace lab gGmbH

Website

https://betterplace-lab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Betterplace Lab is a Berlin-based non-profit (gGmbH) that delivers free workshops and process coaching to German civil-society organizations, with programs focused on changemaker wellbeing, collaboration skills, and grant-plus-mentoring support for women's rights NGOs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Society Training and Capacity Building Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

akta.pro primary industry

Study Habits & Homework Systems Workshops (EDAMAIAL)

Keywords

• Civil society training
• Wellbeing workshops
• Collaboration coaching
• Nonprofit capacity building
• Social change facilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Project Funding (Projectförderungen): Core revenue stream from project grants for programs like co:lab, well:being, and other civil society strengthening initiatives. Revenue in 2024: 551,898.71 EUR from project funding in the non-profit area.
2. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations including Schöpflin Stiftung, BMW Foundation, Luminate, Fondation CHANEL, and others for specific programs.
3. Public Funding: Government grants from GIZ, Deutsche Stiftung für Engagement und Ehrenamt, and Bundesamt für Familie und zivilgesellschaftliche Aufgaben (Demokratie leben).
4. Donations: Private donations received for supporting the lab's mission and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Betterplace Lab is a non-profit think-and-do tank that designs and delivers free workshop programs, process coaching, and research for civil society actors in Germany. Its core offerings are the betterplace well:being workshop series (self-contact and inner stability for social activists), the betterplace co:lab program (collaboration skills training and 6–12 month thematic cluster coaching for NGOs), and the L'Echelle program (funding and mentoring for women's rights organizations). All programs are provided free of charge to participants and funded by grants, foundations, public funding, and donations.

Product overview

Betterplace Lab operates as a nonprofit laboratory for civil society, offering two interconnected programs: betterplace well:being provides five-module workshops on self-contact and inner stability for social activists, while betterplace co:lab teaches collaboration skills through workshops and thematic cluster coaching. The L'Echelle program (in partnership with Fondation CHANEL) supports women's rights organizations with funding and mentoring. All programs are free for participants, funded by institutional partners including BKK health insurers, Schöpflin Stiftung, and BMW Foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• betterplace well:being A five-part workshop series teaching tools for better self-contact, inner stability, and resilience for full-time and voluntary civil society workers. Includes modules on self-awareness, decision-making, embodiment, and meditation. Funded by health insurers and delivered free of charge.
• betterplace co:lab A program strengthening collaboration competencies between people, initiatives and organizations through basic workshops and thematic cluster process coaching. Based on organizational psychology research, teaching skills for reflection, analysis and communication to reduce collaboration barriers.
• L'Echelle A funding and support program for nonprofit organizations working on women's rights and gender equality in Germany. Provides €100,000 in financial support per organization plus a two-year training and mentoring program. Partnership with Fondation CHANEL; Betterplace Lab manages program selection and design.
• Thematic Cluster Process Coaching (Themencluster) Process coaching component of co:lab where multiple organizations (4+) collaborate over 6–12 months on a shared societal project, supported by dedicated coaches and workshops. Used for cross-sector collaboration on topics such as climate protection, equality, and freedom of speech.

Quantifiable outcome

• Workshops rated 4.1/5.0 average by participants (35% excellent, 44% very good, 19% good)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• gut.org gAGcoreOthers · 1 January 2020Parent company - betterplace lab gGmbH is a 100% subsidiary of gut.org gAG. The gut.org board includes Björn Lampe, Timo Kladny, and Felix Oldenburg.
• Das NETTZ gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organization sharing office space at bUm. betterplace lab co-signed an open letter with Das NETTZ on civil society funding. Organizations collaborate on shared spaces and advocacy.
• bUm GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvider of physical space for engaged civil society where some workshops are conducted. Located at Paul-Lincke-Ufer 21 in Berlin.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Phineo gAG: Berlin-based non-profit impact analyst supporting German civil society organizations with research, evaluation, and capacity-building. Highly comparable as a fellow civil-society intermediary funded by foundations and operating a hybrid research-plus-program model.
• Social Impact gGmbH: Frankfurt-based social entrepreneurship and impact advisory organization supporting purpose-driven organizations with capacity-building, training, and program design. Cited as a thematic-cluster partner of betterplace lab, making it a closely aligned peer in the German social-sector training space.
• Presencing Institute: MIT-anchored organization founded by Otto Scharmer advancing Theory U and inner development methodologies for systems change and collective transformation. Highly comparable as a peer in the inner-development-for-social-change methodology space that betterplace lab explicitly operates within.
• Inner Development Days: Sweden-based global initiative convening organizations to build inner development capacities for sustainable societal transformation. Closely comparable as a peer movement organization promoting similar SEL/inner-development frameworks for civil society actors at scale.
• purpose gGmbH: Berlin-based civic participation and community-building organization working on democratic engagement and cross-sector collaboration in Germany. Comparable as a peer offering collaborative capacity-building workshops and process support to civil society initiatives.
• Ashoka Deutschland: German arm of the global Ashoka network supporting leading social entrepreneurs through fellowships, capacity-building, and network programming. Comparable as a peer institution providing ecosystem-level support and training to mission-driven changemakers.

Broad incumbents

• Impact Hub Berlin: Co-working and community space supporting social entrepreneurs and impact-driven organizations in Berlin. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem player with overlapping target audience (social changemakers), broader program portfolio including events, accelerators, and workspaces.
• Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen: Germany's national associations of foundations, providing member services, research, and capacity-building across the German foundation landscape. Comparable as a broader-incumbent intermediary operating in the same foundation-funded civil society support space.
• Hertie School: Berlin-based university offering graduate programs in governance, public policy, and leadership for public-sector and civil society leaders. Comparable as a broader-incumbent educational institution training civil society leaders, with longer-established credentials and curriculum scale.

Emerging players

• Das Progressive Zentrum: Berlin-based progressive think tank producing research, convenings, and programming on civic engagement and policy reform. Comparable as an emerging player in the German civil society capacity-building space with overlapping funder base and programmatic approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/betterplacelab
• Facebookfacebook.com/betterplacelab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/betterplace-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/betterplacelab

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Betterplace Lab