What re:publica does

re:publica is a Berlin-based for-profit GmbH founded in 2007 by Tanja Haeusler, Andreas Gebhard, Markus Beckedahl, and Johnny Haeusler that produces Europe's largest conference and festival focused on digital society. Its flagship annual event, re:publica Berlin, held each May at STATION Berlin, attracted more than 30,000 visits across three festival days in 2025 under the theme "GENERATION XYZ" and draws speakers from EU institutions (European Parliament, European Commission), the German federal and state governments, academia, NGOs, journalism, and the technology sector. The portfolio has expanded into a multi-format ecosystem: international editions in Vienna, Hamburg (co-located with the Reeperbahn Festival), Düsseldorf (co-branded with the New Fall Festival), Accra, Dublin, Thessaloniki, and a planned Los Angeles edition in 2027, plus specialized formats including re:publica Remote (online), rpCampus (extended programming), TINCON (youth audiences), republicast (podcast), and re:publica x srh CAMPUS (continuing education with SRH University).

The core "product" is a physical and digital event platform rather than software; the underlying technology is an assembled SaaS stack — pretix for ticketing (with JavaScript widget embedded), HubSpot for partner/contact CRM, Matomo for on-premise web analytics, Mailchimp for newsletters, Sendinblue for SMTP, Podigee for podcast distribution, YouTube for video, OpenStreetMap for mapping, and Shariff for privacy-compliant social sharing — with re:publica.tv serving as the proprietary streaming layer. The Call for Participation (CfP) is the principal community mechanism, enabling any contributor to propose sessions, which underpins the conference's claim of 50%+ female speakers and a multi-stakeholder mix.

The business model is dual-track: B2C ticket sales through the pretix platform (one-time purchase, non-refundable per §312g BGB, with prices publicly displayed inclusive of VAT) and B2B sponsorship/partnership revenue from 50+ named institutional and corporate partners including Google, Meta, the European Parliament, the European Commission, ARD, Stiftung Mercator, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, BertelsmannStiftung, Greenpeace, Nextcloud, and IONOS. Distribution is event-driven and partner-mediated — co-branded festivals act as channel partners (Reeperbahn, New Fall, SRH) — and marketing is conducted organically across YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads, Facebook, an editorial blog, and the republicast podcast. Andreas Gebhard serves as CEO; the organization remains founder-owned with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries.

Name

re:publica

Legal name

republica GmbH

Website

https://re-publica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

re:publica is a Berlin-based GmbH founded in 2007 that organizes Europe's largest digital society conference, held annually at STATION Berlin with 30,000+ visits, and a growing portfolio of satellite events in Vienna, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and Los Angeles. The company earns revenue from B2C ticket sales (via pretix) and B2B sponsorships from 50+ institutional and corporate partners including Google, Meta, and EU bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conference and Festival Event Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Digital society conferences
• Tech festival events
• Media and policy events
• Conference ticketing services
• Event sponsorship packages

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: re:publica generates primary revenue through ticket sales for festival attendance. Tickets are sold through pretix platform with various pricing tiers.
2. Partnership/Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate and institutional partnerships provide revenue through sponsor and partner packages for the festival

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

re:publica organizes and produces a portfolio of paid conferences and festivals dedicated to digital society, anchored by the annual re:publica Berlin festival at STATION Berlin. The company sells individual and corporate tickets, packages sponsorships, and operates a community-driven Call for Participation that lets external contributors propose sessions. The portfolio includes international editions (Vienna, Hamburg, Accra, Los Angeles), collaborative formats with other festivals and universities, and online-only editions.

Product overview

re:publica is a festival and conference series focused on digital society, founded in 2007. The core offering is the annual re:publica Berlin conference at STATION Berlin, held each May. The portfolio includes international editions (Vienna, Hamburg, Accra, Los Angeles), collaborative festivals (x New Fall Festival, x srh CAMPUS, x Reeperbahn), and specialized formats (Remote, Campus). The platform supports both physical attendance and online participation through re:publica.tv streaming and virtual event platforms. The unique Call for Participation system allows community members to submit program ideas. Related offerings include TINCON for youth audiences, the republicast podcast, Netzfest digital celebrations, and Future Affairs conferences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• re:publica Berlin: Annual flagship festival for digital society held in Berlin since 2007
• re:publica Vienna
• re:publica Hamburg
• re:publica x New Fall
• re:publica x srh CAMPUS
• re:publica Remote/rpREMOTE
• rpCampus
• TINCON

Products and services

• re:publica Berlin Conference Annual flagship paid conference for digital society held at STATION Berlin in May, addressing digital culture, policy, and rights across multiple thematic tracks. Aimed at individual attendees from science, politics, business, hacker culture, NGO, media, and creative communities.
• re:publica Vienna Conference Annual paid international edition of the re:publica digital society conference held in Vienna in October, targeting the Austrian and broader European digital society audience.
• re:publica Hamburg Conference Paid regional edition of the re:publica conference held within the Reeperbahn Festival framework in Hamburg, combining digital society with music festival programming. Targets the northern German and international festival audience.
• re:publica x New Fall Festival (Düsseldorf) Paid collaborative festival format combining re:publica's digital society programming with New Fall Festival's music and arts programming in Düsseldorf. Targets an interdisciplinary German and European audience.
• re:publica x srh CAMPUS Paid continuing education format developed jointly with SRH University, featuring workshops on AI ethics, co-creation, and resilience. Held annually in Berlin in September and targeted at adult learners and professionals.
• re:publica Remote (#rpREMOTE) Online-only paid conference format streamed on re-publica.tv and YouTube, providing digital attendance access when in-person events were not feasible, targeting a global digital society audience.
• re:publica Campus Paid extended programming combining daily live digital and analog sessions over approximately one month, designed as a longer-duration alternative to the flagship annual conference.
• TINCON Conference Paid youth-focused conference on technology, internet culture, and digital society, co-founded by Johnny Haeusler and operated under the re:publica umbrella. Targeted at teenagers and young adults.
• re:publica Accra Conference Paid international edition of the re:publica conference held in Accra, Ghana, focused on digital society dialogue between Germany and Africa.
• republicast Podcast Free and ad-free podcast series covering digital rights, urban planning, and EU internet policy, distributed via the Podigee platform. Targets podcast listeners interested in digital society debates.
• Netzfest Event Format Paid digital-celebration event format launched in 2018 as a 'digital folk festival' combining online and offline experiences. Targets communities interested in digital folk culture.
• .txt Network Meeting Paid specialist network meeting format for digital culture discussions launched in 2022. Targets digital culture professionals seeking smaller-format networking.
• Future Affairs Konferenzen Paid conference series on future topics, held in 2019 and 2020. Targeted at professionals interested in futures, foresight, and emerging technology themes.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 30,000 visits at re:publica 25
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• Deutschlandjahrres USAmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Strategic partner for Germany Year in USA, implementing five events in L.A., New York, Portland, Detroit, and Austin through Sequencer Tour
• SRH UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership for re:publica x srh CAMPUS - an innovative continuing education format combining re:publica expertise with SRH's academic methodology. Premiered September 2025 in Berlin with three thematic tracks.
• Medienboard Berlin-BrandenburgmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional film and media funding body supporting Berlin-based media events
• Stiftung MercatormajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor German foundation focused on social issues and international understanding
• ARDmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman public-service broadcasting corporation - major media partner
• GooglemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology sponsor providing support for the festival
• MetamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology sponsor for the festival
• European ParliamentmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerEU legislative body as institutional partner
• European CommissionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerEU executive body as institutional partner
• Reeperbahn FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for re:publica Hamburg, held in September 2025 for the third time within the Reeperbahn Festival framework
• New Fall FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for re:publica x New Fall Festival in Düsseldorf, October 9-10, 2026
• BertelsmannStiftungmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor German foundation focused on societal issues
• Heinrich-Böll-StiftungmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPolitical foundation affiliated with German Green Party
• IONOSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology/web hosting company sponsor
• pretixcoreTechnology or IntegrationTicketing platform used for ticket sales and event management

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Web Summit: Web Summit is one of the world's largest tech conferences (Lisbon and global editions), directly comparable to re:publica as a large-scale, multi-stakeholder digital/tech event with a similar sponsor- and ticket-driven model.
• SXSW: SXSW is a much larger, established festival covering technology, music, film, and culture; comparable to re:publica in its interdisciplinary digital-and-society programming and sponsor-driven business model.
• CeBIT / Hannover Messe digital programs: Germany's large established trade-fair operators (Hannover Messe ecosystem) host enterprise digital and technology programs at much greater scale but with overlapping sponsor pools and audience segments.

Direct peers

• OMR (Online Marketing Rockstars): OMR is a major German digital-marketing and tech conference in Hamburg with a comparable event-driven, sponsor- and ticket-funded model serving a related European digital-business audience.
• DMEXCO: DMEXCO is a Cologne-based digital marketing and tech conference with a similar enterprise sponsor base, large exhibition footprint, and business-event structure aligned with re:publica's digital society focus.
• Slush: Slush is a Helsinki-based tech and startup conference with comparable scale, founder-driven brand, and a multi-stakeholder (corporates, startups, policy) audience closely mirroring re:publica's community.
• The Next Web (TNW) Conference: TNW Conference is an Amsterdam-based tech event focused on digital innovation, comparable to re:publica in audience overlap, sponsor base (Google, Meta-type partners), and European digital-economy positioning.
• Tech Open Air (TOA): TOA is a Berlin-based tech and startup festival with strong geographical and thematic overlap to re:publica, serving a similar digital-innovation audience with ticketed events and corporate sponsors.

Regional players

• Bits & Pretzels: Bits & Pretzels is a Munich-based founders and tech conference with a comparable ticket- and sponsorship-funded model and German/European startup-and-policy audience overlap with re:publica.

Emerging players

• Betapitch / Volkswagen Foundation digital programs: Betapitch and similar European digital-civil-society events share re:publica's community-driven programming ethos and policy/digital-rights focus, though at smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/republica
• Facebookfacebook.com/republica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1583031
• Instagraminstagram.com/re_publica
• Xx.com/republica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 re:publica