eco - Association of Internet Industry eV

Name

eco - Association of Internet Industry eV

Legal name

eco - Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V.

Website

https://eco.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

eco - Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V. is Germany's largest internet industry association, providing roughly 1,000 member companies with policy advocacy, competence groups, events, certifications, and legal advisory across cloud, data center, security, domains, and AI.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Policy, Data Governance & Cybersecurity Standards Cooperation (BPADANAH)

Keywords

• Internet industry association
• Digital policy advocacy
• Membership networking
• Industry competence groups
• Internet economy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: eco generates revenue through annual membership fees from approximately 1,000 member companies. Membership provides access to networking, political representation, exclusive content, discounted services, and free room bookings.
2. Event participation fees: eco organizes over 100 events annually including conferences, roadshows, webinars, and workshops. Revenue is generated through paid event registrations, sponsorship, and tickets for non-members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

eco – Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V. is a registered nonprofit industry association representing approximately 1,000 internet economy companies in Europe. It delivers membership-based services including the members+ portal, competence groups, flagship events (Data Center Expert Summit, Internet Security Days, eco Interaction Day), newsletters and a podcast, free legal advisory, and specialized certifications such as CSA (email) and DCSA (data centers). Its core purpose is political representation, industry networking, and policy advocacy for the German and European internet industry.

Product overview

eco – Association of Internet Industry eV is Germany's largest internet industry association offering a unified platform of membership-based services. The core offering centers on the members+ portal providing exclusive content, networking groups, event benefits, and downloadable resources. The association operates multiple flagship events including the Data Center Expert Summit, Internet Security Days, and eco Interaction Day. It publishes newsletters (eco weekly, eco politik digital, dotmagazine) and the eco Podcast. Members access specialized services including CSA email certification, DCSA data center audits, a complaints office for illegal content, and free legal advisory. Competence groups foster expertise exchange across Cloud, Datacenter, AI, Security, IoT, and other domains. The association also conducts surveys and publishes whitepapers on key internet industry topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• #LiT – Ladies in Tech: Initiative to increase visibility of female role models in the tech industry
• eco://awards
• members+ (members plus)
• dotmagazine
• Das Ohr am Netz

Products and services

• members+ (Members Plus Portal) Member-only portal providing access to a network of contacts and companies, exclusive information, themed groups, event benefits with discounts and free tickets, and downloadable content including studies, position papers, and webinars.
• Data Center Expert Summit Annual flagship event bringing together experts from data center operations, energy, planning, network infrastructure, politics, and administration to discuss digital infrastructure development.
• Internet Security Days Annual security conference featuring workshops, security sessions, and panel discussions on current and future security trends, co-organized with Heise Events.
• eco Interaction Day Annual event focused on networking and interaction among internet industry professionals.
• Competence Groups Topic-specific working groups covering Cloud Computing, Datacenter, Digital Business Models, Domains, Email, Gaia-X, Internet of Things, KRITIS, Artificial Intelligence, Mobility, Networks, Policy & Law, and Security, enabling member exchange and expertise development.
• CSA (Certified Senders Alliance) Email certification service that certifies senders and provides a Certification Monitor tool for monitoring compliance with email standards.
• DCSA (Data Centre Star Audit) Independent quality seal for data centers, assessing and certifying data center facilities.
• eco Legal Advisory Free legal consultation services for members on internet-related legal matters, offered by a team of specialized lawyers.
• eco Complaints Office Reporting office for handling complaints related to illegal content on the internet, providing support and guidance.
• eco Meeting Centers Rental of seminar and meeting rooms at eco offices in Cologne, Berlin, and Frankfurt, with free quarterly access for members.
• Whitepapers and Studies Downloadable research publications, white papers, and surveys on topics including AI implementation, IT security, women in tech, and internet economy.
• eco Newsletter Publications Multiple newsletters including eco weekly, eco politik digital, dotmagazine, and CSA Update, providing regular updates on internet industry news and topics.
• eco Podcast (Das Ohr am Netz) Podcast hosted by Sidonie Krug and Sven Oswald discussing central themes and developments in the internet industry, interviewing leading figures and sharing relevant industry insights.
• ICANN Support Services Support for domain industry members including guidance on new gTLDs (generic top-level domains) and participation in ICANN meetings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% of Germans support data center expansion in Germany (YouGov survey)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• EuroCloud Deutschland_eco e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020eco and EuroCloud share a joint database for address data management and operate as associated organizations. eco members receive free EuroCloud Deutschland membership as a bundled benefit. They have established a joint controllership arrangement for GDPR compliance purposes.
• ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020eco co-hosts ICANN meetings and organizes ICANN Readout events in Germany. eco Director Names & Numbers participates in ICANN conferences and supports the domain industry through initiatives like topDNS and the Trusted Notifier Network.
• Allianz zur Stärkung digitaler InfrastrukturenmajorStrategic or Co-development Partnereco operates the 'Allianz zur Stärkung digitaler Infrastrukturen' (Alliance for Strengthening Digital Infrastructures) which commissioned a YouGov survey on data center expansion and represents industry interests in digital infrastructure policy.
• DE-CIXmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDE-CIX (the world's largest internet exchange point in Frankfurt) partners with eco for the DE-CIX Meeting Center Frankfurt facilities. eco hosts events and meetings at the DE-CIX location.
• Heise EventsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partnereco co-organizes the Internet Security Days (ISD) with Heise Events. ISD is a major security conference held annually since 2010.
• Gaia-X Hub DeutschlandmajorStrategic or Co-development Partnereco supports the Gaia-X European cloud project and hosts the Gaia-X Hub Deutschland. The association actively promotes Gaia-X as a key initiative for digital sovereignty.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• BSA | The Software Alliance: Global trade group of major software and cloud companies, focused on policy advocacy on data, AI, and cybersecurity. It is a broader incumbent that competes with eco for policy attention and corporate memberships among large software and cloud vendors.

Direct peers

• DigitalEurope: The main pan-European digital industry association based in Brussels, representing the digital industry to EU institutions. It competes with eco for multinational members and for influence on EU digital policy, particularly given eco's Brussels office.
• EuroISPA: European association of internet service providers, headquartered in Brussels. It overlaps directly with eco's internet infrastructure and policy remit (domains, networks, content), making it a close peer for member companies in the ISP and hosting ecosystem.
• Bitkom: Germany's leading digital industry association, representing thousands of companies across IT, telecoms, and internet. It is eco's most direct domestic competitor for corporate memberships, policy influence, and event participation in Germany.
• Internet Society (ISOC): Global non-profit focused on internet openness, evolution, and standards, with chapters across Europe. It is a peer to eco in shaping internet policy and standards, and competes for corporate supporters and chapters in the DACH region.
• CCIA Europe (Computer & Communications Industry Association): European branch of CCIA, representing major internet, cloud, and digital services companies in EU policy debates. It is a direct peer to eco on EU-level digital regulation advocacy and competes for similar member companies in cloud, content, and platforms.
• EuroCloud Europe: Pan-European cloud computing industry association, with national chapters including EuroCloud Deutschland. It is directly comparable to eco's cloud competence group and related services, and shares a formal partnership/affiliation with eco.

Regional players

• ZVEI: Germany's central association of the electrical and digital industry. It is a peer only at the industry-association level and for digital-industrial policy topics (e.g., data centers, industrial AI), but its scope is much broader than eco's internet focus.
• ANGA Der Breitbandverband: German broadband and media industry association, with strong overlap on network infrastructure, data centers, and content policy. It competes for member companies and policy attention in adjacent parts of eco's remit.
• UKISPA: UK Internet Services Providers' Association, representing the UK internet industry to government and regulators. Comparable in mission (industry association for ISPs and internet economy) but operating in a different geography from eco.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eco_en
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecoassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/profile

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 eco - Association of Internet Industry eV