BeraCom GmbH

What BeraCom GmbH does

BeraCom GmbH (legal entity: BeraCom Beratung und Softwareentwicklung GmbH & Co. KG) is a privately-held, German Kommanditgesellschaft headquartered in Hamburg that develops and sells three proprietary vertical enterprise software products developed in-house. The first, PROFI, is a comprehensive automotive workshop and vehicle parts trading system available in PROFI Shop, PROFI Handel, and Werkstatt variants, integrating with 20+ vehicle parts catalogs (TecDoc, Stahlgruber, partslink24, etc.), financial accounting systems (DATEV, Lexware), and payment terminals — sold primarily to automotive workshops, parts dealers, and fleet operators in Germany and Austria. The second, VPLAN, is a training and continuing education management platform handling apprentice scheduling, digital report books, and German Youth Employment Protection Act (JArbSchG) compliance, integrated with SAP, and sold to large enterprises with significant apprenticeship programs (Airbus, Deutsche Bahn, Merck, Diehl, STILL). The third, IQX, is a web-based idea and innovation management platform supporting campaigns, KVP (continuous improvement) teams, multilingual access, and SSO, deployed on-premise, as ASP, or SaaS — used by CSL Behring, Stadtwerke Kiel, Wuppertaler Stadtwerke, and Erich Utsch AG since 1997.

The company operates a direct enterprise field sales model with consulting-led implementation and supplements software licenses with independent management consulting and coaching services in training management, automotive/logistics operations, and innovation management. The technology stack is traditional: PROFI runs on Microsoft Windows with SQL Server (Express/Standard), VPLAN is database-driven with web access, and IQX is a modern web application supporting on-premise, ASP, and SaaS/cloud deployment with SQL database backends (MS-SQL, MySQL, MariaDB). Modular add-ons across all three products (online appointment booking, delivery advance notices, applicant management, mobile idea entry, etc.) provide upsell paths. Distribution is exclusively direct — no reseller, marketplace, or OEM channels — with demand generation via semi-annual product magazines, an active blog, LinkedIn/XING presence, trade show participation (PROFI Service Tage, DALK congress), customer case studies, and 30-day PROFI free trials. The company is led by Managing Directors Arno Schaefer and Dr. Britta Kahlfuss, employs approximately 45 people, and has no venture capital, private equity, or parent company ownership — operating as a bootstrapped, founder-managed partnership across the DACH region.

Name

BeraCom GmbH

Legal name

BeraCom Beratung und Softwareentwicklung GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://beracom.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BeraCom GmbH is a privately-held Hamburg-based software company that develops and sells three proprietary vertical enterprise software products — PROFI (automotive workshop and parts trading), VPLAN (vocational training management), and IQX (idea and innovation management) — directly to enterprise and mid-market customers in Germany and Austria, supplemented by management consulting services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. PROFI Software Licensing: License fees for the PROFI automotive workshop, shop, and vehicle parts trading software. Available in variants PROFIShop, PROFIHandel, and with workshop add-on modules. Sold primarily to enterprises and mid-market companies in Germany and Austria through direct sales with consulting support.
2. VPLAN Software Licensing: License fees for the VPLAN training and further education management software. Targeted at large enterprises with apprenticeship programs, offered with professional consulting and support services.
3. IQX Software Licensing: License fees for the IQX innovation and idea management software. Offered as on-premise, ASP, or SaaS/cloud deployment. Supports enterprise-wide idea management, KVP, and BVW (Betriebliches Vorschlagswesen).
4. Management Consulting & Coaching: Professional management consulting and coaching services in the areas of training management, automotive/logistics operations, and innovation management. Offered independently of and in conjunction with BeraCom software products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BeraCom develops and sells three proprietary enterprise software products developed in Hamburg: PROFI for automotive workshops and vehicle parts trading (Shop, Handel, Werkstatt variants), VPLAN for vocational training and continuing education management, and IQX for idea and innovation management. The company also offers the CANDIXpert applicant management add-on for apprentices and provides independent management consulting and coaching services. Products are deployed on-premise, as ASP, or as SaaS/cloud with SQL database backends.

Product overview

BeraCom GmbH offers a portfolio of three core enterprise software products: PROFI for automotive workshop and vehicle parts trading (with Shop, Handel, and Werkstatt variants), VPLAN for training and continuing education management, and IQX for idea and innovation management. All three products operate as modular platforms with numerous optional add-on modules. PROFI integrates with vehicle parts catalogs (TecCat, partslink24, etc.), price catalogs, and financial accounting systems (DATEV, Lexware). VPLAN offers HR system integration (SAP) and compliance modules. IQX supports idea campaigns, mobile submission, multilingual access, and applicant management (CANDIXpert). The company also provides independent management consulting services. All products are developed and supported from Hamburg, Germany, with a focus on German-speaking markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• PROFI Lieferavis module saves 30-90 minutes of daily work per delivery scenario
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration32 records

AI capability2 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Coparts Autoteile GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationCoparts is a major automotive parts distributor that works with BeraCom on software integrations. PROFI customers can order via Coparts-Online, and BeraCom integrates Coparts catalog data into PROFI. This partnership provides BeraCom's automotive customers with streamlined access to Coparts' parts inventory and pricing.
• Vehicle Parts Catalog Providers (TecDoc, partslink24, Stahlgruber, and 20+ others)coreTechnology or IntegrationPROFI integrates with all major electronic vehicle parts catalogs (TecDoc-based, CARwis, partslink24, Stahlgruber/STAkis, and many others) enabling automatic import of parts data, pricing, and vehicle compatibility information. Catalog integration is a foundational capability of the PROFI product.
• Financial Accounting System Providers (Datev, Lexware)coreTechnology or IntegrationPROFI includes FiBu (financial accounting) export interfaces to Datev and Lexware, enabling seamless export of financial data from PROFI to customers' accounting systems.
• Price Catalog Providers (Birner, Coparts, Hennig, Wittich, Wütschner, Wessels + Müller, Schwenker, and others)coreTechnology or IntegrationPROFI integrates with numerous supplier price catalogs enabling automatic price updates, article synchronization, and ordering capabilities. This is a core feature of the PROFI Handelsystem.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• L-mobile GmbH: L-mobile is a German automotive software company that, like PROFI, sells specialized software to automotive dealers and aftermarket customers in DACH with comparable enterprise workflows and integration requirements.
• DAT Group: DAT Group provides automotive data and software (including SilverDAT workshop solutions) directly comparable to PROFI for German automotive workshops and parts dealers.
• Qmarkets: Qmarkets is an innovation/idea management software provider competing head-on with IQX in the same enterprise continuous-improvement and suggestion-system category, serving large organizations globally.
• HYPE Innovation: HYPE Innovation is an enterprise innovation management platform that directly competes with IQX in idea, suggestion, and KVP programs for large multinational organizations.
• Brightidea: Brightidea is an enterprise innovation management platform comparable to IQX, focused on idea generation, evaluation, and implementation across large organizations.
• zavvy: zavvy is a German employee development and learning platform with overlapping functionality to VPLAN's training management, serving mid-market and enterprise clients in DACH.
• Spigit: Spigit (Planview) provides enterprise innovation management software comparable to IQX, focused on idea generation, evaluation, and crowdsourced innovation.

Broad incumbents

• Sage GmbH: Sage offers broader enterprise ERP/DMS including automotive aftermarket solutions (historically DPW); while serving many segments beyond auto, it offers overlapping functionality with PROFI for workshops and parts dealers.
• SAP SE: SAP SuccessFactors and broader HR/L&D suites serve enterprise training management at scale, with VPLAN explicitly integrating into SAP HR; SAP represents a broad incumbent in VPLAN's competitive set.
• Microsoft Dynamics 365: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and related solutions are used broadly by automotive workshops as general ERP/DMS. While not specialized in automotive retail like PROFI, they offer overlapping functionality within a much broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xxing.com/pages/beracomgmbh-co-kg
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/beracom-gmbh

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 BeraCom GmbH