Brockhaus

What Brockhaus does

Brockhaus is a digital teaching and reference content platform serving the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) market. The company, legally operating as NE GmbH and headquartered in Munich, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NE Nationalencyklopedin AB, a Swedish strategic operating company based in Malmö. Its customers span three segments: K-12 schools and educators, public libraries and media centers, and individual consumers and families; institutional sales to schools and libraries operate in parallel with a self-serve B2C subscription channel.

The product portfolio spans three age-tiered reference libraries (Kinderlexikon for elementary students, Schullexikon for secondary students, and the comprehensive Brockhaus Enzyklopädie for adults) and is supplemented by modular offerings including EdSnacks (curated educational content packs covering democracy education, STEM, consumer education, and AI in the classroom), Einfach KI! (AI literacy resources for libraries), StartMeBi media literacy starter packages, Schülertraining (subject-specific student training), online courses, curated dossiers, and Referat-Themen presentation-support resources. The platform is a cloud-based digital learning environment hosted on AWS EU infrastructure, with content delivery via Cloudinary CDN, and integrates with German educational infrastructure including LMSCloud for embedded delivery and VIDIS, Shibboleth, Microsoft, and Google for institutional single sign-on. Interactive content is enabled through partnerships with Genial.ly, GeoGebra, Learnosity, Microsoft Immersive Reader, and Datawrapper. All content is produced by subject-matter experts and trained educators, then reviewed and continuously updated by an in-house editorial team.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through subscription and recurring licensing. School licenses are priced per school size or student count; library subscriptions operate under a customizable Click & Mix framework; and private individual and family subscriptions are sold online with monthly cancellation and free trial conversion. Go-to-market blends direct institutional sales to schools and libraries with self-serve online purchase for consumers. Distribution is amplified through formal partnerships with state education ministries in Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheinland-Pfalz, and Sachsen-Anhalt, and via participation in funded programs such as Bayern's Medien- und KI-Budget and the federal Startchancen-Programm.

Name

Brockhaus

Legal name

NE GmbH

Website

https://brockhaus.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brockhaus is a Munich-based digital educational content platform delivering editorially-reviewed encyclopedias, media literacy, and AI literacy resources to K-12 schools, public libraries, and individual consumers across the DACH region via subscription licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Software / Digital Learning Platform

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Software Publishers (51321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Library/Media Center & Digital Resource Management Systems (EDAJAMAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL), Digital Learning & Course Subscriptions (CRAFAIAD), Learning Content Bundling & Subscription Passes (All-Access Libraries) (MPACALAL)

Keywords

• Digital learning platform
• Online encyclopedia
• Educational content subscriptions
• Media literacy programs
• School e-learning solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. School Licensing: Brockhaus generates revenue primarily through annual or multi-year licensing agreements with schools and educational institutions. These licenses provide access to the complete digital learning platform including encyclopedias, EdSnacks, media literacy packages, and student training modules. Pricing is based on school size or student count.
2. Library Licensing: Library subscriptions via the 'Click & Mix' licensing model allow libraries to offer digital resources to their patrons. Libraries can customize packages based on their community needs, including content for children, teenagers, and adults.
3. Private Consumer Subscriptions: Individual and family subscriptions for home users provide access to online encyclopedias and online courses. The service offers free trial access and operates on a monthly cancellation basis ('monatlich kündbar').

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NE GmbH operates the Brockhaus brand as a digital educational content platform, providing editorially reviewed encyclopedias (Brockhaus Enzyklopädie, Schullexikon, Kinderlexikon), short-form learning modules (EdSnacks), AI-literacy courses (Einfach KI!), student training (Schülertraining), media-literacy starter and competency packages, topic dossiers, and presentation themes. Offerings are delivered as cloud-based subscriptions to schools, libraries, and private households, complemented by integration with educational tools such as GeoGebra, Learnosity, and Genial.ly.

Product overview

Brockhaus is a digital educational content platform operated by NE GmbH, offering a portfolio of reference works and learning tools across three tiers: Kinderbibliothek (Children's Library) for elementary students, Jugendbibliothek (Youth Library) for secondary students, and Erwachsenenbibliothek (Adult Library) for adults. Core products include the Brockhaus Enzyklopädie, Schullexikon, and Kinderlexikon encyclopedias. The platform extends through modular add-ons including EdSnacks (media literacy and AI education packs), Einfach KI! (AI literacy), Schülertraining (subject-specific training), Starterpakete Medienbildung (media literacy starter packages), and Medienkompetenzpakete (comprehensive media competency curricula). Additional offerings include Online-Kurse, Dossiers on curated topics, and Referat-Themen resources for presentation preparation. Solutions are distributed to schools, libraries, and private individuals through subscription-based licensing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EdSnacks: Educational snack content packages for schools covering topics such as democracy education, MINT, consumer education, and AI in the classroom.
• StartMeBi
• Einfach KI!

Products and services

• Brockhaus Enzyklopädie Comprehensive digital encyclopedia with professionally reviewed articles, designed for schools, libraries, and private households as a reliable reference and research tool.
• Schullexikon Digital encyclopedia with school-relevant content tailored to the German curriculum, designed for classroom and student use.
• Kinderlexikon Age-appropriate digital encyclopedia designed for children, providing editorially reviewed reference content suitable for school-age learners.
• EdSnacks Short, focused learning modules (learning snacks) on individual topics, supporting quick classroom or self-directed learning sessions.
• Einfach KI! Introductory educational offering on artificial intelligence topics, aimed at building AI literacy for students and learners.
• Schülertraining Structured student training modules designed to develop information, media, and digital skills aligned with educational competency frameworks.
• Starterpakete Medienbildung Entry-level media education bundles for schools, providing curated materials to begin classroom media-literacy instruction.
• Medienkompetenzpakete Comprehensive media competency packages for schools covering digital and media literacy topics in alignment with recognized curriculum frameworks.
• Online-Kurse Standalone online courses covering reference and media-literacy topics, available to learners and institutions.
• Dossiers Curated topic dossiers that bundle encyclopedia articles, learning modules, and training materials around a central subject for deeper study.
• Referat-Themen Curated topic collections supporting student class presentations (Referate), providing editorially reviewed source material.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• State Education Ministries (Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheinland-Pfalz, Sachsen-Anhalt)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal cooperation partnerships with regional state education ministries enable Brockhaus to deliver standardized educational content aligned with regional curriculum requirements. These partnerships facilitate access to schools within these federal states through official channels.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bettermarks: Adaptive mathematics learning platform serving German schools and students with subscription licensing to institutions. Comparable to Brockhaus in delivering subject-specific digital learning via subscription to German schools.
• Sofatutor: German subscription-based online learning platform offering video-based tutoring and curriculum content for K-12 students, sold to schools, parents, and students. Directly comparable to Brockhaus in serving German schools with subscription digital learning content.
• Onilo: Digital reading platform for primary schools offering animated storybooks and teaching materials, licensed to schools. Comparable to Brockhaus in delivering K-12 digital learning content via institutional licensing in Germany.
• Phase 6: German digital vocabulary and spelling trainer widely licensed by schools for German language instruction. Comparable to Brockhaus in providing subject-specific digital learning tools via school subscriptions in the German market.
• Antolin: Reading and literacy platform widely licensed by German primary and secondary schools to support reading comprehension. Comparable to Brockhaus as a school-focused digital reading/learning tool distributed via school licensing in Germany.

Broad incumbents

• Westermann Verlag: Established German educational publisher producing textbooks, digital learning materials, and Schroedel/Westermann learning platforms for schools. Comparable to Brockhaus as a heritage German publisher expanding into digital learning for the institutional education market.
• Cornelsen Verlag: One of Germany's largest educational publishers, offering textbooks, digital learning platforms, and teacher materials for K-12 schools. Directly comparable to Brockhaus as a publisher of curriculum-aligned content serving German schools and institutions.
• Ernst Klett Verlag: Major German educational publisher with a strong digital learning portfolio (Klett Lernen, Online-Diagnose) for K-12 schools. Comparable to Brockhaus in serving German schools with curriculum-aligned digital learning resources and teacher tools.
• Duden / Bibliographisches Institut: Iconic German reference brand (Duden dictionary, language guidance) that has expanded into digital learning products. Comparable to Brockhaus as a heritage German reference/encyclopedia brand transitioning into digital educational content for schools, libraries, and consumers.

Others

• NE Nationalencyklopedin: The Swedish parent company of Brockhaus, operating the national encyclopedia of Sweden and digital learning products in the Nordic market. Related as the parent and content counterpart in Sweden, providing potential cross-market synergies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BrockhausNE
• Facebookfacebook.com/BrockhausNE
• Instagraminstagram.com/brockhaus.de
• Pinterestpinterest.de/brockhaus_ne

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Brockhaus