Aspire Education GmbH

What Aspire Education GmbH does

aspire education GmbH is a Vienna-headquartered, privately held education group operating as a holding collective of 10-11 autonomous education companies across the DACH region (Austria, Switzerland, Germany). Founded with more than 25 years of market presence, the group serves over 100,000 learners annually and more than 1,000 private companies and public organizations through subsidiary brands including ARS (Akademie für Recht, Steuern & Wirtschaft), ETC Enterprise Training Center, ibis acam Bildungs GmbH, WEKA, ZfU Zentrum für Unternehmungsführung AG, and CoachAkademieSchweiz.

The group's offerings span the full employee life cycle: vocational apprenticeships (including überbetriebliche Berufsausbildung/ÜBA), specialist and continuing education, coaching, trainer/coach qualifications, leadership development, and integrated hire-train-deploy plus upskilling programs for enterprises and public-sector employers. Its proprietary pedagogy rests on five pillars — neuroscientific foundations for learning, metacompetence brain training, applied learning, a digital-first delivery model, and vision-driven learning — supported by a digital-first channel that distributes on-demand repetitive content. Distribution is delivered through direct enterprise field sales and the subsidiary brand network rather than through a unified technology platform; no AI/ML, API, or mobile product layer is disclosed.

Commercially, the group monetizes through a mix of individual subscription/coaching fees, professional-services contracts for corporate training and upskilling, and vocational training engagements. Pricing is opaque and contact-based. GTM is enterprise field sales, with the group positioning itself as a one-stop-shop for hire-train-deploy and continuous learning needs. It is governed by three managing directors (Dipl.-Vw Udo Schelkes, Mag. Johannes Lampert, Stephan Bernhard) alongside CFO Peter Pfeifer, and is actively seeking to add an 11th/12th member company, indicating a roll-up growth posture in DACH vocational and corporate education.

Name

Aspire Education GmbH

Legal name

aspire education GmbH

Website

https://www.aspire-education.com/

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

aspire education GmbH is a Vienna-headquartered, privately held education holding group operating 10-11 autonomous training brands across Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, serving over 100,000 learners and 1,000+ organizations annually with vocational training, corporate upskilling, hire-train-deploy programs, coaching, and leadership development grounded in neuroscience-based learning methodologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational services for individuals: Programs supporting individuals to define professional goals and create clear career paths, including coaching services for talents
2. Corporate training and upskilling: Tailor-made training programs for companies to achieve goals and remain competitive, including hire-train-deploy programs combining recruiting services with initial training
3. Apprenticeship and vocational training: Training programs preparing next generation of specialists including overbetriebliche Berufsausbildung (ÜBA) and trainer/coach qualifications
4. Leadership development programs: Programs for executives to inspire teams and lead companies successfully

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

aspire education GmbH is a DACH-region education group that delivers corporate training, vocational apprenticeships, coaching, leadership development, and hire-train-deploy programs through 10-11 autonomous subsidiary brands. The group's programs span career path support, specialist continuing education, trainer/coach qualifications, and organizational upskilling, sold primarily to private companies and public organizations with supplementary individual-learner offerings.

Product overview

Aspire Education GmbH operates as a group of education companies (currently 10-11 brands in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany) serving over 100,000 learners and more than 1,000 organizations annually. The portfolio is organized around 11 member brands including ARS - Akademie für Recht, Steuern & Wirtschaft, brainy, CAS, ETC Enterprise Training Center, ibis acam, KAOS, Lernwerkstatt Olten, stepin, TALENTUS, WEKA, ZfU Zentrum für Unternehmungsführung AG, and CoachAkademieSchweiz. Core services span career path support, training/apprenticeships, coaching, specialist development, leadership programs, trainer/coach training, and hire-train-deploy & upskilling programs. The group positions itself as a one-stop-shop for corporate learning needs along the entire employee life cycle, with shared standards based on neuroscientific learning foundations, metacompetence brain training, applied learning, digital-first delivery, and vision-driven learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARS (Akademie für Recht, Steuern & Wirtschaft): Education services in law, taxes, and economics
• brainy
• CAS
• ETC Enterprise Training Center
• ibis acam Bildungs GmbH
• KAOS
• Lernwerkstatt Olten
• STEP IN
• TALENTUS
• WEKA
• ZfU Zentrum für Unternehmungsführung AG
• CoachAkademieSchweiz

Products and services

• Career Path & Professional Goals Services Support services that help individuals define professional goals and create clear career paths, providing a foundation for long-term career success.
• Training & Apprenticeship Programs Vocational training programs preparing the next generation of specialists and securing the future of the workforce, including überbetriebliche Berufsausbildung (ÜBA).
• Coaching Services Targeted coaching services helping talents find their ideal position, leading to greater satisfaction and productivity.
• Specialist & Continuing Education Ongoing professional development services ensuring specialists stay current with changing workplace demands.
• Leadership Development Programs Programs designed for executives to inspire teams and lead organizations successfully, including digital transformation leadership.
• Trainer & Coach Training Qualification programs enabling individuals to use their competencies for developing other people, including trainer and coach certifications.
• Hire-Train-Deploy & Upskilling Programs Comprehensive programs supporting companies from recruitment through qualification to onboarding, increasing competitiveness and skilled worker supply.

Quantifiable outcome

• Studies show education boosts long-term economic growth and increases profit margins for investing companies
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ARS - Akademie für Recht, Steuern & WirtschaftcoreOthersPart of the aspire education group portfolio. Offers training in law, taxes, and business topics. Provides seminars on topics including tax law, business management, and economic policy.
• ETC Enterprise Training CentercoreOthersPart of the aspire education group. Provides enterprise training services and micro-credentials for future skills development.
• ibis acam Bildungs GmbHcoreOthersPart of the aspire education group. Offers vocational training including überbetriebliche Berufsausbildung (ÜBA) and supports companies with talent development.
• WEKAcoreOthersPart of the aspire education group portfolio of education companies.
• ZfU Zentrum für Unternehmungsführung AGcoreOthersPart of the aspire education group. Center for enterprise management providing leadership and transformation seminars.
• CoachAkademieSchweizcoreOthersPart of the aspire education group. Provides coaching and change management services in Switzerland.
• brainycminorOthersPart of the aspire education group portfolio.
• CASminorOthersPart of the aspire education group portfolio.
• KAOSminorOthersPart of the aspire education group portfolio.
• Lernwerkstatt OltenminorOthersPart of the aspire education group portfolio. Located in Olten, Switzerland.
• stepinminorOthersPart of the aspire education group portfolio.
• TALENTUSminorOthersPart of the aspire education group portfolio.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Haufe Akademie: Germany-based corporate learning provider covering leadership, specialist, and compliance training. Comparable to aspire's ZfU and ARS subsidiaries in serving enterprise customers with structured continuing-education programs.
• Manager Institut: German executive and specialist education provider focused on leadership and management development. Comparable to aspire's ZfU Zentrum für Unternehmungsführung and leadership development services for enterprise customers.
• WBS Training AG: German vocational training and continuing-education group offering career-launch, upskilling, and hire-train-deploy-style programs. Closely comparable to aspire education's apprenticeship, retraining, and corporate upskilling portfolio in the DACH market.
• TAE – Technische Akademie Esslingen: German continuing-education provider offering technical and management seminars for working professionals. Comparable to ARS and aspire's specialist continuing-education and professional development programs.
• GFN GmbH: German IT and career training group funded through employer-sponsored reskilling and workforce development. Closely comparable to ETC Enterprise Training Center and ibis acam's hire-train-deploy vocational programs.
• Staufen AG: German operational excellence and lean transformation training consultancy serving industrial enterprises. Comparable to aspire's enterprise upskilling and transformation leadership offerings for mid-market and large DACH corporates.

Broad incumbents

• Skillsoft: Global enterprise learning and talent development platform spanning compliance, leadership, and technology content. Comparable in serving multi-national and large-enterprise L&D buyers competing for similar corporate training budgets.
• Coursera for Business: Enterprise arm of Coursera offering curated academic and credentialing content to corporate L&D teams. Overlaps with aspire's specialist and future-skills upskilling portfolio at the catalog-content layer.
• LinkedIn Learning: Global enterprise learning platform integrated into LinkedIn's talent graph. Represents the broad-incumbent digital alternative competing for the same corporate upskilling budgets that aspire's content-led subsidiaries pursue.

Regional players

• St. Gallen Business School: Swiss-German executive education provider offering management seminars and leadership programs in the DACH region. Comparable to ZfU and aspire's leadership development services but primarily Swiss-market focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/aspireaustria
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aspire-education-austria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aspire Education GmbH