What E.CA Economics does

E.CA Economics is a European competition economics consultancy that provides expert economic advice to law firms, corporations, and government authorities on antitrust, merger control, State aid, and regulated industry matters. Founded in 2007 in Berlin by Lars-Hendrik Röller, Hans W. Friederiszick, and Rainer Nitsche, the firm operates across four European offices (Berlin, Brussels, London, Munich) with 50+ professionals, delivering services across seven interconnected practice areas: Mergers, Cartels and anti-competitive agreements, Litigation/Damages/Arbitration, State aid & Foreign Subsidies Regulation, Abuse of dominance, Regulated industries and market design, and Innovation/patents/copyright. The underlying methodology is rigorous empirical and theoretical economic analysis tailored to specific cases, with notable technical specializations including Market Economy Operator Principle analysis for State aid, effects-based abuse of dominance assessments using as-efficient-competitor benchmarks, and FRAND royalty analysis at the intersection of antitrust and intellectual property.

The firm monetizes through professional services engagements billed on a project or case basis, with revenue generated from law firm retainers (e.g., Freshfields, Gleiss Lutz), corporate clients (e.g., Deutsche Bahn, Vossloh, Zalando), and European Commission / national authority mandates. The customer base spans enterprise corporates, top-tier law firms, and government regulators, served through a direct consulting engagement model with no product distribution or self-serve channels. Marketing is built on thought leadership, including the annual E.CA Expert Forum, academic publications, conference participation (CRESSE, Hal White Antitrust Conference, GCR Live), a professional newsletter, and Lexology Index / GCR 100 rankings.

In April 2026, E.CA Economics was acquired by Berkeley Research Group (BRG), a global expert services and consulting firm, transitioning the firm from founder-owned independence to a core operating unit within BRG's Antitrust & Competition and Regulation practices. The firm maintains an academic partnership with ESMT Berlin (Germany's top-ranked business school), through which several Managing Directors hold faculty or research fellow positions, anchoring its reputation for methodological rigor. Cybersecurity compliance includes UK Cyber Essentials certification and secure data room infrastructure with German-based servers.

Name

E.CA Economics

Legal name

E.CA Economics GmbH

Website

https://e-ca.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

E.CA Economics is a Berlin-based European competition economics consultancy advising law firms, corporates, and regulators on mergers, cartels, abuse of dominance, State aid, and damages quantification. Founded in 2007, it operates from Berlin, Brussels, London, and Munich, and was acquired by BRG in April 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Competition Economics Consulting

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic & Macroeconomic Research (BPAHALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business Valuation & Litigation Support (BPAHABAK)

Keywords

• Competition economics consulting
• Antitrust advisory services
• Merger control analysis
• State aid evaluation
• Cartel damages quantification

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Economic Consulting Services: E.CA Economics generates revenue through providing expert economic advice and consulting services to law firms, companies, and public authorities on competition economics matters including mergers, cartels, abuse of dominance, and State aid cases. Services are typically billed on a project basis for specific expert analyses, litigation support, and regulatory advisory work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

E.CA Economics provides expert economic consulting and advisory services in competition regulation and policy to law firms, companies, and regulatory authorities. Its core work covers economic analysis for merger proceedings, cartel investigations and damages claims, abuse of dominance assessments, State aid and Foreign Subsidies Regulation, market design in regulated industries, and antitrust/intellectual property matters. Deliverables typically include expert economic reports, evidentiary analysis, and court testimony.

Product overview

E.CA Economics is a leading European competition economics consultancy that provides a unified suite of advisory services built on rigorous economic analysis. The firm operates across seven interconnected service areas: Mergers (merger control proceedings), Cartels (anti-competitive agreements and damage claims), Litigation/Damages (private enforcement and arbitration), State aid & Foreign Subsidies Regulation, Abuse of dominance, Regulated industries and market design, and Innovation/patents/copyright. All services are delivered by a team of economists who provide tailor-made advice based on robust empirical and analytical work. E.CA is part of BRG (Berkeley Research Group), a global expert services and consulting firm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mergers Economic analysis and advisory services for merger proceedings, including Phase I and Phase II investigations before the European Commission and national competition authorities. Service targets law firms, companies, and authorities requiring expert economic input on merger control.
• Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements Economic consulting on cartel investigations, including damage assessments, overcharge calculations, and support in cartel-related litigation. Service is for law firms, corporate claimants, and defendants facing cartel proceedings.
• Litigation, damages and arbitration Expert economic analysis for private litigation cases, including cartel damages claims, arbitration proceedings, and court testimony on damages quantification. Service supports law firms and corporate clients in competition-related disputes.
• State aid & Foreign Subsidies Regulation Assessment of State aid issues, Market Economy Operator Principle analysis, and evaluation of foreign subsidies under the FSR for companies and public authorities. Service supports the European Commission, national ministries, regulators, and beneficiaries.
• Abuse of dominance Economic analysis of potential anti-competitive behavior under Article 102 TFEU, including application of the as-efficient-competitor test and effects-based assessment approaches. Service targets law firms, companies, and competition authorities.
• Regulated industries and market design Advisory on access regulation, rate setting, and market-design plans for regulated industries including telecommunications, rail transport, and energy sectors. Service supports regulators, ministries, and corporate clients in regulated sectors.
• Innovation, patents and copyright Expert economic advice on cases at the intersection of antitrust and intellectual property, including FRAND royalty assessments, standard essential patents, and copyright policy analysis. Service targets law firms and companies involved in IP and antitrust matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Consistently ranked in GCR 100 since 2008
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Berkeley Research Group (BRG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2026BRG acquired E.CA Economics in April 2026, expanding its European antitrust and competition consulting capabilities. E.CA now operates as part of BRG, a global expert services and consulting firm, strengthening presence across Europe and enhancing Antitrust & Competition and Regulation practices.
• ESMT BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerE.CA Economics is a partner of ESMT Berlin, the highest-ranked business school in Germany and Top 10 in Europe. This partnership enables E.CA to draw on the latest economic research and maintain academic rigor in consulting work. Several E.CA professionals hold academic positions at ESMT.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Oxera: European economics consultancy providing competition, regulatory, and dispute economics advice to law firms, companies, and regulators. Oxera overlaps with E.CA on competition economics and regulated-industry market design work, particularly in the UK and EU.
• Compass Lexecon: Global leader in competition economics consulting; provides expert economic analysis, testimony, and damages quantification in antitrust, merger, and IP matters. Compass Lexecon is the closest direct competitor to E.CA on complex multi-jurisdictional mandates, with a larger US bench.
• Bates White Economic Consulting: US-headquartered economic consultancy specializing in antitrust, damages, and regulatory economics; a former employer of E.CA Principal Jakub Kałużny. Bates White is comparable on competition economics depth and serves a similar law-firm client base on damages and merger matters.
• Charles River Associates (CRA): Global consulting firm with a leading Antitrust & Competition Economics practice offering economic analysis in merger, litigation, and regulatory matters. CRA competes head-to-head with E.CA across European competition mandates and was a previous employer of E.CA co-founder Rainer Nitsche.
• Frontier Economics: European economics consultancy with substantial competition, regulation, and litigation practices. Frontier competes with E.CA on EU and UK competition mandates and shares a similar European-headquartered profile and Big Law client base.
• Brattle Group: Global economics consulting firm with strong antitrust, litigation, and regulatory economics practices; advises clients on merger analysis, damages, and competition policy. Brattle competes with E.CA on complex competition mandates and shares a PhD-heavy talent model.
• RBB Economics: European competition economics consultancy specializing in merger analysis, antitrust litigation, and abuse of dominance cases. RBB is a directly comparable European competitor with similar credentials, depth of PhD talent, and core focus on competition economics.
• NERA Economic Consulting: Global economic consultancy with a strong competition and antitrust practice providing expert testimony and economic analysis in damages, merger, and abuse cases. NERA is a direct peer to E.CA in European competition litigation and damages quantification work.

Broad incumbents

• AlixPartners: Global consulting firm with significant competition economics, disputes, and regulatory advisory capabilities. AlixPartners is broader than E.CA but competes in adjacent competition and damages economics engagements, particularly in larger cross-border matters.
• Berkeley Research Group (BRG): Global expert services and consulting firm that acquired E.CA Economics in April 2026; BRG operates a broader portfolio of dispute, regulatory, and competition practices. As E.CA's new parent, BRG is the closest comparable in scale and service mix but offers a much wider practice footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/e-ca-economics

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 E.CA Economics