CKE
CKE (Carl Kliem Energy GmbH) is a neutral German energy consulting firm serving utilities, energy traders, industrial customers, and public institutions across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It delivers strategic advisory, proprietary price forward curves, Excel-based software tools, and the modular CKE Club online platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersKelkheim, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CKE does
CKE (Carl Kliem Energy GmbH) is a privately held, neutral energy consulting and software firm founded in 1999 and headquartered in Eppstein in the Rhein-Main region of Germany. The company serves energy suppliers (notably small and medium-sized municipal utilities known as Stadtwerke), energy traders, industrial energy consumers, and public institutions across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and reports having accompanied more than 350 customers over its operating history. Its offering spans strategic procurement and risk advisory, sales and marketing consulting, innovation management, IT and digitalization services, a twice-yearly training-camp program, and the PERCUMA conference venue in the Rhein-Main area.
The company’s products center on two surfaces. The first is a portfolio of Excel/VBA-based tools — most prominently the proprietary modeled price forward curves (HFC and Q-HFC for electricity, DFC for gas covering THE, GPL, and TTF, and MFC for oil covering HEL and HSL), the Trendliner trading signal model, the load-profile pricing tool, and the iHR-Reporter for automated customer reporting — built around specialized analytical assets developed over 15+ years. The second surface is the CKE Club, an in-house web platform (club.ck-energy.de) launched in a major 2.0 release in 2020 that delivers these tools as modular subscriptions (Basis membership, price curves, premium market data from EEX and Swissix, limit monitoring, load profile pricing, trading simulation) and serves as the primary mid-funnel distribution channel.
CKE monetizes through five streams: project-based consulting and advisory work, recurring CKE Club subscriptions (semi-annual or annual billing per contract), training camps and seminars sold per training day or workshop, modular software licenses with implementation services, and the PERCUMA event venue. Customer acquisition is sales-led, relying on direct outreach, the company’s website and blog (www.cke-querdenker.de), email newsletters, twice-yearly training camps, referrals, and organic search. Pricing for CKE Club and consulting work is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
CKE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CKE
- Legal name
- Carl Kliem Energy GmbH
- Website
- https://ck-energy.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CKE (Carl Kliem Energy GmbH) is a neutral German energy consulting firm serving utilities, energy traders, industrial customers, and public institutions across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It delivers strategic advisory, proprietary price forward curves, Excel-based software tools, and the modular CKE Club online platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CKE industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Energy Consulting & Software
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231), Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221)
- akta.pro primary industry
- C&I Energy Risk Management & Contract Administration (Credit, Billing, Settlements) (EUAGACAL)
Keywords
Where CKE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kelkheim
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
CKE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Consulting and Advisory Services: Strategy consulting, procurement support, portfolio and risk management advisory, innovation management, sales and marketing consulting, and process optimization engagements. Revenue is project-based and likely quoted per engagement.
- CKE Club Subscription (Online Portal): Modular subscription-based online platform (CKE Club) offering market data, price curves, load profile pricing, limit monitoring, trading simulation, and Excel tools. Billed semi-annually or annually per contract. More than 200 utilities subscribe to price curve products alone.
- Training Camps and Seminars: Portfolio and risk management training camps (held twice yearly), individual training days, in-house workshops, and specialized training (energy trading, Excel for energy economics). Training days are booked individually or as a package.
- Software Licenses and Tools: Excel-based power and gas tools (RLM and SLP load profile tools, portfolio management, VaR and binding period calculations), iHR-Reporter for automated customer reporting, and implementation/support services for specialized software. Software is modular and customizable.
- PERCUMA Event and Conference Location: CKE operates its own creativity-fostering conference and event location (opened May 2016) in the Rhein-Main region, serving as an additional revenue stream and differentiating service.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | CKE Club — Basis Membership (Entry Tier) |
| Subscription | Annual | CKE Preiskurven-Abonnement (Price Curve Subscription) |
| Subscription | Annual | Limit Monitoring (Add-on / Standalone) |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Training Camps — Individual Training Days |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
CKE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CKE is a neutral energy consulting and software firm offering strategy consulting (energy procurement, portfolio and risk management, sales and marketing, innovation management, IT solutions) bundled with proprietary software tools. Flagship technology assets include the CKE Club online platform, modeled price forward curves (HFC, DFC, QHFC, MFC) used by 200+ utilities for portfolio valuation, the Strom- und Gas-Tool for load profile pricing, the iHR-Reporter for automated customer reporting, and the Trendliner trading signal system. CKE also runs twice-yearly training camps and operates the PERCUMA event venue in the Rhein-Main region.
Product overview
CKE (Carl Kliem Energy GmbH) operates as a neutral energy consulting firm since 1999 with two distinct offerings: professional services (energy procurement consulting, sales/marketing, IT solutions, innovation management, training) and the CKE Club SaaS platform. The CKE Club is a modular online platform offering price forward curves (HFC, QHFC for electricity; DFC for gas; MFC for oil), Premium market data with EEX products, limit monitoring, load profile pricing, trading simulation, and Excel-based tools. Software solutions include the Strom- und Gas-Tool for RLM/SLP load profiles and iHR-Reporter for automated reporting. CKE also operates PERCUMA, a conference and event location opened in 2016.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CKE Club: Online portal providing market data, load profile pricing, limit monitoring, trading simulation, and portfolio tools for energy professionals.
- PERCUMA
Products and services
- CKE Club Modular online platform (club.ck-energy.de) for energy professionals providing market data, modeled price forward curves, limit monitoring, load profile pricing, trading simulation, and Excel-based tools for energy suppliers, traders, and industrial customers.
- CKE Preiskurven-Abonnement (Price Curves Subscription) Subscription access to CKE's modeled price forward curves — HFC (electricity settlement), Q-HFC (quarter-hourly electricity with ramp evaluation), DFC (gas for THE, GPL/NCG, TTF), and MFC (oil for HEL and HSL) — used by 200+ utilities for market-accurate customer and portfolio valuation, delivered daily via email or online.
- Trainingscamps (Training Camps and Seminars) Training programs for energy market newcomers and experts covering portfolio and risk management, energy trading wholesale and market analysis, energy economics fundamentals, and Excel for energy economics, delivered as individual training days, multi-day camps, in-house workshops, and VIP management trainings at PERCUMA or on client sites.
- Energiebeschaffung (Energy Procurement Consulting) Strategic consulting on energy procurement including procurement model selection, tendering, risk handbook development, procurement optimization, reporting, and software support, for utilities, traders, and industrial customers in the DACH region.
- Vertrieb, Marketing & Sales (Sales and Marketing Consulting) Sales and marketing consulting including strategy, data analysis, sales planning and controlling, organization and process consulting, and workshops on creative methods, communication, and product introduction for energy sector companies.
- Innovationsmanagement (Innovation Management Consulting) Innovation management consulting combining strategy and product development methods with modern creativity techniques (Design Thinking) and agile workshop facilitation for energy sector clients.
- IT-Solutions und Digitalisierung (IT Solutions and Digitalization Consulting) IT consulting covering process optimization, data analysis, requirements catalogs, software tendering, online portals, and CKE Club platform services for energy sector clients.
- Strom- und Gas-Tool (Power and Gas Excel Tool) Excel-based software for energy suppliers covering RLM and SLP load profile roll-out, pricing, procurement mapping, portfolio reports, and VaR and binding period calculations, delivered modularly with customization services.
- iHR-Reporter Automated procurement reporting tool for tranche customers that creates professional reports in customer-specific design with automatic market data import, PDF generation, and personalized email distribution, available as a white-label product.
- PERCUMA (Conference and Event Location) Creativity-promoting conference and event venue in the Rhein-Main region, voted into the Top 10 venues in the region twice since opening, used by CKE for training camps and also rented out as an event location.
Quantifiable outcome
- More than 200 utilities use CKE's price curves (HFC and DFC) as a standard for portfolio valuation
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use CKE
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CKE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability4 records
Feature6 records
CKE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CKE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Energy Brainpool: Berlin-based energy market analytics and consulting firm offering price forecasts, market data, and procurement support to utilities and traders across DACH. Directly comparable to CKE's price curve, market analysis, and Stadtwerke advisory offerings.
- KISTERS: German vendor of software solutions for energy data management, portfolio management, forecasting, and trading. Closely comparable to CKE's Excel-based Strom- und Gas-Tool, load profile pricing, and portfolio reporting products.
Emerging players
- Energy2market (e2m): Leipzig-based digital energy platform aggregating and marketing distributed generation, with market data and trading tools. Comparable to CKE's market data and trading-simulation tools but focused on renewable/DER integration.
Broad incumbents
- Montel: European energy market data, news, and analytics provider serving utilities, traders, and analysts. Comparable to CKE's market data subscriptions and market commentary offerings, but at a much larger European scale.
- EEX (European Energy Exchange): Leipzig-based leading European energy exchange operating spot and derivatives markets for power, gas, coal, and CO2. Comparable as an upstream data and market infrastructure provider whose products feed CKE's Premium Marktdaten module.
- EnBW Trading: Trading arm of one of Germany's largest energy groups, active in wholesale electricity, gas, and CO2 with proprietary analytics. Relevant incumbent comparator for CKE's trader-segment services.
- EUWID: European energy market information service covering electricity, gas, and renewables with subscription-based market reports. Comparable to CKE's daily/weekly market reports and CKE Club market commentary.
- Vattenfall Energy Trading: Major European energy trader and optimizer with deep portfolio and risk management capabilities. Comparable as a broader incumbent operating in the same energy procurement and risk management space CKE serves.
- PwC Energy Practice: Global consulting firm's energy advisory practice serving utilities and traders on procurement, risk, and strategy. Comparable to CKE's strategy and risk management consulting work, though at much larger scale and broader scope.
Regional players
- Trianel: Aachen-based municipal utility consortium providing joint procurement, trading, and digital services to Stadtwerke. Comparable as a Stadtwerke-focused procurement and energy services counterpart, though structured as a cooperative.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CKE social profiles
Digital presenceCKE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CKE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
CKE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CKE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CKE
What does CKE do?
CKE is a neutral energy consulting and software firm offering strategy consulting (energy procurement, portfolio and risk management, sales and marketing, innovation management, IT solutions) bundled with proprietary software tools. Flagship technology assets include the CKE Club online platform, modeled price forward curves (HFC, DFC, QHFC, MFC) used by 200+ utilities for portfolio valuation, the Strom- und Gas-Tool for load profile pricing, the iHR-Reporter for automated customer reporting, and the Trendliner trading signal system. CKE also runs twice-yearly training camps and operates the PERCUMA event venue in the Rhein-Main region.
Is CKE a public or private company?
CKE is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CKE founded?
CKE was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CKE based?
CKE is headquartered in Kelkheim, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does CKE make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Consulting and Advisory Services are the primary driver. The others are CKE Club Subscription (Online Portal), training Camps and Seminars, software Licenses and Tools and PERCUMA Event and Conference Location.
Who are CKE's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Energy Brainpool and KISTERS. Energy2market (e2m) is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Montel, EEX (European Energy Exchange), EnBW Trading, EUWID, Vattenfall Energy Trading and PwC Energy Practice. Trianel is listed as a regional player.
Does CKE have an API?
No public API is recorded for CKE.
What industry is CKE in?
CKE's product category is Energy Consulting & Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAGACAL, C&I Energy Risk Management & Contract Administration (Credit, Billing, Settlements). Its NAICS code is 5231 and its SIC code is 6221.