Keyed
Keyed is a German legal-tech company providing external data protection officers, AI compliance services, and proprietary DSMS software for over 750 German-speaking B2B clients seeking GDPR and EU AI Act compliance.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersAltenberge, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Keyed does
Keyed GmbH is a German legal-tech and regulatory compliance company founded in 2017 by Nils Möllers and headquartered in Altenberge, Germany. The company serves over 750 German-speaking B2B clients with a dual offering: (1) outsourced consulting services where certified lawyers (zertifizierte Juristen) act as the client's external Data Protection Officer (externer Datenschutzbeauftragter) and external AI Officer (externer KI-Beauftragter), and (2) proprietary Data Protection Management Software (Datenschutzmanagement-Software / DSMS) for companies that already maintain internal compliance teams. Its technology stack includes an in-house DSMS with over 300 lawyer-authored templates, automated processing activity registers, data processing agreement (AVV) management, DSFA workflows, role/authorization concepts, Kanban-based task management, multi-client (Mandantenfähigkeit) capability, and audit-ready reporting. An add-on KI-Management-Software module extends the platform to EU AI Act (KI-VO) compliance, and a sub-brand called hellotrust provides cookie consent management. The business model is subscription-recurring for both the consulting services (€350–800/month per DPO mandate with €3,000+ setup fees) and the SaaS software (freemium plus paid tiers), sold primarily through direct sales with a "Get a Quote" (Angebot erhalten) call-to-action targeting German mid-market and enterprise customers. Notable reference customers include d.velop AG, SNOCKS Group, IONOS, LUSH, apetito, FAZ, REMONDIS, Caritas, DRK, rapidmail, and Belonio.
Keyed firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Keyed
- Legal name
- Keyed GmbH
- Website
- https://keyed.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Keyed is a German legal-tech company providing external data protection officers, AI compliance services, and proprietary DSMS software for over 750 German-speaking B2B clients seeking GDPR and EU AI Act compliance.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Keyed industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Privacy Compliance Services
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Data Privacy, Consent & Compliance Management (HDAEADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Privacy Governance & Consent Management (HDADAIAI)
Keywords
Where Keyed is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Altenberge
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Keyed business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- External Data Protection Officer Services (Externer Datenschutzbeauftragter): Recurring consulting services where certified lawyers serve as appointed external DPOs for clients. Market standard pricing ranges from €350-800 per month depending on company size, with initial setup fees starting from €3,000. This represents the core recurring revenue stream for companies without internal data protection resources.
- External AI Officer Services (Externer KI-Beauftragter): Recurring consulting services for AI regulation compliance (KI-VO/EU AI Act) with certified AI compliance officers serving as appointed external AI officers.
- Data Protection Management Software (Datenschutzmanagement-Software): Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription model for companies with existing internal data protection teams. Offers a free tier and paid tiers for comprehensive data protection management. Features include templates, workflow automation, and audit capabilities.
- AI Management Software: Additional software module for AI regulation compliance, available as an add-on to the core data protection management system.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | External DPO Monthly Fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Initial Audit/Setup Fee |
| Freemium | Monthly | Software Free Tier |
| Subscription | Monthly | Software Paid Tiers |
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Keyed product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Keyed GmbH provides a hybrid compliance offering for German-speaking companies: (1) bundled external Data Protection Officer and external AI Officer services delivered by certified lawyers, and (2) a proprietary Data Protection Management Software (DSMS) platform with an AI management add-on for companies that already operate internal data protection teams. The DSMS centralizes GDPR documentation, templates, audits, and data subject request workflows, and is also included with the outsourced officer service.
Product overview
Keyed offers a dual-path approach to data protection and AI compliance: software solutions for companies with internal resources, and full-service consulting for companies without. The core product is the Datenschutz-Management-Software (DSMS), a data protection management platform that centralizes compliance workflows, documentation, and task management. The DSMS comes with over 300 templates from lawyers and can be extended with the KI-Management-Software module for EU AI Act compliance. On the consulting side, Keyed provides certified lawyers as external data protection officers (Externer Datenschutzbeauftragter) and external AI officers (Externer KI-Beauftragter), with the software included as part of the service. Keyed also operates the hellotrust sub-brand for cookie consent management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- hellotrust: A cookie consent management and privacy compliance tool developed by Keyed GmbH for website data protection compliance.
Products and services
- Datenschutz-Management-Software (DSMS) SaaS platform for companies with internal data protection teams that centralizes privacy compliance documentation, templates, task management via Kanban boards, automated risk assessments, and audit reporting; includes over 300 templates from certified lawyers and a multi-client capability for corporate groups.
- KI-Management-Software (AI Management Software) Add-on software module for managing EU AI Act (KI-VO) compliance, available as an extension to the core DSMS for organizations deploying or using AI systems.
- Externer Datenschutzbeauftragter (External Data Protection Officer) Outsourced data protection officer service in which certified lawyers fulfill the GDPR-mandated DPO role for client companies that lack internal resources; includes Keyed's DSMS software and liability coverage by Westfälische Provinzial Versicherung AG.
- Externer KI-Beauftragter (External AI Officer) Outsourced AI compliance officer service providing certified consultants to handle EU AI Act obligations for companies that lack internal AI governance expertise.
- EU-Vertreter (EU Representative) Service providing an Article 27 EU representative for non-EU controllers and processors that process personal data of EU residents, as required by GDPR.
- hellotrust Cookie consent management platform and privacy compliance technology brand developed by Keyed GmbH, providing legally required cookie notices and consent management for website operators.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% reduction in internal compliance effort through software automation
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Keyed
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Keyed technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature16 records
Keyed partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Mitarbeiterschule (E-Learning Platform)minorKeyed recommends the Mitarbeiterschule e-learning platform for flexible and cost-effective employee training on data protection and other compliance topics. This is a recommended partner for customer education needs.
- Westfälische Provinzial Versicherung AGminorProfessional liability insurance provider for Keyed GmbH. Coverage scope is Germany (Geltungsraum: Deutschland). Located at Provincial-Allee 1, 48131 Münster.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Keyed competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- OneTrust: US-originated, now broadly global privacy/GRC platform offering consent management, DSAR automation, and DPO-adjacent workflows; competes with Keyed's DSMS at larger enterprises and is the main land-grab incumbent.
- Collibra: Global data governance and data catalog platform that increasingly overlaps with privacy/governance use cases; competes for the data-governance budget that often anchors DSMS decisions at larger Keyed-target accounts.
- TrustArc: Privacy compliance software vendor offering consent, assessment, and program management tooling with associated DPO/professional services; broad incumbent to Keyed in the privacy management category.
- Securys: European data protection and cybersecurity consultancy that originated from Maetzler & Partner; offers enterprise DPO services and DSMS-style tooling comparable to Keyed's offering for cross-border clients.
Direct peers
- Priverion: German-Austrian DSGVO compliance software vendor that combined with external DPO services; competes directly with Keyed for mid-market customers in Germany and Austria seeking both consulting and software.
- 2B Advice: Germany-based privacy compliance consultancy offering external DPO services combined with proprietary DSMS tooling for DSGVO compliance; the closest like-for-like competitor to Keyed's hybrid model in the DACH market.
Emerging players
- DPOrganizer: Nordic-originated DSMS and DPO workflow software targeting DSGVO/GDPR programs at mid-market European companies; focused software-only competitor without a large consulting arm.
- WireWheel: Privacy management and DSAR automation platform focused on mid-market and enterprise customers; competes with Keyed's DSMS in the software layer without offering external DPO staffing.
Regional players
- Dataguard: German/Austrian external DPO provider with DSGVO consulting focus; regional DACH peer competing with Keyed for SME and mid-market mandates.
- EQS Group: German compliance and corporate-governance software company with a strong DACH footprint in compliance, ethics, and whistleblowing; adjacent competitor for corporate compliance budgets that often overlap with privacy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Keyed social profiles
Digital presenceKeyed financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Keyed leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Keyed funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Keyed 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 Keyed
What does Keyed do?
Keyed GmbH provides a hybrid compliance offering for German-speaking companies: (1) bundled external Data Protection Officer and external AI Officer services delivered by certified lawyers, and (2) a proprietary Data Protection Management Software (DSMS) platform with an AI management add-on for companies that already operate internal data protection teams. The DSMS centralizes GDPR documentation, templates, audits, and data subject request workflows, and is also included with the outsourced officer service.
Is Keyed a public or private company?
Keyed is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Keyed founded?
Keyed was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Keyed based?
Keyed is headquartered in Altenberge, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Keyed make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. External Data Protection Officer Services (Externer Datenschutzbeauftragter) is the primary driver. The others are external AI Officer Services (Externer KI-Beauftragter), data Protection Management Software (Datenschutzmanagement-Software) and AI Management Software.
Who are Keyed's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are OneTrust, Collibra, TrustArc and Securys. Direct peers are Priverion and 2B Advice. Emerging players are DPOrganizer and WireWheel. Regional players are Dataguard and EQS Group.
Does Keyed have an API?
No public API is recorded for Keyed.
What industry is Keyed in?
Keyed's product category is Privacy Compliance Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEADAG, Data Privacy, Consent & Compliance Management, with a secondary code of HDADAIAI, Privacy Governance & Consent Management. Its NAICS code is 5415 and its SIC code is 7370.