Tierheimhelden

What Tierheimhelden does

This is the leading network to adopt pets from animal shelters in Germany. It partners with the federal association for animal welfare and is used by more than 50% of german animal shelters.

Name

Tierheimhelden

Legal name

Tierheimhelden gemeinnützige UG (haftungsbeschränkt)

Website

https://www.tierheimhelden.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

German Animal Shelter Adoption Platform

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Adoption Marketplace

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB)

Keywords

• Animal shelter adoption
• Pet adoption platform
• Shelter animal search
• Animal welfare marketplace
• Nonprofit pet matching

Headquarters

HQ city

Oberschleißheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: As a non-profit organization (gemeinnützige UG), Tierheimhelden relies on donations from supporters to maintain operations and its free service for all users. The platform explicitly states it is 100% free for both adopters and animal shelters.
2. Partnership Sponsorships: Support from corporate partners including pet food companies (mera), pet stores (Kölle Zoo, Fressnapf), animal hospitals (AniCura), insurance providers (Barmenia), and pet funeral services (Rosengarten) who support the platform's mission financially and through in-kind contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tierheimhelden operates a free online platform connecting German animal shelters with prospective pet adopters. The platform offers a searchable database of shelter animals (dogs, cats, small animals) with filters for species, breed, age, location, and emergency status, a shelter registration backend for managing animal profiles, and an editorial magazine (Tierheimhelden Magazin) covering pet care and adoption stories. The service is 100% free for both adopters and shelters and is sustained by donations and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Tierheimhelden is a charitable non-profit online animal adoption platform that serves as an intermediary between animal shelters across Germany and prospective pet adopters. The platform operates as a single unified product offering free services to both shelters and adopters, featuring a searchable animal directory organized by species (dogs, cats, small animals), a shelter registration system, an emergency animals section for urgent adoptions, and an editorial magazine with pet care content. The core platform is accessible at tierheimhelden.de with integrated shelter management tools, a newsletter service, and a magazine section at magazine.tierheimhelden.de.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tierheimhelden Magazin: An online magazine featuring helpful articles about living with animals, pet adoption stories, and tips for pet owners.

Products and services

• Tierheimhelden Animal Adoption Platform Free online marketplace platform that aggregates listings from German animal shelters and animal welfare organizations, allowing prospective adopters to search and filter dogs, cats, and small animals by species, breed, age, location, and special criteria, and to contact shelters directly to arrange adoptions.
• Tierheimhelden Magazin

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• TVT e.V. (Tierärztliche Vereinigung für Tierschutz e. V.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTVT e.V. serves as the official patron (Schirmherrin) of Tierheimhelden. This veterinary association provides professional credibility and support for the platform's animal welfare mission.
• LMU Entrepreneurship Center MünchencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTierheimhelden is promoted and supported by the LMU Entrepreneurship Center Munich, indicating academic backing and support for the startup.
• START NürnbergminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTierheimhelden was awarded the START Nürnberg Start-Stipendium, recognizing it as a promising startup venture.
• INFOWORXX GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationINFOWORXX GmbH is the technology partner behind Tierheimhelden, providing the technical infrastructure and development for the platform.
• TASSO e.V.moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerTASSO e.V. is Germany's pet registry. Partnership provides access to pet registration services supporting animal identification.
• VetiPrax.tvminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVetiPrax.tv is described as 'Tierarztfernsehen' (veterinary television), providing veterinary content that may support animal health awareness.
• Fressnapf (tierisch engagiert)moderateGTM or Marketing PartnerFressnapf, one of Europe's largest pet supply retailers, supports Tierheimhelden through its 'tierisch engagiert' corporate social responsibility initiative. Fressnapf collects donations and supports animal welfare organizations.
• Kölle ZoomoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerKölle Zoo is a leading pet specialty retailer with 22 experience markets in Germany and Austria. They support Tierheimhelden with donations, joint promotions, and special discounts for adopters who present adoption contracts.
• AniCura DeutschlandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAniCura is a network of animal hospitals across Europe. They advertise on Tierheimhelden as part of their network partner support for animal welfare.
• BarmeniaGothaerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBarmeniaGothaer is a German insurance company offering pet health insurance (Hundekrankenversicherung, Katzenkrankenversicherung). They advertise on Tierheimhelden as a network partner.
• mera - The Petfood FamilymoderateGTM or Marketing Partnermera is a German pet food manufacturer offering premium dog and cat food. They support Tierheimhelden as a sponsor, providing pet food products for adoption events and promotions.
• ROSENGARTEN-TierbestattungminorGTM or Marketing PartnerROSENGARTEN is a German pet funeral and cremation service. They advertise on Tierheimhelden as a network partner for comprehensive pet owner services.
• bvvd e. V. (Bundesverband der Veterinärmedizinstudierenden Deutschland)minorGTM or Marketing Partnerbvvd e. V. is the German federal association of veterinary medicine students. They support Tierheimhelden as part of their engagement in animal welfare.
• StylsnoutminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStylsnout is a German cult brand for dog collars and accessories. They support Tierheimhelden as a partner, providing products for adoption promotions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tierheim.de: Tierheim.de is a German online directory listing animals from registered animal shelters across Germany for adoption. It directly competes with Tierheimhelden on the same product category (shelter animal search/matchmaking) and the same German audience, making it the closest head-to-head comparable.
• Petfinder: Petfinder is one of the largest digital pet adoption platforms, connecting adopters with shelter and rescue animals. It operates the same core matchmaking business model as Tierheimhelden, scaled across the US and Canada, and serves as the most mature blueprint for Tierheimhelden's category.
• Adopt-a-Pet: Adopt-a-Pet is a North American non-profit pet adoption platform that connects adopters with rescue organisations and shelters. It mirrors Tierheimhelden's charitable, free-to-user model and demonstrates the same adoption matchmaking category in a different geography.
• RescueGroups.org: RescueGroups.org provides animal welfare organisations with software and an adoption listings platform, including searchable directories of rescue animals. Comparable to Tierheimhelden because it serves the shelter/rescue supply side with digital listing tools that drive adoption matchmaking.

Broad incumbents

• Deutscher Tierschutzbund: Deutscher Tierschutzbund is Germany's largest umbrella animal welfare organisation, representing over 740 member shelters and operating its own adoption channels. Comparable to Tierheimhelden as the dominant German animal welfare incumbent whose member shelters are also potential Tierheimhelden platform users.
• VIER PFOTEN (Four Paws): VIER PFOTEN is an international animal welfare organisation active across Europe with shelter and adoption programs. Comparable to Tierheimhelden as a broader, well-funded animal welfare player whose German operations overlap with the same adopter and shelter audiences.
• Battersea Dogs & Cats Home: Battersea is a leading UK animal shelter running a large-scale, brand-led adoption operation with strong media presence. Comparable to Tierheimhelden as a high-trust, established shelter/adoption brand that demonstrates how an institutional animal welfare organisation can dominate adoption in a single market.
• PetSmart Charities: PetSmart Charities is a large North American animal welfare foundation funding adoption programs and operating adoption centres inside PetSmart stores. Comparable to Tierheimhelden because it funds and runs shelter-to-adopter matchmaking at scale through a retail-backed model with strong partner ecosystem leverage.

Emerging players

• TASSO e.V. TASSO e.V. is Germany's largest pet registry for identification and reunification of lost animals. It overlaps with Tierheimhelden's German pet owner audience and already partners with the platform, but its core product (lost & found, microchipping) is adjacent rather than directly competing with adoption matchmaking.

Regional players

• Pfotenhilfe Ungarn: Pfotenhilfe Ungarn is a German-supported animal welfare organisation rescuing dogs primarily from Hungary and rehoming them in German-speaking markets. Comparable to Tierheimhelden's international rescue flow (Italy, Spain, Croatia) because it routes cross-border shelter supply into German adopter demand via a non-profit model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Tierheimhelden

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Tierheimhelden