alpha-board GmbH

What alpha-board GmbH does

alpha-board GmbH is a Berlin-based, owner-managed engineering services company founded in 1990 by Brigitte Groß, specializing in agile hardware development and PCB design for German hardware startups, established industrial firms, and research institutions. Its core offering bundles four integrated services: (1) agile hardware development for microcontroller, sensor, wireless, IoT, and wearable systems, executed in one-week SCRUM sprints and built on the open-source Zephyr OS RTOS; (2) PCB design and layout using industry-standard EDA tools (Altium Designer, KiCAD, Mentor Expedition, PADS Power PCB, Eagle), with all designs produced 100% in Berlin; (3) proof-of-concept prototyping for hardware startups, including beta testing, investor demos, and cost validation; and (4) PCB manufacturing and assembly, delivered in partnership with sister company ANDUS ELECTRONIC for prototypes up to 100,000 units and 1,000-unit assembly batches. Add-on services include EDA tool conversion (notably Altium to KiCAD), design review, manufacturing cost optimization, and obsolete component replacement.

The company's business model is professional-services-led with project-based, quote-only pricing and no disclosed tiers. It sells through direct phone and email outreach led by Managing Director Gregor Groß (since 2008) and sales lead Patrick Buchholz, supported by content marketing (technical blog, Agile Embedded Podcast appearance, conference talks at Power of Electronics and ESE-Kongress in 2025). Customer logos span enterprise (ALLTEC, Kurz Industrie-Elektronik, Automation Technology GmbH), government/aerospace (DLR Institut für Robotik, with work referenced on Rapid Eye and Galileo satellites), and education (Technische Universität Berlin), totaling 123+ customers. The company holds EN ISO 9001:2015 certification from TÜV Süd continuously since 2019 (re-certified to 28.9.2028) and is bootstrapped with no external funding. On March 1, 2026, alpha-board will be absorbed into ANDUS ELECTRONIC GmbH, with most of its team continuing at the merged entity.

Name

alpha-board GmbH

Legal name

alpha-board gmbh

Website

https://alpha-board.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

alpha-board GmbH is a Berlin-based, owner-managed engineering services firm founded in 1990 that delivers agile hardware development, PCB design, prototyping, and PCB manufacturing/assembly services to German hardware startups, industrial firms, and research institutions, scheduled to be absorbed into ANDUS ELECTRONIC in March 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electronic Design Services

NAICS

Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing (334418), Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing (334412)

SIC

Printed Circuit Boards (3672), Electronic Components, Nec (3679)

akta.pro primary industry

PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS) (HDAHAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

PCB Fabrication (Flex & Rigid-Flex PCBs) (HDAHAOAH), Industrial PCB & Substrate Components (Bare PCBs, rigid-flex, ceramic substrates, thick-film) (IMAGAJAM)

Keywords

• PCB design services
• Agile hardware development
• Electronics engineering services
• PCB prototyping manufacturing
• Embedded systems development

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Development Services: Agile hardware development projects, including microcontroller, sensor, wireless communication, IoT and wearable tech development. Projects include proof-of-concept prototypes for hardware startups.
2. PCB Design / Layout Services: PCB design and layout services using Altium Designer, KiCAD, Mentor Expedition, PADS Power PCB, and Eagle. 100% of designs produced in Berlin.
3. PCB Manufacturing: Prototype to medium series production (up to 100,000 units) through ANDUS ELECTRONIC partnership. Includes flex, rigid-flex, multi-layer, HF/HDI, impedance measurement, heavy copper, and heating foils.
4. PCB Assembly: Component assembly services from prototypes to 1,000 units. Specializes in small quantities, high product variety, and fast delivery through ANDUS ELECTRONIC.
5. Tool Conversion Services: Conversion of PCB designs between different EDA tools, specifically Altium to KiCAD conversions, and general tool conversions to Altium or KiCAD.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

alpha-board GmbH is a Berlin-based electronic design services firm offering agile hardware development (microcontrollers, sensor technology, wireless communication, IoT, wearable tech using open-source Zephyr OS) and PCB design/layout using Altium Designer, KiCAD, Mentor Expedition, PADS Power PCB, and Eagle, with all layouts produced 100% in Berlin. The company also delivers proof-of-concept prototyping for hardware startups, PCB manufacturing and assembly (prototypes to medium series of 100,000 units) via its sister company ANDUS ELECTRONIC, and add-on services including EDA tool conversion, design review, manufacturing cost optimization, and obsolete component replacement.

Product overview

alpha-board GmbH is a Berlin-based, owner-managed service provider founded in 1990, specializing in agile hardware development and PCB design. The core offering consists of four integrated services: (1) Agile Hardware-Entwicklung using open-source Zephyr OS and iterative SCRUM-based workflows; (2) PCB-Design / Leiterplattenlayout using industry-standard EDA tools (Altium Designer, KiCAD, Mentor Expedition, PADS, Eagle); (3) Konzepterstellung / Prototypenbau supporting hardware startups from proof-of-concept through investor-ready prototypes; and (4) Leiterplatten-Fertigung and Bestückung (PCB manufacturing and assembly) via its sister company ANDUS ELECTRONIC, covering prototypes through medium series (100,000 units). Add-on services include EDA tool conversion (e.g., Altium to KiCAD), design reviews, manufacturing cost optimization, and obsolete component replacement. The company is TÜV Süd certified to EN ISO 9001:2015.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agile Hardware-Entwicklung (Agile Hardware Development) Full-stack agile hardware development service covering microcontroller systems, sensor integration, wireless communication, IoT, and wearable technology, using open-source Zephyr OS and iterative SCRUM-based workflows with end-user testing; targets hardware startups and established companies that need to shorten time-to-market.
• PCB-Design / Leiterplattenlayout PCB design and layout service for single-sided to complex multilayer boards, using EDA tools including Altium Designer, KiCAD, Mentor Expedition, PADS Power PCB, and Eagle; all designs produced 100% in Berlin for industrial and research customers.
• Konzepterstellung / Prototypenbau (Concept Creation / Prototyping) Proof-of-concept prototyping and mockup service for hardware startups, enabling user beta testing, investor pitches, risk minimization, assumption validation, and precise cost estimation for new hardware products.
• Leiterplatten-Fertigung (PCB Manufacturing) PCB manufacturing service from prototypes to medium series up to 100,000 units, covering flex, rigid-flex, long-flex, advanced multilayer, HF/HDI/impedance measurement (to 5%), heavy copper, and heating foils, delivered via ANDUS ELECTRONIC in Berlin.
• Bestückung (PCB Assembly) PCB assembly service from prototype quantities up to 1,000 units, specializing in small batch sizes, high product variety, and fast delivery, performed in-house at ANDUS ELECTRONIC in Berlin.
• Toolkonvertierung zu Altium oder KiCAD (EDA Tool Conversion) Conversion of PCB design data from one EDA tool to another, especially Altium to KiCAD, enabling cost savings, open-source availability, and broader team accessibility for customers on heterogeneous tool chains.
• Design-Review Critical review service for hardware startup designs, covering design for manufacturing (DfM), series production optimization, design rule verification, and impedance checks.
• Fertigungskosten-Optimierung (Manufacturing Cost Optimization) Cost optimization service for PCB manufacturing, helping reduce production expenses through design review and manufacturing process improvements.
• Ersatz obsoleter Bauteile (Obsolete Component Replacement) Service to find replacements for obsolete electronic components in customer BOMs, verifying alternatives and updating schematics and PCB designs as needed.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered usable hardware prototypes weekly in one-week SCRUM sprints
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ANDUS ELECTRONIC GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Integration/partnership announced March 2026. A large part of alpha-board's team continues work at ANDUS ELECTRONIC. Manufacturing services (PCB production and assembly) are provided through ANDUS ELECTRONIC at their Berlin facility. Shared address at Görlitzer Strasse 52, Berlin.
• Navimatix GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanning a two-day training seminar on Zephyr OS with focus on DeviceTrees. Intended for approximately 1,400€ for two days, planned for Q3 2025.
• Inovex GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented at Power of Electronics conference (October 2025) on agile hardware development. Also offers Zephyr OS training workshops (1,200€ for two days) in Cologne, Erlangen, Munich, Karlsruhe.
• Boris Gloger Consulting (Boris Gloger)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSCRUM coaching partnership. Boris Gloger, Germany's most well-known SCRUM author, visited alpha-board and established collaboration to set up SCRUM team, work strictly according to SCRUM, and analyze differences between software and hardware SCRUM implementation.
• heyData GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerData protection officer provider. heyData GmbH serves as alpha-board's external data protection officer, located at Schützenstraße 5, 10117 Berlin.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Eurocircuits: European PCB prototype and small-series manufacturer with pooled PCB assembly services. Competes for the same SME/startup prototyping and small-batch PCB business as alpha-board's manufacturing arm.
• Beta LAYOUT GmbH: German PCB prototype service offering design support, prototyping, and small-batch assembly for engineers and startups. Directly comparable on PCB layout services and small-series manufacturing for the same hardware-startup segment alpha-board serves.
• LeitOn GmbH: German PCB design service bureau offering layout and EDA conversion services. Directly comparable on PCB layout services and EDA tool migration support that alpha-board also provides as add-on offerings.
• Multi-CB (Multi Circuit Boards): German PCB prototype and small-series manufacturer offering assembly and layout support. Competes for the same prototype-to-low-volume PCB business and serves overlapping German hardware customers.
• ANDUS ELECTRONIC GmbH: Berlin-based sister company absorbing alpha-board on March 1, 2026; provides the PCB manufacturing and assembly leg of alpha-board's stack (flex, rigid-flex, multilayer, HF/HDI) and shares the Görlitzer Strasse 52 address. Directly comparable as PCB production partner.
• Inovex GmbH: German IT and embedded development services firm that co-presents with alpha-board on agile hardware development and runs Zephyr OS training workshops. Directly comparable as an agile embedded/hardware development services partner serving German Mittelstand and startups.

Broad incumbents

• Katek SE: European EMS group with electronic design, prototyping, and series PCB assembly capabilities serving industrial customers. Comparable broader incumbent in the design-to-assembly segment alpha-board plays in.
• Zollner Elektronik AG: Large German EMS provider with electronic design services, PCBA, and box-build for industrial/medical/aerospace customers. Overlaps with alpha-board on PCB design-plus-assembly but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Würth Elektronik: German electronics manufacturer with a PCB division offering design support, prototypes, and small-to-medium series. Overlaps with alpha-board on PCB manufacturing services as a much larger established player with broader component catalog.
• Avnet Embedded (Avnet Inc.): Global electronics distributor with design-in and embedded hardware development services. Comparable as a larger incumbent offering bundled hardware development, PCB reference designs, and component sourcing for IoT/embedded customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pcbdesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alpha-board-gmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/alphaboard

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 alpha-board GmbH