Gradwerk

What Gradwerk does

Gradwerk (legal entity gradwerk GmbH) is a privately-held German digital agency founded in 1998 and headquartered in Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein. The firm provides full-service digital agency offerings — consulting, design, and development — for websites, web applications, e-commerce, and digital platforms, serving public-sector, cultural, tourism, and selected enterprise clients primarily across Germany, with offices or service coverage in Lübeck, Kiel, Hamburg, Berlin, Köln, and München plus a claimed worldwide reach (supported by English and Danish localized websites).

The core of the business is CMS 6, a proprietary enterprise content management system developed entirely in-house over more than 27 years. CMS 6 integrates content management with AI-powered modules — Composer text generator (200+ templates, ChatGPT-backed), KI-Bildgenerator (AI image generation with Magic-Prompt-Optimizer), an AI chatbot, automated SEO/accessibility tooling, KI-Statistik analytics, mailing, surveys, video/audio team chat, deep-learning translation, smart databases, and a GDPR-compliant cookie consent module. Hosting and infrastructure are delivered from Gradwerk-controlled environments with European open-source AI model hosting for data sovereignty.

Gradwerk monetizes through three streams: (1) professional services for digital agency projects (consulting, design, development, delivered independently or alongside partner agencies); (2) recurring CMS 6 software licensing described as "fair and transparent" with annual billing and undisclosed tier pricing; and (3) recurring web hosting and server services bundled with CMS 6 deployments. The go-to-market is sales-led and direct, with online appointment booking, a contact form, and partner-agency reselling. No external funding, M&A activity, or leadership changes are evidenced; the authorized representative is Sven Laucke.

Name

Gradwerk

Legal name

gradwerk GmbH

Website

https://gradwerk.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gradwerk (gradwerk GmbH) is a privately-held German digital agency founded in 1998 in Lübeck, offering consulting, design, and development services on its proprietary AI-enabled CMS 6 platform for public-sector, cultural, and enterprise clients across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lübeck

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Agency Services (Beratung, Design, Entwicklung): Gradwerk provides full-service digital agency offerings including consulting, design, and software development for websites, web applications, and digital platforms of any size. Projects range from full digital transformations to partial deliverables. The agency collaborates directly with clients or alongside partner agencies.
2. CMS 6 Software Licensing: Gradwerk licenses its proprietary CMS 6 platform to clients. CMS 6 includes integrated AI features (Composer text generator, image generator, chatbot, statistics, mailing, surveys, and video meetings). The platform is described as having a fair and transparent licensing model and pricing.
3. Web Hosting and Server Services: Gradwerk provides web server and hosting services from its own infrastructure for clients using the CMS platform, as evidenced by references to their Data Processing Agreement covering 'Services such as our CMS platform and web servers from our house.'

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Gradwerk is a full-service digital agency that delivers consulting, design, and software development for websites, web applications, and digital platforms, with every project built exclusively on its proprietary AI-powered CMS 6 platform. CMS 6 integrates content management, AI text and image generation, chatbot, analytics, mailing, surveys, video meetings, and multilingual translation, and is licensed to clients together with agency services and hosting. The company serves public sector, cultural, tourism, and enterprise clients across Germany and worldwide.

Product overview

Gradwerk operates as a digital agency offering a unified platform-plus-modules architecture centered on CMS 6, their proprietary Enterprise Content Management System. CMS 6 serves as the core product with all client projects built exclusively on this platform. The platform integrates multiple AI-powered modules including Composer (text generation), KI-Bildgenerator (image generation), Chat-Bot, Mailing, Survey, Video/Audio Team Chat, and KI-Statistik (analytics). Additional modules include Deep-Learning Translation, Image Management with KI-Upscaler, Smart Databases, Commander-Kiosk, and Link-Pad. The offering is complemented by agency services in consulting, design, and development. The platform is marketed as DSGVO-ready (GDPR compliant) for European data protection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CMS 6 Enterprise-grade AI-powered content management system developed entirely in-house by Gradwerk, integrating content management, AI text and image generation, chatbot, analytics, mailing, surveys, video meetings, multilingual translation, smart databases, and GDPR-compliant cookie consent into a single unified platform. Licensed to clients and used as the foundation for all agency-delivered websites and web applications.
• Consulting Services Strategic and concept consulting for digital projects, covering concept and design development from project inception through completion. Delivered directly to clients and as part of collaborative processes alongside partner agencies.
• Design Services Visual design and user experience services for websites and applications, integrated into Gradwerk's digital agency offering and built around the CMS 6 platform.
• Development Services Application development services building websites, web applications, and custom software solutions on the CMS 6 platform, delivered for projects of any size from full digital transformations to partial deliverables.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gradwerk operates with 27+ years of experience in the digital space
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers34 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature14 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OpenAI (ChatGPT, Whisper STT)coreTechnology or IntegrationOpenAI provides AI-powered text and speech processing services including ChatGPT and Whisper Speech-to-Text. These technologies power the AI features within CMS 6, including the Composer text generator and voice capabilities. Data transfers to the USA under Standard Contractual Clauses per Art. 46 GDPR.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Webflow: Webflow is a visual CMS and website builder that combines SaaS publishing with professional-services-grade design control. It is comparable to Gradwerk's CMS 6 in targeting designers and content teams needing AI-augmented content workflows on a unified proprietary platform.
• Squarespace: Squarespace is a website builder and CMS with integrated design, commerce, and AI tools, marketed to creatives and SMBs. Comparable to Gradwerk's CMS 6 for combining polished design, AI features, and content management in a single platform.
• Drupal: Drupal is an open-source enterprise CMS widely adopted by government, cultural, and educational institutions globally — including many German public-sector sites. It competes with Gradwerk's CMS 6 in the same institutional content-management use cases where Gradwerk has strong penetration.
• Wix: Wix is a global website builder and CMS with integrated AI features (Wix ADI, AI text/image generation) and hosting. It competes directly with CMS 6 in the AI-augmented CMS category, though at a vastly larger scale and broader SMB focus.
• Jimdo: Jimdo is a Hamburg-based website builder and CMS platform serving SMBs and creators with an integrated DIY tool. Like Gradwerk, it is a German-headquartered CMS business targeting the DACH market, though Jimdo is productized/self-serve whereas Gradwerk bundles agency services.
• Sitecore: Sitecore is an enterprise CMS and digital experience platform with AI-powered personalization and content workflows. It is comparable to CMS 6 as an enterprise-grade, AI-augmented content platform, though Sitecore targets large global enterprises rather than regional German public-sector buyers.

Regional players

• Strato: Strato is a major German hosting and website builder provider (owned by IONOS) serving SMBs across Germany. Comparable to Gradwerk in the German market for hosting and CMS, though Strato operates at a much larger SMB-focused scale rather than bespoke public-sector projects.

Broad incumbents

• HubSpot CMS Hub: HubSpot CMS Hub is part of HubSpot's broader marketing/CRM platform, combining content management with AI content tools, marketing automation, and analytics. It is comparable to CMS 6 for bundling content management, AI generation, mailing, and analytics in a unified platform.
• IONOS: IONOS is a leading German web hosting, domain, and website builder provider serving SMBs and enterprises. It overlaps with Gradwerk's hosting and CMS offering at a much larger scale and is a natural incumbent competitor in the German market.
• Adobe Experience Manager: Adobe Experience Manager is an enterprise CMS within Adobe's broader Experience Cloud, offering content management with AI and personalization at global scale. It is a broad incumbent alternative to CMS 6 for large enterprise and public-sector digital experience projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gradwerk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gradwerk
• Instagraminstagram.com/gradwerk
• Xx.com/gradwerk

Compliance1 record

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 Gradwerk