ADVICO

What ADVICO does

ADVICO Unternehmensberatung AG is a German mid-market management consulting firm founded in 1999 and headquartered in Leonberg near Stuttgart, serving small and medium-sized enterprises (KMU) and entrepreneurs across Germany. Its core practice covers five service lines: Existenzgründung (start-up consulting), Finanzierung & Fördermittel (financing and subsidy advisory), Sanierung & Restrukturierung (IDW S6 restructuring assessments), Wachstumsstrategien (growth strategy), and Franchising (franchise system development and franchisee recruitment). The firm claims success rates above 90% in financing engagements and reports over 1,000 consulting projects completed within the last 15 years.

The operating group comprises four entities: ADVICO Unternehmensberatung AG (the consulting parent), ADVICO Bildungsinstitut GmbH (a certified education provider offering AVGS-funded coaching), ADVICO Web-Solutions (an in-house web and marketing agency), and Minister Fachschule GmbH (a certified continuing-education center for sales and marketing training). The company has no proprietary technology platform; its AI activity is limited to seminar content that introduces third-party AI tools for sales optimization and financial analysis. Supporting digital infrastructure includes the ADVICO-Wachstumscheck, a free 15-question online self-assessment tool used as a top-of-funnel lead generator.

Revenue is generated through four professional-services streams: project-based consulting, paid seminars (3-day intensive programs in hybrid online/in-person format), AVGS-funded coaching (government vouchers from the Employment Agency, Job Centers, Rentenversicherung, Bundeswehr, and Knappschaft), and web design/marketing services. Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on SEO-driven website traffic, free initial consultations, and an accredited-consultant status with nearly all German funding institutes as a key differentiator. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, and the company operates no mobile applications, listed securities, or external API.

Name

ADVICO

Legal name

ADVICO Unternehmensberatung AG

Website

https://advico-ag.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ADVICO Unternehmensberatung AG is a German mid-market consulting firm (founded 1999, Leonberg) that advises SMEs and entrepreneurs on start-ups, financing and subsidies, restructuring, growth strategies, and franchising, supplemented by a group of education and web-services subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Leonberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services (Unternehmensberatung): ADVICO generates revenue through fee-based consulting engagements. Services include Existenzgründung (start-up consulting), Finanzierung & Fördermittel (financing & subsidies), Sanierungsgutachten (restructuring assessments per IDW S6), Wachstumsstrategien (growth strategies), and Franchising consulting. Revenue is project-based and typically one-time per engagement, with potential for follow-up engagements.
2. Seminars and Training Programs: ADVICO offers paid seminar programs including Führungskräftetraining (leadership training), BWA und Bilanzen lesen (financial analysis), and Vertriebs- & Kommunikationstraining mit KI (AI-supported sales training). These are intensive 3-day programs delivered in a hybrid model combining online and in-person formats.
3. ADVICO Bildungsinstitut Services: The ADVICO Bildungsinstitut offers certified individual coaching programs for job seekers and business founders. These can be 100% funded through AVGS (Aktivierungs- und Vermittlungsgutschein) from the Employment Agency or Job Center. Revenue comes from government-funded training vouchers and direct client payments.
4. ADVICO Web-Solutions Services: ADVICO Web-Solutions provides web design, marketing, and advertising services with a focus on web solutions. Multiple service packages are available for customers seeking customized websites and homepage solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ADVICO is a German management consulting firm founded in 1999 and headquartered in Leonberg, providing business advisory services across the company lifecycle including startup/existenzgründung consulting, financing and subsidies advisory, IDW S6 corporate restructuring, growth strategy, and franchising consulting. The firm also runs leadership, financial analysis, and AI-supported sales seminars, coaching through its Bildungsinstitut subsidiary, and digital/web solutions through its Web-Solutions subsidiary.

Product overview

ADVICO is a mid-sized management consulting firm founded in 1999, offering a portfolio of interconnected consulting services and educational products. The core offering includes business consulting services (Existenzgründung, Finanzierung & Fördermittel, Sanierung & Restrukturierung, Wachstumsstrategien, Franchising) delivered by ADVICO Unternehmensberatung AG. Supporting this core, the company operates three subsidiaries: ADVICO Bildungsinstitut (certified coaching and training), ADVICO Web-Solutions (web design and marketing), and Minister Fachschule (continuing education in sales and marketing). The company also offers seminar products including Führungskräftetraining, BWA und Bilanzen lesen, and Vertriebs- & Kommunikationstraining mit KI-Unterstützung. A digital tool, the ADVICO-Wachstumscheck, provides free online growth readiness assessment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Existenzgründung (Startup Consulting) Advisory services for founders and prospective entrepreneurs on business formation, planning, and launch in Germany. Targeted at individuals and teams starting a new company.
• Financing & Subsidies Advisory Advisory on corporate financing options and public subsidy programs available to German businesses. For SMEs and founders seeking capital and grants.
• IDW S6 Restructuring Corporate restructuring services delivered under the IDW S6 standard, addressing financially distressed or underperforming companies. For SMEs requiring turnaround or crisis restructuring support.
• Growth Strategy Consulting Strategic advisory on business growth, expansion, and scaling for established SMEs. Targeted at owner-managers and executives seeking to grow revenue or operations.
• Franchising Consulting Advisory on franchising models for businesses considering becoming franchisors or evaluating franchise opportunities. Targeted at SMEs exploring franchise-based expansion.
• Seminars (Leadership, Financial Analysis, AI-Supported Sales) Training seminars covering leadership, financial analysis, and AI-supported sales, delivered through the Bildungsinstitut subsidiary. Targeted at individual professionals and SME teams.
• Coaching (Bildungsinstitut) Individual and group coaching services delivered through the Bildungsinstitut subsidiary. For professionals and managers seeking one-on-one development support.
• Web Solutions (Web-Solutions subsidiary) Digital and web solutions delivered through the Web-Solutions subsidiary, including website and digital asset implementation for SME clients. Targeted at consulting clients needing digital execution.

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ADVICO Web-SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2018ADVICO Web-Solutions is a web agency (Werbeagentur) specialized in design, marketing, advertising, and web presence. It serves Existenzgründer (startup founders) and existing companies needing web solutions. Services include professional website creation, management, and continuous optimization. Multiple service packages are available. ADVICO Web-Solutions also handles design and SEO for the ADVICO Unternehmensberatung website.
• Minister Fachschule GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Minister Fachschule GmbH, founded by Dr. Franz Minister and established for over 30 years as a certified education provider (Bildungsträger), became part of the ADVICO Group in 2018. The company maintains close contacts with economic enterprises and the labor market, offering current training measures for candidates in sales and marketing. The school reports placement rates above 90% into regular employment. ADVICO Group integration provides synergies across consulting, education, and web services.
• ADVICO Bildungsinstitut GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016ADVICO Bildungsinstitut GmbH has been a certified Bildungsträger (education provider) active nationwide since 2016. It offers individual coaching programs focused on job seeker coaching and founder coaching. All coaches have extensive professional expertise from business or long-term experience in education. The institute works with AVGS vouchers from the Employment Agency and Job Centers, as well as other payers like Rentenversicherung, Bundeswehr, and Knappschaft.
• German Funding Institutions (Förderinstitute)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorADVICO is accredited as a consultant (akkreditierte Berater) with nearly all German funding institutions. This accreditation allows ADVICO to access subsidy programs on behalf of their clients and enables clients to receive funding for ADVICO's consulting services. The company emphasizes this accreditation as a key differentiator, stating 'Wir sind akkreditierte Berater bei nahezu allen Förderinstituten'.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Roland Berger: Germany-headquartered global strategy and management consulting firm with strong restructuring and operations practice. Comparable as a broad German incumbent in management consulting, though operating at a much larger scale than ADVICO.
• PwC Germany: Big 4 firm with extensive German consulting practice covering strategy, operations, deals, and restructuring. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving German mid-market and large enterprises, often overlapping with ADVICO on restructuring and M&A work.
• msg systems: German IT and business consulting group with strong insurance, banking, and public sector practices. Comparable as a German-headquartered mid-to-large consulting peer, though more IT-heavy than ADVICO's generalist advisory profile.
• BDO Germany: International accounting/consulting network with strong German mid-market presence, providing audit, tax, restructuring, and advisory services. Comparable as an incumbent with notable mid-market overlap with ADVICO's SMB client base.
• Deloitte Germany: Big 4 professional services firm offering consulting, audit, restructuring (IDW S6), M&A advisory, and SMB services in Germany. Comparable as a broad incumbent covering many of ADVICO's service categories at larger scale.
• BearingPoint: European management and technology consulting firm with deep presence in Germany, serving large enterprises and public sector. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating in management consulting space alongside ADVICO's SMB-focused advisory work.

Direct peers

• RölfsPartner: German mid-sized consulting firm (now part of Baker Tilly) with strong practice in restructuring, M&A, and tax advisory for SMEs. Directly comparable to ADVICO as a mid-market German advisory firm serving similar SMB clients.
• Ebner Stolz: German mid-sized audit, tax, and consulting firm serving SMEs and mid-market companies across Germany. Directly comparable to ADVICO in size, German mid-market focus, and breadth of advisory services offered.

Regional players

• DATEV: German cooperative providing accounting, tax, and business management software and services primarily to SMBs and tax advisors. Comparable as a regional German SMB services ecosystem, adjacent to ADVICO's SMB client base.
• Haufe Group: German business services and software company focused on SMB solutions in HR, tax, compliance, and management. Comparable as a regional SMB services provider, though offering software-led rather than advisory-led solutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advico-unternehmensberatung-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 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 ADVICO