KARUNA

Name

KARUNA

Legal name

KARUNA eG – die Sozialgenossenschaft mit Familiensinn

Website

https://karuna.family

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fördermittel (Grant Funding): Government funding from Land Berlin (state of Berlin) and federal (Bundes-) programs, including BMFSFJ for democracy and extremism prevention projects, and Senatsverwaltung für Umwelt for Tiny Forests.
2. Karuna Kompass Street Newspaper Sales: The Karuna Kompass is sold on Berlin streets for €2.50 per issue. 100% of proceeds go directly to the sellers (people in poverty). The editorial team works voluntarily. Revenue comes from advertising sold in the newspaper.
3. Advertising in Karuna Kompass: Companies and organizations purchase advertising space in the bi-monthly Karuna Kompass newspaper (circulation 30,000+). This is the primary commercial revenue stream.
4. Donations and Membership Contributions: Donations from individuals, companies, and foundations. Membership contributions via cooperative shares (Genossenschaftsanteile): students/unemployed minimum 1 share at €50, others minimum 10 shares at €500.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KARUNA eG is a Berlin-based social cooperative that delivers an integrated portfolio of community programs: a bi-monthly street newspaper (Karuna Kompass) sold by people in poverty who keep 100% of proceeds; mobile streetwork via the SUB-Bus for people without shelter; community centers (Grüntaler Kiezoase, Boxi Beteiligungscafé) offering free courses and gathering spaces; the Reallabor innovation lab; the Link:up extremism-prevention network; the Freiwilliges Aktivistisches Jahr volunteer program; Tiny Forests urban greening; and the KARUNI digital currency pilot for homeless individuals.

Product overview

KARUNA is a social cooperative (Sozialgenossenschaft) based in Berlin, founded in 2016, that operates multiple interconnected social projects. The core offerings include the KARUNA Kompass street newspaper (sold by people in poverty), the SUB-Bus mobile streetwork service, community centers (Grüntaler Kiezoase, KARUNA am Boxi), the KARUNA Reallabor innovation laboratory, Link:up extremism prevention network, the Freiwilliges Aktivistisches Jahr volunteer program, Tiny Forests urban greening initiative, and the KARUNI digital currency for homeless individuals. These projects are unified by the cooperative's mission to create a solidarity-based and sustainable future where people with experience of exclusion actively shape solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KARUNA Kompass Street Newspaper A bi-monthly street newspaper sold by people experiencing poverty on the streets of Berlin. With 30,000+ circulation, 100% of the €2.50 per-issue proceeds go directly to the sellers; advertising sold to companies and organizations is the primary commercial revenue stream. Editorial content is produced by a volunteer team and covers social-justice, solidarity, and societal issues.
• SUB-Bus Mobile Streetwork A mobile streetwork service for people without fixed shelter in Berlin. Two minibuses (one wheelchair-accessible) provide daily outreach including transport to clinics, authorities, public showers, and clothing banks; internet access; phone charging; and private conversation spaces.
• Grüntaler Kiezoase Community Center A free community center at Grüntaler Str. 21, 13357 Berlin, offering weekly programs including free café, German courses for migrants, balance and strength training, process-oriented art, smartphone and tablet courses, cooking sessions, music, and game afternoons for elderly residents and all neighbors.
• KARUNA Reallabor Real-World Laboratory An inclusive real-world laboratory where civil society, science, and business collaborate to develop and experimentally test social-ecological solutions. People affected by specific problems are involved as experts in co-creating solutions alongside academic researchers and partner organizations.
• Link:up Cooperation Network A cooperation network for the prevention of left-wing extremism, organized in partnership with Institut B3. The project builds civil-society structures that foster democratic attitudes by connecting practitioners, scientists, and administration in open exchange, funded by BMFSFJ 'Demokratie leben!'.
• Freiwilliges Aktivistisches Jahr (FAJ) Volunteer Program A 12-month voluntary activist year program for participants aged 16-60, running September through August. Volunteers engage in urban gardening, Tiny Forests, orchard conservation, citizen science, and social-justice projects in Berlin.
• Tiny Forests Urban Greening Program A program to plant 20 or more small forests in Berlin using Professor Akira Miyawaki's method, creating diverse and resilient woodland areas on small plots for climate adaptation. Includes citizen science monitoring in partnership with MIYA Forest e.V.
• KARUNI Digital Currency A tested, secure digital currency initiative developed with homeless individuals to enable self-determined shopping via mobile phone. Each Euro donated translates to one KARUNI, providing regular donation income for people without housing; developed within the GLS Bank Geldgipfel 2024/25.
• KARUNA am Boxi (Beteiligungscafé) A community café and meeting point at Boxhagener Platz in Berlin, operated in cooperation with ForEveryone e.V. Offers workshops, German-language courses, creative formats, and community events covering topics from language learning to climate and health.
• Hitzehilfelots:innen (Heat Assistance Guides) Training A training program for heat-assistance guides developed in partnership with Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe. Guides are trained to support particularly vulnerable groups including pregnant women, seniors, and homeless people during heat waves, connecting them with cooling spaces and emergency response.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.9 million Karuna Kompass copies distributed and over €3 million earned by street vendors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hochschule für Nachhaltige Entwicklung EberswaldecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong academic partnership with the Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation (SESIN) program. Students participate in the KARUNA Reallabor and collaborate on social-ecological projects. Faculty and students co-develop and scientifically evaluate real-world experiments.
• GLS Bank und StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGLS Bank (a German ethical bank) and its foundation are key partners. The KARUNI digital money project was developed within the GLS Bank Geldgipfel (Money Summit) 2024/25. The bank provides financial and strategic support for social innovation initiatives.
• Institut B3 (Institut für Beratung, Begleitung und Bildung e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the Link:up Kooperationsnetzwerk Prävention Linksextremismus. Together, KARUNA and Institut B3 build civil society structures to bring knowledge and experience from practice, science, and administration into open exchange, promoting democratic attitudes and reducing societal polarization.
• JAO Jugendhilfe Authentisch OrientiertcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn recognized placement agency (Anerkannte Einsatzstelle) for the Freiwilliges Ökologisches Jahr (FÖJ) program, enabling young volunteers to do environmental service at KARUNA projects.
• Stiftung Naturschutz BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Ökologischer Bundesfreiwilligendienst (ÖBFD) and for environmental projects including Tiny Forests and citizen science programs in Berlin.
• MIYA Forest e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Tiny Forests project using the Miyawaki method. MIYA Forest e.V. provides expertise and support for citizen science monitoring of the mini-forests planted in Berlin.
• ForEveryone e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary operational partner for the Boxi Beteiligungscafé at Boxhagener Platz. ForEveryone e.V. is an all-volunteer initiative that runs the café with KARUNA, providing workshops, language courses, and community events.
• Johanniter-Unfall-HilfeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the KriSta (Krisenstab der Zivilgesellschaft) to train Hitzehilfelots:innen (heat crisis guides) for Berlin, providing first-aid and heat emergency response training.
• querstadtein e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with querstadtein e.V., an organization offering city tours led by formerly homeless people. KARUNA community members and people with lived experience participate as guides to raise awareness about homelessness.
• Senatsverwaltung für Arbeit, Soziales, Gleichstellung, Integration, Vielfalt und Antidiskriminierung BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport from the Berlin Senate for the SUB-Bus project and other social programs. KARUNA participates in advocacy for a central day shelter for homeless people at Alexanderplatz.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Diakonie Deutschland: National Protestant welfare association providing social services including streetwork, refugee support, and senior community work across Germany. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same social-services space as KARUNA, with overlapping beneficiary segments and government-grant funding model.
• Bahnhofsmission Deutschland: National network of church-run drop-in centers at major German train stations providing emergency help, referrals, and basic support for homeless and vulnerable travelers. Comparable to KARUNA's SUB-Bus streetwork and emergency-relief function, with a broader national footprint and longer operating history.
• SOS-Kinderdorf Deutschland: Major German non-profit operating residential youth services, family support, and educational programs with federal and regional government funding. Comparable to KARUNA's recognition as Träger der freien Jugendhilfe and its FAJ volunteer/youth engagement programs, though at significantly larger scale.
• Caritas Deutschland: Germany's largest Catholic welfare association, operating nationwide social services including homelessness outreach, senior programs, and integration courses. A broad incumbent whose portfolio overlaps Karuna's social-services projects at substantially larger scale and with a regional/national footprint.

Emerging players

• Sozialhelden e.V. Berlin-based non-profit social innovation collective behind projects like Wheelmap and Leidmedien.de, focused on disability inclusion and social-tech. An emerging player with comparable Berlin footprint, social-innovation focus, and Reallabor-style experimentation ethos.
• NABU Berlin: Berlin branch of Germany's largest nature conservation association, running urban biodiversity, citizen science, and greening projects. Comparable to KARUNA's Tiny Forests program in Berlin on Miyawaki-method planting and citizen-science monitoring, though NABU operates as a much larger specialist environmental non-profit.
• querstadtein e.V. Berlin-based non-profit running city tours led by people with lived experience of homelessness, raising awareness and creating income for guides. An existing partner of KARUNA with directly overlapping homelessness-advocacy mission and target beneficiary population.

Direct peers

• Berliner Stadtmission: Berlin-based Christian social welfare organization operating shelters, mobile outreach (Kältebus), and support services for homeless and marginalized people. Directly comparable to KARUNA's SUB-Bus mobile streetwork, Kiezoase community programs, and Berlin-only homeless-services footprint.
• Straßenmagazin Hinz&Kunzt: Germany's largest street newspaper, based in Hamburg, sold by people experiencing homelessness with 100% of proceeds going to vendors. Hinz&Kunzt is the closest direct peer to the Karuna Kompass in terms of street-newspaper operating model, social mission, and advertising-funded earned-income structure.
• Gesellschaft für Sozialgenossenschaften / Social cooperatives in Germany: Umbrella body for German social cooperatives (Sozialgenossenschaften), the same legal form as KARUNA eG. Comparable on cooperative governance, member-based structure, and integration of social purpose with member-owned enterprise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/karuna.sozialgenossenschaft
• Instagraminstagram.com/karuna.family
• TikToktiktok.com/@karuna_family?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
• Xx.com/KARUNA_Tweets

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 KARUNA