ASQF

What ASQF does

ASQF (Arbeitskreis Software-Qualität und Fortbildung e.V.) is a German eingetragener Verein (registered association) founded on October 17, 1996, in the Nuremberg/Franconia region and now headquartered in Potsdam. The organization functions as an expert network and interest association (Interessenverband) for software quality professionals, serving over 1,000 members comprising companies and individuals in the German-speaking software quality industry across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

The association's core offerings include (i) a Specialist Groups (Fachgruppen) program with more than 20 regional and national expert communities covering areas such as Software Test, Automotive, Digital Health, Mobile Devices & Apps, Requirements Engineering, People Projects & Processes, Safety & Security, Agility, and Artificial Intelligence; (ii) personal certification programs including CPPM, CPIoT, SSE, QAMP, ISTQB CTFL, and IREB CPRE, developed by ASQF experts and delivered through partners including iSQI GmbH; (iii) events (Quality Nights, Testing Days, CONQUEST, ASQF-Net Week, Test Challenge); and (iv) the SQ Magazine publication. ASQF working groups laid the foundational pillars for the internationally recognized ISTQB CTFL and IREB CPRE standards; the former subsidiary iSQI GmbH (now independent, operating in 90+ countries with 30,000+ exams annually) continues to deliver these certifications globally.

ASQF's business model is membership-fee driven (corporate and individual annual subscriptions per a published Beitragsordnung) supplemented by training and certification coordination revenue through partner providers. Day-to-day operations are run by a small staff of 1-10 employees under a Geschäftsstelle headed by Anna-Christina Feldhusen, with Ronald Huster as Managing Director, and a Präsidium led by President Ludger Meyer (Siemens Head of Technology Field). Notable corporate members include ordix, imbus, CGI, Expleo, Deutsche Post, T-Systems, methodpark by UL, sepp.med, and Siemens Healthcare.

Name

ASQF

Legal name

Arbeitskreis Software-Qualität und Fortbildung e.V.

Website

https://asqf.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ASQF is a German registered association (e.V.) serving a 1,000+ member expert network for software quality professionals in the DACH region, delivering specialist groups, certifications (ISTQB CTFL, IREB CPRE, CPPM, CPIoT, SSE, QAMP), events, and the SQ Magazine through a small staff and partner providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification and Training Services

NAICS

Computer Training (611420), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Computer Training (61142), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Information Technology & Cybersecurity Certification Prep (CompTIA, Cisco, Microsoft, AWS, ISC2/ISACA) (EDANAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data-Driven Operations & Quality Analytics (DOE, basic analytics) (EDABAKAO), Software Engineering & Application Development Training (Languages, Frameworks, Testing) (BPAEANAI)

Keywords

• Software quality assurance
• Professional certification programs
• Expert network membership
• Software testing training
• IT quality community

Headquarters

HQ city

Potsdam

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from corporate and individual members supporting the expert network
2. Training and Certifications: IT training courses and personal certifications developed by ASQF experts and delivered through partnerships with training providers and certification bodies

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ASQF e.V. (Arbeitskreis Software-Qualität und Fortbildung) is a German expert network and interest association for software quality professionals. The organization provides IT training programs and personal certifications (CPPM, CPIoT, SSE, QAMP), maintains more than 20 regional and national specialist groups (Fachgruppen), publishes the SQ Magazine, and hosts events such as conferences, workshops, Quality Nights, and the ASQF Net Week. Its training programs are delivered through partnerships with recognized training providers and certification bodies including iSQI GmbH.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SQ Magazin (SQ Magazine) A professional magazine focused on software and system quality topics covering agility, digitization, artificial intelligence, automotive, digital health, IoT, requirements engineering, software testing, and project management. Distributed to members and the broader software quality community.
• Certified Professional for Project Management (CPPM) IT training program that combines critical success factors and teaches comprehensive project management skills tailored to modern industrial projects. Delivered through cooperation with recognized training providers and certification bodies including iSQI GmbH.
• Certified Professional for Internet of Things (CPIoT) Training program focusing on Quality Engineering as a key success factor for IoT solutions, providing comprehensive skills for the entire team working on Internet of Things projects.
• Secure Software Engineering (SSE)

Named customers9 records

Segments3 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.

• German Testing Board (GTB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASQF working group laid the foundational pillars for the German certification GTB/ISTQB CTFL. GTB is a key certification partner for software testing standards.
• ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASQF contributed to the development of the ISTQB CTFL certification which has become an internationally recognized standard for software testing.
• IREB (International Requirements Engineering Board)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASQF working group created the training curriculum for the IREB CPRE certification, which is now conducted by recognized training providers worldwide.
• iSQI GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASQF was a shareholder of the International Software Quality Institute (iSQI) which certifies IT professionals worldwide. iSQI is the market leader and operates in over 90 countries on 6 continents in 10 languages, conducting more than 30,000 examinations annually. ASQF works together with iSQI on certification programs.
• INTACS (International Assessor Certification Scheme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASQF maintains and establishes the INTACS certification scheme internationally, supporting assessor certification for process improvement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IREB (International Requirements Engineering Board): IREB was founded in 2006 out of an ASQF working group and administers the CPRE (Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering) program globally. It is a spin-off peer operating the RE certification that ASQF co-created.
• INTACS (International Assessor Certification Scheme): INTACS is a process assessor certification scheme that was established and maintained by ASQF for global rollout. It operates the certification program that ASQF's expert network feeds into and is administered by an international community.
• ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board): ISTQB is the global umbrella for the Certified Tester scheme that ASQF's working group helped found. It coordinates national testing boards (including Germany's GTB) and is the direct standards counterpart to ASQF's CTFL content.
• iSQI GmbH: iSQI is the global certification body that was originally a subsidiary of ASQF (founded 2004) and now administers ISTQB, IREB, and ASQF-derived certifications in 90+ countries. It is the most direct commercial peer and delivery arm for ASQF's content IP.
• GTB - German Testing Board: The German Testing Board is the national member of ISTQB and a direct strategic partner of ASQF. It administers the GTB/ISTQB CTFL certification in Germany, with ASQF's expert network feeding into its standards development.

Broad incumbents

• ISACA: ISACA is a global professional association for IT governance, risk, security, and audit professionals, offering certifications (CISA, CISM, CRISC). It is a broad incumbent that competes for the same IT quality/governance professional mindshare as ASQF but on a much larger international scale.
• BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT: BCS is the UK professional body for IT with a comparable membership, certification (including ISTQB-aligned), and event model. It is a broad incumbent operating at a larger scale across the UK and internationally.

Regional players

• SI (Swiss Informatics Society): SI is the Swiss national informatics society, a comparable professional association serving Switzerland — one of ASQF's three core DACH geographies where ASQF has established a regional Fachgruppe.
• OCG (Austrian Computer Society): OCG is the Austrian national informatics society, a peer national professional association in one of ASQF's core DACH markets. Both organizations address IT professional development and standards in their respective geographies.
• GI (Gesellschaft für Informatik): GI is Germany's primary professional society for informatics and a co-organizer with ASQF of the Deutscher Preis für Software-Qualit\u00e4t. It is a comparable DACH membership organization covering broader IT/computer science rather than specializing in software quality.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ASQF