SJadvisory

What SJadvisory does

The Bundesverband Deutscher Volks- und Betriebswirte e.V. (bdvb) is Germany's largest interdisciplinary professional association for economists, founded in 1901 in Berlin as the Deutsche Volkswirtschaftliche Verband and now operating from its operational headquarters in Düsseldorf with an official seat in Berlin. The association serves over 6,000 members across the DACH region, spanning economics students, young professionals, and senior executives in academia, industry, and government, organized through a decentralized structure of Regionalverbände (regional associations), Hochschulgruppen (university groups at 15+ institutions), and Fachausschüsse (specialized committees).

Bdvb generates revenue primarily through individual membership dues across student, young professional, and professional tiers on a recurring subscription basis. It delivers member value through events including the International Ökonomentag, the Berliner Podium series co-organized with KfW Bankengruppe, Forum Bundesbank events with Deutsche Bundesbank, and the digital bdvb Lounge platform; awards programs including the Friedrich-List-Medaille and the Supermaster Award (with WirtschaftsWoche); and policy advocacy through the Bündnis Ökonomische Bildung Deutschland (BÖB) coalition, which bdvb co-founded in December 2019 alongside 50+ partner organizations to promote economic education.

As a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein, e.V.) under German civil law, bdvb does not publish financial statements, has no external investors or parent entity, and operates under the motto 'Wissen, Kontakte, Erfolg' (Knowledge, Contacts, Success). Sub-brands include bdvb Campus (university engagement), bdvb Forschungsinstitut (research institute), and bdvb Lounge (digital content). The association's strategic positioning combines a heritage brand with active policy advocacy and a multi-tier member pipeline from university recruitment through executive engagement.

Name

SJadvisory

Legal name

Bundesverband Deutscher Volks- und Betriebswirte e.V.

Website

https://bdvb.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Bundesverband Deutscher Volks- und Betriebswirte e.V. (bdvb) is Germany's largest interdisciplinary professional association for economists, serving over 6,000 members across the DACH region through regional chapters, university groups, and specialized committees, generating revenue from membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Business Associations (81391), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

Keywords

• Professional association
• Economics networking
• Business academic network
• Membership organization
• Professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Revenue generated from individual membership dues across student, young professional, and professional membership tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SJadvisory is an independent, registered non-profit association that operates the largest interdisciplinary network in economics and adjacent business disciplines in the German-speaking world, uniting over 6,000 members across students, young professionals, and senior executives. It sells individual memberships and delivers associated services including regional and university group engagement, specialized committees, day seminars (Tagesseminare), conferences such as the Internationaler Ökonomentag, awards programs, and policy advocacy in economic education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• bdvb Campus: Platform for university groups (Hochschulgruppen) under the bdvb umbrella, featuring student initiatives in economics across Germany
• bdvb Forschungsinstitut
• bdvb Lounge

Products and services

• Individual Membership (Student, Young Professional, Professional tiers) Subscription-based individual membership granting access to the SJadvisory professional network of over 6,000 economists, including participation in regional associations, university groups, specialized committees, events, and member communications. Available in tiered categories for students, young professionals, and professionals.
• Tagesseminare (Day Seminars / Continuing Education)

Quantifiable outcome

• One of the largest student initiatives in business economics in Germany
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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 major, core and supporting.

• OECD - Global Money WeekmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2022Initiativpartner and content partner for Germany in the OECD's Global Money Week initiative, an annual financial literacy campaign engaging youth worldwide.
• Bündnis Ökonomische Bildung Deutschland (BÖB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2020Founding member of the BÖB coalition, a non-profit association of approximately 100 predominantly institutional members working to strengthen economic education in Germany. The bdvb is represented in the association's board by Dr. Matthias Meyer-Schwarzenberger.
• BVBC (Bundesverband der Bilanzbuchhalter und Controller)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2019Cooperation agreement between bdvb and BVBC under the shared ULA umbrella, combining expertise and expanding the professional network.
• Bundesverband Deutsche Startups e.V.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012German Startup Association founded in Berlin in 2012, advocating for German startups' interests in politics, business, and public discourse to make Germany and Europe more founder-friendly.
• Young Professionals DeutschlandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting young professionals with know-how during the transition from studies to career and beyond to career development.
• ULA (Deutsche Führungskräfteverband)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBdvb is a member organization under the ULA (German Executives' Association) umbrella, collaborating on policy positions and executive surveys including the Führungskräfteumfrage 2025.
• WirtschaftsWochemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for the Supermaster award competition, jointly awarding 25,000 EUR for best master's thesis with economic relevance.
• KfW BankengruppemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the annual 'Berliner Podium' event series discussing the German Council of Economic Experts' annual report, hosted at KfW headquarters.
• Ludwig-Erhard-StiftungsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership promoting free-market principles and the Social Market Economy, with bdvb President Willi Rugen engaging in president conversations with Roland Koch.
• Deutsche BundesbanksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Forum Bundesbank events on payment systems and economic topics, held at regional Bundesbank offices.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (BDI): Germany's largest industry association representing the interests of German industry. Comparable as a federated national membership organization with policy advocacy and member events, but far larger and more corporate-focused than bdvb.
• Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag (DIHK): umbrella organization of the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce. Comparable as a federated membership infrastructure spanning the German economy, but focused on chamber-mandated services and SME support rather than economists.
• American Economic Association (AEA): World's largest academic economics association, publisher of the American Economic Review. Comparable in scale of membership, conference programming, and policy influence, but predominantly academic rather than interdisciplinary industry-academic.
• Wirtschaftsrat der CDU: German business advisory council aligned with the CDU party. Comparable in policy advocacy, member-driven events, and influencing economic policy in Germany, but partisan and broader business-focused rather than profession-focused.

Others

• ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research: Leading German economic research institute. Comparable as an established German economics institution with policy influence, but operates as a research center rather than a member association; potentially an institutional partner or competitor for the same economists' attention.

Direct peers

• National Association for Business Economics (NABE): US-based professional association for business economists and corporate strategists. Most direct international analog to bdvb in combining applied economics, member networking, policy outreach, and industry events.
• Royal Economic Society: UK's primary academic professional association for economists. Comparable in fostering economic discourse, hosting conferences, and publishing research, though more academic and less industry-oriented than bdvb.
• Verein für Socialpolitik: Germany's principal academic association for economists. While bdvb bridges academia and practice, the Verein für Socialpolitik is the academic counterpart; both compete for the attention of German-speaking economists and serve adjacent member bases across universities and policy.

Emerging players

• INOMICS: Digital platform connecting economists, students, and employers globally. Comparable as a membership/network play for economists, but as a digital-native player competing for the same community attention and event sponsorship.

Regional players

• European Economic Association (EEA): Pan-European economics association serving as a cross-country counterpart to bdvb. Comparable in mission to advance economics in Europe, but operates at a continental rather than national level and does not directly compete for bdvb's DACH members.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bdvb_ev
• YouTubeyoutube.com/bdvbev
• Facebookfacebook.com/bdvb.ev
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bdvb
• Instagraminstagram.com/bdvb_oekonomen_verband

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 SJadvisory