Dark Blue
Dunkelblau is a German crisis communication and crisis management consultancy headquartered in Leipzig, serving DAX-listed corporates, mid-sized family businesses, and public institutions in the DACH region with acute crisis response, crisis prevention, and strategic advisory services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLeipzig, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Dark Blue does
Dunkelblau (operating as 'Dark Blue') is a German management consultancy specializing in crisis communication, crisis management, and strategic advisory for organizations facing exceptional situations. Founded in 2012 by Marcus Ewald and headquartered in Leipzig, the firm operates from three offices — Leipzig (headquarters), Stuttgart, and Berlin (the latter housing the DUNKELBLAU 360° GmbH subsidiary) — and serves a client base spanning DAX-listed corporates, mid-sized family businesses, and public institutions across the DACH region. Co-led since February 2025 by Marc Lenzke as Managing Partner and Ewald as Managing Director, with Janka Kreißl as Partner since March 2025, the firm has supported over 450 companies in crisis situations and 300+ in acute crises over more than a decade.
The firm's service portfolio is built around three interlocking consulting offerings: Krisenkommunikation (acute crisis response with on-site and remote support), Krisenprävention (systematic preparation including crisis plans, manuals, dark sites, and media monitoring), and Strategische Beratung (scenario planning and decision support for top management). Supporting capabilities include a Cyber Crisis Resilience Kurz-Audit self-assessment tool, crisis simulation services delivered through subsidiary Conducttr Germany, and structured training programs delivered with partners such as news aktuell Academy and isits. The firm's underlying technology stack comprises these proprietary assessment tools and the Conducttr simulation platform, layered on a 24/7 crisis hotline-driven delivery model.
Dunkelblau generates revenue through professional-services engagements: project-based consulting fees for acute crisis interventions, longer-term prevention retainers, training and workshop fees, and crisis simulation engagements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the firm offers a free initial situation assessment to build trust and funnel prospects into paid engagements. Go-to-market is enterprise-direct, driven by crisis events, C-suite relationships, thought leadership in trade publications, conference speaking, and a growing content-marketing apparatus including the BLAUPAUSE newsletter launched in April 2025. The firm is privately held with no external institutional funding, operating through two legal entities — the primary Dunkelblau GmbH & Co. KG and the Berlin-based DUNKELBLAU 360° GmbH subsidiary.
Dark Blue firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dark Blue
- Legal name
- Dunkelblau GmbH & Co. KG
- Website
- https://dunkelblau.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Dunkelblau is a German crisis communication and crisis management consultancy headquartered in Leipzig, serving DAX-listed corporates, mid-sized family businesses, and public institutions in the DACH region with acute crisis response, crisis prevention, and strategic advisory services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dark Blue industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Crisis Communication Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crisis Management & Communications Support (Mass Notification) (BPABANAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Managed Services (BPAEADAJ)
Keywords
Where Dark Blue is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leipzig
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Dark Blue business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Crisis Communication Consulting: On-demand crisis intervention and communication consulting for organizations facing acute crises or exceptional situations. Services include on-site intervention, remote support via phone/video, and strategic counsel. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements, typically with enterprise clients requiring immediate expert support.
- Crisis Prevention Services: Long-term engagement services including crisis plan development, customized crisis manuals, crisis team establishment, stakeholder analysis, Q&A documentation, and media monitoring setup. These proactive services help organizations prepare before crises occur.
- Training and Workshops: Educational programs including workshops on crisis communication, tabletop exercises, and certification courses. The company partners with organizations like news aktuell Academy and isits to deliver structured training programs on cyber crisis communication.
- Crisis Simulation Services: Crisis simulation design and execution services through the Conducttr Germany subsidiary. This includes scenario development, simulation hosting, and post-exercise evaluation based on client KPIs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time | Initial Crisis Assessment - Free |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Dark Blue product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dark Blue (Dunkelblau) is a management consultancy that provides crisis communication, crisis prevention, and strategic advisory services to organizations facing exceptional situations and reputational threats. The firm supports clients both proactively (crisis plans, manuals, crisis units, stakeholder analysis, dark sites, simulations) and reactively (on-site crisis intervention, stakeholder communication, media relations, post-crisis support). It serves a predominantly enterprise and mid-market client base across industries from offices in Leipzig, Stuttgart, and Berlin, with a 24/7 crisis hotline for acute engagements.
Product overview
Dark Blue (Dunkelblau) is a crisis communication, crisis prevention, and strategic consulting firm operating as a unified professional services firm, not a software product company. Its core service portfolio consists of three interlocking consulting offerings: (1) Krisenkommunikation (Crisis Communications) — on-site and remote support during and after acute crises, handling stakeholder communication and media relations; (2) Krisenprävention (Crisis Prevention) — systematic preparation including crisis plans, custom manuals, crisis unit setup, Q&A development, media monitoring, and dark sites; and (3) Strategische Beratung (Strategic Consulting) — strategic advisory for complex management decisions through scenario planning and risk assessment. Supporting services include a Berlin-based Stakeholder Relations unit (DUNKELBLAU | 360°), an interactive Cyber Crisis Short Audit tool (Kurz-Audit), crisis simulations via the Conducttr Germany partnership, and dark site creation. The firm serves clients ranging from family businesses to DAX corporations, sports associations, and public institutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DUNKELBLAU 360°: A subsidiary focused on crisis communication and strategic consulting services, based in Berlin.
Products and services
- Krisenkommunikation (Crisis Communications) On-site and remote crisis communication support during and after acute crises, including stakeholder management, rapid response strategies, and media relations for organizations facing exceptional situations.
- Krisenprävention (Crisis Prevention) Systematic preparation services including crisis plans, custom crisis manuals, crisis unit establishment, stakeholder analysis, Q&A development, media monitoring setup, and dark site creation for organizations seeking to prepare before crises occur.
- Strategische Beratung (Strategic Consulting) Strategic advisory services for top managers in complex and volatile situations, encompassing situation analysis, scenario development, strategic roadmaps, and decision support to bolster resilience ahead of and during exceptional situations.
- Stakeholder-Relations (DUNKELBLAU 360°) Stakeholder relations management service delivered through the Berlin-based DUNKELBLAU 360° subsidiary, providing comprehensive support across stakeholder networks for organizations needing structured stakeholder engagement.
- Kurz-Audit bei Cyberangriffen (Cyber Crisis Short Audit) Interactive online self-assessment tool that evaluates an organization's readiness for cyber attacks through a series of questions about alarm processes, partner networks, and communication templates, providing a scored evaluation of cyber crisis readiness.
- Dark Sites (Krisen-Dunkelseiten) Pre-prepared crisis-ready alternative websites that can be activated publicly to provide transparent and accurate information during a crisis, replacing or supplementing the main corporate website with adaptable text modules, graphics, key figures, and Q&As.
- Krisensimulation (Crisis Simulation) Crisis simulation exercises delivered through the Conducttr Germany platform, including scenario design, live simulation execution, and post-exercise evaluation against predefined KPIs; software licensing is also available for clients to build custom scenarios.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 450 companies supported across different crisis situations in over 10 years
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Dark Blue
Customer profileNamed customers25 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Dark Blue technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Dark Blue partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Deutscher Fachverlag (dfv)coreCo-organizer of the 'Fachtagung Cyber-Angriff' conference series held at Leipzig Zoo. Deutscher Fachverlag provides the publishing platform and event infrastructure while Dunkelblau provides crisis communication expertise. The inaugural event in March 2025 was successful with a repeat event planned for February 2026.
- DigiForsminorCo-host of the 'Fachtagung Cyber-Angriff' conference, providing cybersecurity expertise alongside Dunkelblau's crisis communication capabilities.
- Spirit LegalminorCo-host of the 'Fachtagung Cyber-Angriff' conference, contributing legal expertise on cybersecurity matters alongside Dunkelblau's crisis communication focus.
- Allianz für Cyber-Sicherheit (ACS)coreDunkelblau is a partner of the Allianz für Cyber-Sicherheit, a network affiliated with the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). The partnership involves regular expert contributions on cyber incident topics and knowledge sharing. Partner logo displayed prominently on website. Janka Kreißl conducted a web-talk for the ACS on crisis management and communication with approximately 380 viewers.
- news aktuell AcademycoreOngoing partnership for delivering structured crisis communication training programs. Dunkelblau consultants (Janka Kreißl, Stephan Summers) serve as instructors for multi-session workshop series including certification options. Programs cover communication, legal, and technical aspects of cyber crisis management.
- isits (International School of IT Security)corePartnership for delivering 'Krisenkommunikation bei Cyber-Angriffen' seminars. Dunkelblau provides crisis communication content while isits handles logistics and certification. Programs include practical exercises and table-top simulations.
- Conducttr GermanycoreSubsidiary company specialized in crisis simulation platforms. Conducttr provides the software infrastructure for realistic crisis exercises while Dunkelblau contributes scenario design and professional facilitation. Also offers software licensing for clients to create custom scenarios.
- Cyber-Sicherheitsnetzwerk (BSI)minorStephan Summers is a participant in the Cyber-Sicherheitsnetzwerk (Cybersecurity Network) operated by Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).
- Deutsche Public Relations Gesellschaft (DPRG)minorProfessional membership organization for public relations practitioners in Germany. Dunkelblau consultants are members and participate in industry-defining debates through this association.
- Global Women in PR (GWPR)minorInternational professional network for women in public relations. Janka Kreißl is a member, supporting the company's commitment to diversity and professional development.
- Gesellschaft katholischer Publizisten (GKP)minorSociety of Catholic Publicists. Marc Lenzke serves as a board member (Vorstand). The organization provides a professional network with particular relevance to clients in the church and religious institution sector.
- Konrad-Adenauer-StiftungminorGerman political foundation that awarded Stephan Summers a scholarship during his doctoral studies. Represents historical connection to political and civic engagement.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Dark Blue competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Brunswick Group: Global advisory firm specializing in critical issues and crisis communications; comparable target customer base (large enterprises, DAX-equivalents) and similar crisis communication methodology.
- FTI Consulting: Global advisory firm with a dedicated Strategic Communications segment covering crisis and issue management; comparable to Dunkelblau at the enterprise/board level, with much broader geographic and service-line coverage.
- Kekst CNC: International strategic communications consultancy with strong crisis and cybersecurity communications practice; competes for the same type of enterprise crisis mandates Dunkelblau serves in DACH.
- MSL Germany: Publicis-owned global communications network with crisis and corporate communications capabilities; relevant competitor for mid-market and large enterprise crisis mandates in DACH.
- FGS Global: Leading global strategic communications and crisis advisory firm serving large corporates on reputation, crisis, and public affairs — directly comparable service offering to Dunkelblau's crisis communication work, with significantly broader international reach.
- FleishmanHillard Germany: Global communications agency with dedicated crisis and issues practice; comparable service offering for German and European enterprise clients facing reputation-critical events.
- Ketchum Germany (now Ketchum Publico): Global PR network with strong German presence offering crisis and corporate communications; competes with Dunkelblau on enterprise crisis mandates in Germany and across DACH.
Direct peers
- Hering Schuppener: Leading German strategic communications and consulting firm with crisis and capital markets communications expertise; closest German competitor to Dunkelblau by service mix and DAX-level client base.
- Ihoch Drei (Strategic Communications Consultancy): German strategic communications consultancy offering change and crisis communications to enterprises and public institutions; a closer mid-sized direct competitor in the DACH region.
Others
- r-tec IT-Forensics: German IT forensics firm that partners with Dunkelblau on cyber crisis engagements; adjacent ecosystem participant providing technical incident response that complements Dunkelblau's communication expertise.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Dark Blue social profiles
Digital presenceDark Blue financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dark Blue leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Dark Blue subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Dark Blue funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dark Blue M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dark Blue
What does Dark Blue do?
Dark Blue (Dunkelblau) is a management consultancy that provides crisis communication, crisis prevention, and strategic advisory services to organizations facing exceptional situations and reputational threats. The firm supports clients both proactively (crisis plans, manuals, crisis units, stakeholder analysis, dark sites, simulations) and reactively (on-site crisis intervention, stakeholder communication, media relations, post-crisis support). It serves a predominantly enterprise and mid-market client base across industries from offices in Leipzig, Stuttgart, and Berlin, with a 24/7 crisis hotline for acute engagements.
Is Dark Blue a public or private company?
Dark Blue is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Dark Blue founded?
Dark Blue was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Dark Blue based?
Dark Blue is headquartered in Leipzig, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Dark Blue make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Crisis Communication Consulting is the primary driver. The others are crisis Prevention Services, training and Workshops and crisis Simulation Services.
Who are Dark Blue's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Brunswick Group, FTI Consulting, Kekst CNC, MSL Germany, FGS Global, FleishmanHillard Germany and Ketchum Germany (now Ketchum Publico). Direct peers are Hering Schuppener and Ihoch Drei (Strategic Communications Consultancy). r-tec IT-Forensics is listed as an others.
Does Dark Blue have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dark Blue.
What industry is Dark Blue in?
Dark Blue's product category is Crisis Communication Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABANAF, Crisis Management & Communications Support (Mass Notification), with a secondary code of BPAEADAJ, Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Managed Services. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.