SAPHIR Deutschland

What SAPHIR Deutschland does

SAPHIR Deutschland GmbH is a competence-oriented recruitment consultancy founded in 2003 and headquartered in Herrenberg, Germany, near Stuttgart. The company specializes in placing graduates and Young Professionals with up to 5-8 years of experience into partner companies across Germany, operating a two-sided marketplace built on a curated talent pool of approximately 20% acceptance from applicants. Its service portfolio includes direct permanent-position placement, dual master's program placement in partnership with SIBE (Steinbeis School of International Business and Entrepreneurship), biannual publication of an anonymized Talent Catalog, and structured candidate selection using the KODE competency assessment methodology.

The technology stack supporting these services is relatively lightweight: an online application portal with document submission and interview scheduling, integration with Microsoft Teams for remote interviews, and a 2025-launched AI chatbot named Saphira (built on OpenAI's language models via Make/Celonis automation and Supabase for knowledge storage) that handles website inquiries. The company employs approximately 20 staff organized into talent management, candidate journey, recruitment, HR marketing, business development, and administration functions, led by Managing Partner Bruno Gross.

SAPHIR's revenue model is transaction-based: placement services are free for candidates, while partner companies pay fees on successful placements (exact pricing is not publicly disclosed). For SIBE dual master's programs, companies cover €1,160/month program fees and students pay €350/month tuition. The company reports over 300 partner companies spanning marketing, finance, IT, and HR, with named enterprise clients including Allianz, Mercedes-AMG, Voith, Diehl Metal Applications, and itdesign, and achieved 130+ placements in 2025. Operating geographies extend beyond Germany to the UK, Austria, Switzerland, and Mexico, though Germany remains the primary market.

Name

SAPHIR Deutschland

Legal name

SAPHIR Deutschland GmbH

Website

https://saphir-deutschland.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SAPHIR Deutschland is a German HR consultancy founded in 2003 that places graduates and Young Professionals (up to 5-8 years experience) with 300+ partner companies through a curated talent pool, KODE competency assessment, and dual master's programs via Steinbeis/SIBE.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAFAO

Remote & Global/Multilingual Direct Hire

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Permanent Placement & Direct Hire

Keywords

• Junior recruitment services
• Talent placement consultancy
• Graduate hiring services
• Dual study programs
• Permanent position staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Herrenberg

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. Recruitment Placement Fees: SAPHIR charges companies (not candidates) for successful placements of young professionals and graduates. The service is free for candidates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SAPHIR Deutschland is a recruitment consultancy that places graduates and Young Professionals (up to ~5–8 years of experience) into partner companies, primarily through direct permanent placement and work-integrated dual master's programs with SIBE/Steinbeis University. Its core assets include a curated Talent Pool, a biannual anonymized Talent Catalog distributed to partners, and a KODE competency-based candidate selection process. The service is free for candidates; partner companies pay placement fees upon successful hires.

Product overview

SAPHIR Deutschland is a competence-oriented recruitment consultancy that connects companies with graduates and Young Professionals. The offering consists of a core talent placement service supplemented by several integrated components: a Talent Pool containing vetted candidates accessible to partner companies, a Talent Catalog (published bi-monthly) showcasing anonymized profiles, a KODE® skills assessment used during candidate evaluation, and an AI-powered chatbot called Saphira for user inquiry handling. Services are delivered through two primary channels: direct Permanent Position Placement for mid-level roles (up to 5-8 years experience), and Dual Master Program Placement in partnership with SIBE/Steinbeis University for graduate-level talent seeking work-integrated master's degrees. The company serves over 300 partner organizations across industries including marketing, finance, IT, and HR, and operates with approximately 20 employees in Herrenberg near Stuttgart.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAPHIR Talent Pool A curated database of vetted candidates (graduates and Young Professionals with up to 5–8 years of experience) that partner companies can access for direct placement and recruitment needs. Approximately 20% of applicants are admitted into the pool.
• SAPHIR Talent Catalog A bi-monthly published profile overview of selected talents introduced to partner companies. Features anonymized candidate profiles including experience and skills (no personal data disclosed) to facilitate targeted matching.
• Dual Master Program Placement SAPHIR connects graduates with partner companies offering dual master's degree programs in collaboration with SIBE (Steinbeis School of International Business and Entrepreneurship). Students work full-time at partner companies while completing a work-integrated master's degree (SIBE Management Master M.Sc., German-US Dual Degree M.Sc./MBA, or SIBE Digitalization Master M.Sc.).
• Permanent Position Placement Direct recruitment and placement of graduates and Young Professionals (with up to 5–8 years of experience) into permanent positions at partner companies across Germany. Includes full-time placements such as the €90,000 Key Account Manager role at Diehl Metal Applications.
• Selection Process Services (KODE-based) End-to-end candidate screening service including online application review, personal MS Teams interview, KODE competency assessment (24 incomplete sentences with ranked answers), and talent pool admission. Provided to candidates as part of the recruitment funnel.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130+ Young Professionals placed with partner companies in 2025
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SIBE - School of International Business and EntrepreneurshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with Steinbeis University's SIBE for dual master's programs. SAPHIR recruits candidates who combine work at partner companies with master's studies. The program includes SIBE Management Master (M.Sc.), German-US Dual Degree (M.Sc./MBA), and SIBE Digitalization Master (M.Sc.). Companies cover program fees (€1,160/month) while students pay €350/month tuition.
• Steinbeis Hochschule (Steinbeis STW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Steinbeis University for academic programs. SAPHIR operates as an extension of Steinbeis's career services, facilitating placements and dual study opportunities.
• 300+ Partner CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 300 partner companies across various sectors including marketing, finance, IT, HR. Range from medium-sized businesses to international corporations such as Voith, Mercedes-AMG, Diehl Metal Applications, and Allianz. Companies use SAPHIR's services to recruit young professionals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hays Deutschland: German arm of Hays, specializing in white-collar permanent and contract recruitment. Competes with SAPHIR for corporate mid-market and enterprise junior and mid-career placements.
• Absolventa GmbH: German recruitment platform focused on graduates, interns, and young professionals. Highly comparable to SAPHIR's junior-talent niche, with matching services for entry-level candidates and corporate customers across Germany.
• Studitemps GmbH: Germany's largest student and graduate staffing platform. Overlaps with SAPHIR in the student/young-professional placement space and competes for the same junior talent pool candidate base.
• DIS AG: German recruitment consultancy offering permanent placement and staffing services across disciplines. Operates in the same domestic German recruitment market with comparable B2B recruitment model.
• Campusjäger (Workwise): German digital recruitment platform originally focused on student and graduate hiring, now operating as Workwise. Directly comparable in targeting graduates and young professionals through tech-enabled matching.

Broad incumbents

• PageGroup: Global recruitment group operating Michael Page, Page Personnel, and Page Executive brands with strong German presence. Competes at the broad permanent-placement level but is not niche-focused on junior talent.
• Michael Page: Global professional recruitment firm with strong presence in Germany. Competes with SAPHIR for corporate permanent placement mandates but operates across all experience levels, not specialized in junior talent.
• Robert Half International: Global staffing and consulting firm placing finance, accounting, technology, and administrative professionals. Overlaps with SAPHIR in German permanent placement for early-career professionals but covers a much broader portfolio.

Others

• Softgarden e-recruiting GmbH: German applicant tracking and employer-branding technology provider. Adjacent ecosystem participant serving corporate TA teams that may otherwise use agencies like SAPHIR for junior hiring.
• Joblift GmbH: German job search meta-aggregator providing candidates with cross-platform job discovery. Adjacent to SAPHIR's market as a candidate-acquisition channel but does not provide placement or matching services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saphir-deutschland-gmbh
• TikToktiktok.com/@saphir.deutschland
• Xx.com/Saphir_inside
• Facebookfacebook.com/SAPHIR.Deutschland

Compliance3 records

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 SAPHIR Deutschland