Mediablue

What Mediablue does

Mediablue (medienblau gGmbH) is a German non-profit media education organization founded in 2001 and formally registered as a charitable limited liability company (gemeinnützige GmbH) in 2006, headquartered at Schillerstr. 73, Kassel. The organization operates three interconnected service lines: (1) Medienbildung — active media education projects and accredited teacher training, including project formats such as News Caching, Webklicker, Klickstarter, mediaX!, Tabubrüche, Clever fürs Klima, energize!, Kühler Kopf, and the PRACTICE career-orientation program; (2) Medienproduktion — educational media production under the ON! Bildungsmedien brand, producing explainer films, learning games, animations, and interactive media for classroom and campaign use; and (3) Beratungen — strategic consulting for media-pedagogical model projects. The organization conducts approximately 350 project days and 200+ events per year across Germany, reaching over 7,500 youth and 60+ schools in flagship initiatives such as #NichtEgal and Respekt digital.

The core methodology combines peer-to-peer learning with practical media production, enabling students to create their own content (e.g., 36 student-produced media pieces in the Respekt digital project) while building critical media literacy. Delivery occurs on-site at schools, via the Online-Fortbildungs-Reihe Medienbildung on BigBlueButton (free accredited training for Hessian teachers registered through Schulportal Hessen), and through international workshops in Namibia, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, and Moldova via Deutsche Welle Akademie. The core operating team is lean — 5.75 full-time equivalents across Geschäftsführung (Philipp Buchholtz), Projektleitung (Karen Schönherr, Daniel Hildebrandt, Anne Walther), administration (Bettina Wolter, Lisa Groß), and a Bundesfreiwilligendienstleistende — supplemented by 30+ freelance trainers, with interdisciplinary expertise spanning media pedagogy, journalism, media design, AI development, and teaching.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid public-sector model: project fees from schools (e.g., 125 EUR own contribution per News Caching project, 30 EUR per mediaX! training); government and state-media-authority funding — Medienanstalt Hessen alone provides over 10% of annual budget and underwrites 150+ projects per year, with additional support from Hessisches Kultusministerium, Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung, Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung, and other Landesmedienanstalten and Kultusministerien nationwide; corporate partnerships for educational campaigns (Sparda-Bank Hessen Schuloffensive GiG, Sparkassen-SchulService, AOK Nordost); donations via GLS Gemeinschaftsbank; and international consulting fees through Deutsche Welle Akademie. Go-to-market is primarily community-led through institutional relationships with state media authorities and educational multipliers, supplemented by direct sales outreach and event-driven engagement at schools and conferences.

Name

Mediablue

Legal name

medienblau gGmbH

Website

https://medienblau.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mediablue (medienblau gGmbH) is a German non-profit media education organization delivering active media literacy projects, accredited teacher training, and educational media production. Founded in 2001 in Kassel, it serves schools, educators, and public-sector partners across Germany with ~350 project days annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Education Services

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Development & Teacher Training Media (EDAGALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational/Instructional Public Media Services (Schools, Distance Learning) (MPABADAH), Course Authoring, Hosting & Delivery Tools (LMS for Creators) (MPACALAJ), Educational Digital Courseware & Learning Platforms (LMS-Integrated) (MPAJABAH)

Keywords

• Media literacy education
• Teacher training programs
• Educational media production
• School media projects
• Media education consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Kassel

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Project Fees: Schools and educational institutions pay fees for media literacy projects conducted at their facilities. Pricing varies by project type (e.g., 125 EUR for News Caching project).
2. Government and Public Funding: Majority of funding from Medienanstalt Hessen (over 10% of annual budget), along with support from Landesmedienanstalten, Kultusministerien, and other public educational initiatives. Funding covers project costs and enables free offerings.
3. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Collaborations with corporations such as Sparda-Bank Hessen (Schuloffensive GiG), Sparkassen-SchulService, and others for educational campaigns. Companies fund educational content development in exchange for brand association.
4. Donations: Charitable donations accepted via bank transfer (GLS Gemeinschaftsbank), with donation receipts provided for amounts over 300 EUR. Supports mission of quality media literacy education.
5. Teacher Training Fees: Fees for professional development courses for educators. Some trainings free (accredited Hessian programs), others with cost participation (e.g., 30 EUR for mediaX! training).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

medienblau gGmbH operates a non-profit media education center delivering three interconnected service lines: (1) Medienbildung — multi-day school projects on online journalism, fake news, internet safety, data protection, and copyright, plus accredited teacher training; (2) Medienproduktion — production of educational media products (films, animations, interactive learning games) under the ON! Bildungsmedien brand; (3) Beratungen — strategic consulting for media-pedagogical projects from concept development to evaluation.

Product overview

Mediablue (medienblau gGmbH) is a nonprofit educational agency offering three interconnected service lines: (1) Medienbildung — active media education projects and teacher training workshops (e.g., News Caching, Webklicker, Klickstarter, PRACTICE, Clever fürs Klima, energize!, Kühler Kopf), including the Online-Fortbildungs-Reihe Medienbildung; (2) Medienproduktion — professional media production services including fictional/non-fictional videos, animated explainer clips, interactive audiovisual learning games, and educational materials, under the ON! Bildungsmedien brand; and (3) Beratungen — consulting for the initiation of media-pedagogical model projects and strategic training programs. Projects are delivered nationwide in schools, in cooperation with partners such as the Medienanstalt Hessen, and annually realize approximately 350 project days.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• News Caching - Nachrichtenprojekt A 2-day school project for students from grade 8 upwards that introduces online journalism: students learn to critically evaluate sources, identify fake news, and write their own news contributions based on solid research. Pricing is 125 EUR own contribution per project.
• Webklicker - Wir klicken clever! A 2-day school project for grades 5 and 6 covering the opportunities and risks of the internet, including personal rights, data protection, and copyright. Includes an integrated (online) parent evening. Pricing is 125 EUR own contribution per project.
• Klickstarter Media literacy education program for 4th graders in Kassel elementary schools, covering media use, research, data protection, communication including cyberbullying. Free for Kassel elementary schools; includes 2-day training, 1 compact day at school, and parent evening.
• Online-Fortbildungs-Reihe Medienbildung A series of 90-minute compact online training sessions for Hessian teachers of all school types and subjects, covering AI, hate speech, media consumption effects, manipulation in advertising, and other media education topics. Delivered interactively via BigBlueButton video conference and accredited for Hessian teachers. Free of charge for eligible participants.
• mediaX! Teacher Training A 2-day teacher training course plus 2 coaching days for student projects conducted in schools. Own contribution of 30 EUR per teacher. Combines a colleague-course format with on-site implementation support.
• Tabubrüche Teacher Training A compact 1-day teacher training for up to 16 teachers, also deliverable as a Pädagogischer Tag (full-school pedagogical day). Costs available on request.
• Medienpädagogische Beratungen (Media Education Consulting) Strategic consulting services for media-pedagogical projects covering initial idea development, concept creation, strategy workshops, implementation, and impact evaluation. Clients include schools, education ministries (e.g., Pädagogisches Institut München model project kick-off), and international organisations (Deutsche Welle Akademie projects in Namibia, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Moldova).
• Medienproduktion / ON! Bildungsmedien Professional production of educational media products under the ON! Bildungsmedien brand, including fictional and non-fictional videos, animated explainer clips, interactive audiovisual learning games, and supporting educational materials. Produced for classroom use and educational campaigns, for clients such as BZgA, BIBB, and Sparkassen-SchulService.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~350 project days conducted annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Deutsche Welle AkademiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsulting on building Media-Information-Literacy strategy in Palestinian educational sector. Design and implementation of workshops in Namibia, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, and Moldova. Regional partners being established to strengthen media literacy education.
• klicksafe.decoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperation partner of the EU initiative for school sector. Represents klicksafe.de at conferences on safe internet use. Provides consulting on educational work with schools and participates in development and implementation of train-the-trainer programs.
• Sparda-Bank Hessen eGmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-term partnership for Schuloffensive GiG ('Du hast dein Geld im Griff') financial education project. medienblau delivers media-based financial literacy education to youth. Partnership combines pädagogischer Ansatz with media competence.
• Sparkassen-SchulServicemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperation for sustainable media literacy education. Funded school projects and competent teacher training valued equally by students and teachers. medienblau creates redaktionelle Inhalte for print newsletter 'Neue Medien für Jugendliche'.
• Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction of fictional film on computer game and media addiction for peer-to-peer Net-Piloten project. Youth are sensitized preventively about dangers of excessive media use.
• Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction of six short films about vocational training situations for young people with migration backgrounds. Actors and interactive approaches illustrate challenges for trainers and trainees.
• AOK NordostminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-day school projects and teacher training on fake news and self-presentation on social media platforms implemented in Rostock and Berlin.
• Stiftung Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt (Diesterweg-Stipendium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment of media curriculum for Diesterweg-Stipendium. Practical workshops strengthen media literacy of stipend recipients in elementary school age and their parents.
• LandesEnergieAgentur (LEA) HessenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment and implementation of energize! media project for vocational schools. Students sensitized for energy-conscious action in their training.
• Reformschule KasselcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2019, ongoing support in school development and digitization as a state experimental school. Includes process consulting, tablet 1:1 equipment support, design thinking workshops, and impact evaluation.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb): Federal government agency producing educational media and running school/youth civic-education programs. Highly relevant adjacent reference for medienblau's work on hate speech, democracy, and media literacy, and a common co-funding or commissioning counterpart for media-education projects.
• FWU Institut für Film und Bild in Wissenschaft und Unterricht: Gräfelfing-based non-profit producing and licensing educational films and media for German schools, with a catalogue model. Comparable to medienblau's ON! Bildungsmedien production arm and to its school-channel distribution, but at much larger scale and with a public-sector mandate.
• klicksafe.de (EU initiative, coordinated by Landesanstalt für Medien NRW): EU-co-funded German flagship initiative for internet safety and media competence in schools. medienblau is a listed cooperation partner; klicksafe.de operates at a broader national/international scale and is a relevant adjacent reference point in the same B2B-school media-literacy market.

Direct peers

• JFF – Institut für Medienpädagogik in Forschung und Praxis: Munich-based non-profit research and practice institute for media pedagogy, running school projects, teacher training, and youth media programs across Germany. Direct comparable to medienblau in mission, target audience (students, teachers, multipliers), and funding mix (public grants + projects).
• GMK – Gesellschaft für Medienpädagogik und Kommunikationskultur: Bielefeld-based non-profit umbrella association for media pedagogy in Germany, bundling school, youth, and teacher-facing media-education initiatives. Comparable in mission, target groups, and the public-grant funding model, though structured as a membership association.
• Grimme Institut: Marl-based non-profit that delivers media literacy projects, teacher training, and awards focused on media quality. Closely comparable to medienblau's combination of school-based media education, teacher professional development, and project work funded by state media authorities.

Emerging players

• News Literacy Project: US non-profit focused specifically on news literacy and misinformation education in schools, with teacher resources and a peer-to-peer Checkology platform. Closely comparable to medienblau's News Caching and Klickstarter projects addressing fake news and source evaluation.
• Common Sense Education: US-based non-profit providing digital-literacy curricula, lesson plans, and teacher training to schools. Comparable in mission and teacher-training-led GTM to medienblau, and a useful international benchmark for the school media-literacy category.

Regional players

• Bits21 / edmedien: Brandenburg- and Saxony-based non-profit delivering youth media work, teacher training, and school media projects (e.g., modules for Landesjugendamt Sachsen). Operates a comparable project-and-training model to medienblau in eastern German states.
• medien+bildung.com (LPM Landesmedienzentrum Rheinland-Pfalz): Mainz-based state media education center providing school media projects, teacher training, and youth media programs in Rhineland-Palatinate. Highly comparable operating model to medienblau, but anchored in a different state media authority.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Mediablue