WideResearch

What WideResearch does

WideResearch GmbH is a Frankfurt-based executive search and active sourcing firm founded in 2001, providing identification and initial outreach services for upper and middle management positions across industries (mechanical engineering, financial services, consumer goods, automotive, healthcare, logistics, construction, retail, medical technology, life sciences, chemicals, IT, pharma) and functional areas (controlling, IT, production, sales, purchasing, logistics/SCM, legal, finance, management, R&D, HR, marketing, taxes). The company is privately held and managed by three Geschäftsführerinnen (Julia Diehm, Boyana Boyanova, Janina Friebe), each carrying a vertical specialty, and operates from a single office at Goethestraße 32 in Frankfurt. WideResearch reports completion of more than 300 identification and complete projects annually with a stated 7-working-day research turnaround and 100% confidentiality guarantee, serving clients nationally in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and internationally.

The firm operates three integrated core services: Direct Search / Executive Search (identifying and initially contacting candidates for management positions), Active Sourcing (combining active and passive recruitment methods with structured direct telephone outreach to passive candidates), and Marktrecherche (structured market research delivering competitor organizational structures, hierarchies, and contact details). The differentiation thesis is the ability to access the ~83% of German professionals not present on LinkedIn or XING, leveraging human research processes and a modern CRM rather than a proprietary technology platform. Technology disclosure is minimal: no proprietary platform, SDK, API, mobile app, or AI/ML capability is mentioned; operations rely on an internal CRM and interactive project management tools.

The business model is pure professional services revenue, priced on a fixed-fee (Festpreis) basis independent of vacancy difficulty, with tariff details provided on request and individual multi-year framework agreements available for extensive client engagements. The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales via personal consultations at the Frankfurt office plus phone and email, supported by top-of-funnel organic presence on LinkedIn and XING. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the firm has not raised funding, has no disclosed M&A activity, and is not part of a larger group.

Name

WideResearch

Legal name

WideResearch GmbH

Website

https://wideresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WideResearch GmbH is a Frankfurt-based executive search and active sourcing firm, founded in 2001, providing candidate identification, direct outreach, and market research for upper and middle management positions across industries and functional areas in Germany, the DACH region, and internationally, via fixed-price professional service engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Active sourcing recruitment
• Passive candidate outreach
• Direct search recruiting
• Talent identification research

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

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. Executive Search / Active Sourcing Services: The company provides direct search and active sourcing services for identifying and initially contacting candidates for executive and middle management positions. Services include market research, candidate identification, and direct outreach. Pricing is based on fixed price (Festpreis) regardless of vacancy difficulty.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

WideResearch is a German executive search and active sourcing firm that identifies and makes initial direct contact with candidates for upper and middle management positions across all industries and functional areas, nationally and internationally. The firm combines market research, candidate identification, and proactive outreach — including telephone approaches to passive candidates not reachable through LinkedIn or XING — and delivers complete searches within 7 working days under 100% confidentiality on a fixed-price basis.

Product overview

WideResearch is an Executive Search and Active Sourcing company offering three integrated core services. The Direct Search / Executive Search service provides identification and initial approach to candidates for upper and middle management positions. Active Sourcing complements this by combining active and passive recruitment methods with direct telephone outreach to candidates found through prior market studies. The Marktrecherche (Market Research) service provides structured competitor analysis and organizational intelligence. These services work together as a comprehensive research and recruitment solution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Direct Search / Executive Search Core executive search service identifying and making the first direct approach to candidates for upper and middle management positions, nationally and internationally; WideResearch has been performing identification and complete projects since 2001.
• Active Sourcing Proactive recruitment service that combines active and passive methods to reach candidates not actively seeking jobs, combining prior market studies with direct telephone outreach to identified candidates.
• Marktrecherche (Market Research) Structured market analysis that maps competitor organizational structures, responsibilities, hierarchies, contact persons, positions, and contact details, combined with market insights.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• HireEZ: AI-powered outbound recruiting and sourcing platform. Emerging competitor to WideResearch's manual active-sourcing approach, using automation and AI to reach passive candidates at scale.

Direct peers

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a major executive search practice. Comparable to WideResearch in executive search and talent advisory services, though operating at far greater scale and with broader service offerings.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Comparable to WideResearch because both serve upper and middle management executive search mandates, though Heidrick & Struggles operates at much larger scale and with broader geographies.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm focused on senior leadership across industries and functions. Comparable to WideResearch in targeting C-suite and senior executive placements for corporate clients.
• Odgers Berndtson: International executive search firm with strong European footprint. Directly comparable to WideResearch in cross-industry executive search and middle/senior management placement.
• Spencer Stuart: One of the world's leading executive search and leadership consulting firms. Directly comparable business model to WideResearch, focused on board, CEO, and senior executive placements across industries.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong presence in DACH. Closely comparable to WideResearch in offering executive search and leadership advisory across all industries, especially in German-speaking markets.

Broad incumbents

• PageGroup: Global recruitment group operating Michael Page and Page Personnel brands. Comparable to WideResearch in permanent placement and executive search across multiple industries and geographies.
• Hays: Global specialist recruitment and workforce solutions firm. Comparable to WideResearch in recruiting professionals across industries and functions, though Hays is far larger and broader in scope.
• Robert Half: Global staffing and consulting firm placing professionals in finance, technology, and other functional areas. Overlaps with WideResearch in professional placement, though broader and more focused on contract staffing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wideresearch-gmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/wideresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 WideResearch