What e7 GmbH does

e7 GmbH (legal entity: e7° Partizipation und Zusammenarbeit GmbH, registered in Teufen, Switzerland) is a privately held, founder-led boutique consultancy and training practice operating across the DACH region. The firm designs and facilitates participatory processes for organizations, municipalities, schools, libraries, and nonprofits navigating complex change, self-organization transitions, and civic deliberation. Its service portfolio comprises four core consulting offerings — Design and Hosting of Participatory Processes and Events, Organizational Accompaniment, Leadership Development, and Team Development — anchored in internationally recognized methodologies (Art of Hosting, Sociocracy 3.0, Theory U, Circle Dialog, World Café, Open Space Technology, Appreciative Inquiry, Dynamic Facilitation) and a proprietary "7 Anker und 1 roter Faden" process framework. Notable client engagements include Transa Backpacking AG (multi-year self-organization program), Kanton Zürich's Teilhabe citizens' panels (Uster, Winterthur, Thalwil), Zentralbibliothek Zürich, Schule Pfäffikon, Bezirk Oberegg AI, and Pro Futuris / SGG's Zukunftsrat U24.

The business runs a hybrid revenue model: project-based professional services fees for consulting mandates (organizational development, change management, leadership and team development) co-exist with two open-enrollment training programs — the 3-day Art of Hosting Training (CHF 1,490–1,890 per participant, delivered at partner venues Schloss Wartegg and SANU Biel) and the 14-day Facilitation Ausbildung certification program across four modules (Early Bird CHF 5,900; standard CHF 6,600, at Propstei Wislikofen). Distribution is primarily direct: relationship-driven enterprise sales for consulting mandates, self-serve enrollment for public training cohorts, and referral flow through a Swiss cooperative network including planoalto (20-year partnership), ISI, Collaboratio Helvetica, GEN-H, Wege ins Neue, and Zentrum für Demokratie Aarau. Marketing channels are modest (company blog, LinkedIn page, quarterly newsletter, Art of Hosting community participation), which is consistent with a practice that grows through founder-credibility and partner referrals rather than paid acquisition.

Operationally, the firm is micro-scaled: the co-founders Katja Breitenmoser and Thomas Ghelfi are listed as the core team, with select co-facilitators (e.g., Sarah Sommer Friederich, Flavia Fries, Reto Kessler, Tobias Ochsenbein) delivering alongside them. There is no external institutional ownership, no funding history, no technology product, and no disclosed revenue. The economic model is therefore that of a lifestyle-boutique services firm: capacity-constrained by partner hours, with revenue tracked implicitly via ~100 participation processes completed over 12 years and a training calendar actively booked through mid-2027.

Name

e7 GmbH

Legal name

e7° Partizipation und Zusammenarbeit GmbH

Website

https://esieben.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

e7 GmbH is a Swiss founder-led boutique consultancy that designs and facilitates participatory processes, organizational development, and team/leadership training for governments, schools, and enterprises. It also runs public Art of Hosting and Facilitation Ausbildung certification programs across Swiss venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organizational Consulting and Facilitation Training

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Team-Building & Offsite Services (HSACADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workplace Culture, Engagement & Wellbeing Training (EDABAIAG), Meeting & Conference Planning & Coordination (HSACADAA)

Keywords

• Participatory process facilitation
• Organizational development consulting
• Facilitation training programs
• Leadership development workshops
• Change management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Gallen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Organisationsbegleitung (Organizational Consulting): Consulting fees for accompanying organizations through change processes, self-organization transitions, and culture development. Typically project-based engagements with organizations such as Transa, Waldkinder St.Gallen, and Zentralbibliothek Zürich.
2. Art of Hosting Training: Three-day training programs open to the public, priced at CHF 1,800–1,890 per participant. Conducted at partner venues (Schloss Wartegg, SANU Biel). Revenue from participant fees.
3. Facilitation Ausbildung (14-month program): Four-module facilitation certification program spanning 14 days. Early Bird pricing at CHF 5,900; standard price CHF 6,600. Accommodation and full board at Propstei Wislikofen charged separately at approx. CHF 1,860.
4. Team- and Leadership Development: Fees for team development workshops and leadership development programs delivered as in-house or open-enrollment sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

e7 GmbH designs and facilitates participatory processes for organizations, communities, and municipalities, and delivers organizational consulting, team development, and leadership development services for clients undergoing transformation toward self-organization. The firm also runs structured professional training programs — a 14-day Facilitation Ausbildung and a 3-day Art of Hosting Training — using methodologies such as Sociocracy 3.0, Theory U, Circle Dialog, World Café, Open Space, Appreciative Inquiry, and Future Conference.

Product overview

e7 GmbH (e7° Partizipation und Zusammenarbeit GmbH) is a Swiss consulting and education company offering professional services in process design, participation, leadership, hosting, and training. The company provides six core service offerings: Design and Hosting of Participatory Processes and Events, Organizational Accompaniment, Leadership Development, and Team Development as consulting services, plus two structured training programs—the 14-day Facilitation Ausbildung and the 3-day Art of Hosting Training. These offerings are interconnected, with the training programs providing foundational methodology (Art of Hosting, Soziocracy 3.0, Theory U) that underpins the consulting services in organizational change and participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design und Hosting von Partizipativen Prozessen und Veranstaltungen Design and facilitation of participatory processes and events for organizations, municipalities, schools, and communities, enabling constructive dialogue on important topics and challenges and supporting collective decision-making.
• Organisationsbegleitung Organizational consulting and change management support helping organizations navigate transformation processes (e.g., toward Sociocracy 3.0-based self-organization) with attention to dynamics and forces at play.
• Führungsentwicklung Leadership development support for leaders to reflect on their role in the context of their personality, team, and organization while gaining confidence in dealing with uncertainty.
• Teamentwicklung Team development support for reflection and advancement of collaboration with focus on shared goals, group dynamics, and paradoxes.
• Facilitation – die Ausbildung A 14-day professional training program in four modules covering facilitation attitude, methodology, and process design for co-creation in organizations, teams, and public spaces. Modules are held at Propstei Wislikofen with standard price CHF 6,600 (Early Bird CHF 5,900).
• Art of Hosting Training A 3-day intensive training program based on the Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations that Matter methodology, including Circle, World Café, Appreciative Inquiry, Open Space, and Storytelling. Offered at partner venues including Schloss Wartegg (Rorschacherberg) and SANU (Biel).

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 100 participation processes accompanied in municipalities and organizations over 12 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wege ins Neue (Sarah Sommer Friederich)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSarah Sommer (Friederich) is an experienced facilitator of participatory group processes. e7° collaborated with her on the Zukunftsrat U24 and she is active within the Facilitation Ausbildung as a co-facilitator.
• Flavia FriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlavia Fries co-hosts the Art of Hosting Training with e7° and jointly implements individual projects. Described as having a fresh, reliable, and active working style.
• Reto Kessler (NOW-NEW-NEXT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReto Kessler is part of the NOW-NEW-NEXT collective and shares a broad interest in good collaboration with e7°. He serves in the hosting team of the Art of Hosting Training.
• Tobias OchsenbeinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTobias Ochsenbein co-hosts the Art of Hosting Training with e7°. The partnership is connected by a shared love of nature and interest in leadership topics.
• planoaltominorStrategic or Co-development Partnerplanoalto offers training for systemic experiential educators and outdoor guides. e7° has been closely connected with planoalto for 20 years, suggesting deep collaborative history and mutual professional exchange.
• Institut für Systemische Impulse (ISI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerISI offers organizational development and coaching training programs that are described as practice-oriented and lively. e7° offers the 'Toolbox Grossgruppen' (large group methods toolbox) through ISI.
• Collaboratio HelveticaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboratio Helvetica brings people together to shape a sustainable Switzerland. e7° shares principles and values with CoHe and also collaborates on projects together.
• GEN-H (Jany Barraut)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJany Barraut is a change-catalyst with extensive experience in international contexts. e7° collaborated with him on the Zukunftsrat U24 project.
• SANU future learningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSANU future learning is a partner venue for the Art of Hosting Training (Autumn 2026) held at SANU's facilities in Biel. The training is offered in cooperation with SANU.
• Zentrum für Demokratie Aarau (ZDA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnere7° was commissioned by the Zentrum für Demokratie Aarau to facilitate all three citizen panels (Bürgerpanels) in the Canton of Zürich (Uster, Winterthur, Thalwil) as part of the canton's Teilhabe program.
• Kanton Zürich (Regierungsprogramm Teilhabe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Canton of Zürich commissioned the citizen panel initiative as part of its government program on civic participation (Teilhabe). e7° facilitated the panels in Uster and Winterthur, with Thalwil planned for autumn 2022.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Metaplan: Germany- and France-based facilitation and strategy consultancy with deep expertise in large-group methods, visual facilitation, and participatory processes. Directly comparable core offering to e7°'s Design und Hosting service, though significantly larger and more internationally established.
• next level consulting: German consulting firm pioneering Sociocracy 3.0 and self-organization implementations. Comparable in offering (S3 implementation, training, consulting) and target buyer (organizations undergoing self-organization transitions), with overlap in customer base.
• Institut für Systemische Impulse (ISI): Swiss practice-oriented organizational development and coaching training institute. e7° distributes its Toolbox Grossgruppen through ISI, and the two share a closely aligned systemic OD approach with overlapping client types in Switzerland.
• planoalto: Swiss training organization for systemic experiential educators and outdoor guides, and a 20-year close collaborator of e7°. Highly comparable in methodology (experiential, nature-based learning), customer profile, and DACH focus.
• Zentrum für Demokratie Aarau (ZDA): Swiss center of excellence for democratic participation that commissioned e7° to facilitate the Canton of Zurich citizens' panels. Comparable as a Swiss participatory-democracy specialist with overlapping civic-engagement engagements.
• Collaboratio Helvetica: Swiss organization convening people to shape a sustainable Switzerland through participatory processes. Directly comparable in participatory methodology, DACH geographic focus, and civic-engagement engagements.
• Soziokratie Zentrum: German practitioners and consultancy specializing in Sociocracy 3.0 implementation, training, and certification. Highly comparable methodology and offering to e7°'s self-organization transition work with clients like Transa.

Broad incumbents

• Trigon Entwicklungsberatung: Austrian organizational development consultancy with deep systemic and participative methodology expertise. Comparable in OD practice and DACH presence, but significantly broader portfolio and larger scale than e7°.

Emerging players

• HolacracyOne: Provider of Holacracy governance methodology, related training, and Glass Frog software. Adjacent to e7°'s self-organization/governance work, with overlap in customer interests but a more productized software + methodology offering.

Regional players

• SANU future learning: Swiss training and education organization focused on sustainability and future skills, hosting e7°'s Art of Hosting trainings. Comparable as a Swiss training venue and curriculum provider, though SANU's focus is broader (sustainability) rather than facilitation specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/e7-beratung-bildung-reisen
• Xx.com/changemakers_ch
• Facebookfacebook.com/change.makers.ch

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 e7 GmbH