Bundesinnung der Horakustiker

What Bundesinnung der Horakustiker does

The Bundesinnung der Höerakustiker KdöR (biha), founded on 15 March 1966 in Frankfurt/Main, is Germany's national guild (Bundesinnung) and public-law corporation (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts, KdöR) for the hearing aid acoustician trade. Headquartered at Wallstraße 5, 55122 Mainz, and supervised by the Handwerkskammer Rheinhessen, biha represents the collective interests of Höerakustiker businesses across all German Bundesländer. Its statutory mandate covers promoting professional interests, regulating and supervising apprenticeship training, administering master craftsman examinations, maintaining quality standards, and representing the trade before health policy bodies and the GKV-Spitzenverband.

The guild's operational core is the Campus Höerakustik in Lübeck, which uniquely combines the Akademie für Höerakustik (AfH) for vocational training and continuing education, the Bundesoffene Landesberufsschule für Höerakustiker, and — since October 2025 — the HörHanse e.V. consortium that bundles hearing-health competencies with academic and clinical partners including the UKSH ENT clinic. biha certifies a substantial pipeline of professionals annually: 176 master craftsmen in the 2025/2026 cohort, 511 journeymen in summer 2025, and hosts an International Summer Academy drawing participants from 40+ countries. Its product surface is non-commercial: a password-protected Mitgliederbereich, a film and video library, a press and fact-sheet area, LQW-certified continuing education, and advocacy-driven pilot projects such as eVerordnung für Hilfsmittel (electronic prescription for medical aids).

biha's revenue model is membership-based: recurring dues and contributions from member Höerakustiker-Betriebe, set by the Delegiertenversammlung, supplemented by training-related fees. It has no external equity investors, no parent company, no VC backing, and no publicly disclosed revenue figure. Go-to-market is community-led — advocacy, annual delegate assemblies, regional delegate groups (NORD, SÜD, WEST, OST), and integration with the ZDH and AG Gesundheitshandwerke at the federal level.

Name

Bundesinnung der Horakustiker

Legal name

Bundesinnung der Hörakustiker KdöR

Website

https://biha.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Germany's national guild (KdöR) for hearing aid acousticians, founded 1966, headquartered in Mainz, representing Höerakustiker-Betriebe across all Bundesländer. Operates the Campus Höerakustik in Lübeck, administers master and journeyman examinations, and runs advocacy and training programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Trade Association (Healthcare Crafts)

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Audiology & Hearing Services (ENT-Affiliated) (HLAKAMAI)

Keywords

• Hearing aid acoustics
• Professional trade guild
• Vocational training
• Master craftsman examination
• Hearing healthcare advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Mainz

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues and contributions: As a guild organization (Bundesinnung), the primary revenue stream is membership fees and contributions collected from member hearing aid acoustician businesses across Germany. These dues fund the organization's advocacy, training, and regulatory activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Bundesinnung der Hörakustiker (biha) is Germany's national guild and public-law corporation for the hearing aid acoustics (Hörakustik) trade. It represents member hearing aid acoustician businesses, regulates and supervises apprenticeship training, administers master craftsman examinations, provides continuing education through the Akademie für Hörakustik at the Campus Hörakustik in Lübeck, and advocates on health policy and reimbursement matters with statutory health insurers and federal authorities.

Product overview

Bundesinnung der Hörakustiker KdöR is a public-law trade association (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) and the national Spitzenverband (head organization) for the hearing-aid acoustics (Hörakustik) trade in Germany. It does not offer a commercial software product or SaaS platform. Its core offerings comprise a password-protected Mitgliederbereich (member area) for registered members, the Akademie für Hörakustik (AfH) at Campus Hörakustik in Lübeck providing vocational training and continuing education, a video library (biha Filme) with informational and recruitment films, a press area with fact sheets and position papers, and advocacy initiatives including the eVerordnung pilot project for electronic prescriptions. The organization is regulated by the Handwerkskammer Rheinhessen and operates under German trade law.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Campus Hörakustik: A unique knowledge centre in Lübeck comprising the Akademie für Hörakustik (AfH) and the Landesberufsschule für Hörakustiker und Hörakustikerinnen (LBS), with national and international reputation.

Products and services

• Mitgliederbereich (Member Area) Password-protected online portal providing member hearing aid acoustician businesses with access to exclusive resources, professional information, legal materials, and member-only services.
• Akademie für Hörakustik (AfH) — Vocational Training and Continuing Education Academy located at the Campus Hörakustik in Lübeck delivering initial vocational training (Ausbildung) and continuing education (Weiterbildung) for hearing aid acousticians; functions as a national and international center of excellence for the trade.
• Master Craftsman Examination (Meisterprüfung) Administration Administration and coordination of master craftsman examinations for hearing aid acousticians; 176 candidates passed in the 2025/2026 cohort and 190 in 2024/2025.
• biha Filme — Video Library Library of image films, informational videos, apprentice-recruitment films, and educational content covering hearing loss, hearing aid terminology, and the hearing-aid acoustics trade; available for member use.
• Press Area — Press Materials and Fact Sheets Press area providing press releases, position papers, and downloadable fact sheets covering hearing acoustics, cochlear implants, the Campus Hörakustik, and industry structural data (Strukturdaten) for media and stakeholders.
• International Summer Academy Annual international training program at Campus Hörakustik in Lübeck that has hosted experts from over 40 countries; 29 participants from 12 countries attended the 2024 edition.

Quantifiable outcome

• 176 Hörakustiker passed their master examination in the 2025/2026 cohort; 511 Gesellen received credentials in summer 2025; the annual Gesellenfreisprechung in Lübeck is Germany's largest of any health trade.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HörHanse e.V. (Campus Lübeck)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2025Leading hearing institutions at the Lübeck Campus Hörakustik — including the Akademie für Hörakustik, the Landesberufsschule, the ENT clinic of UKSH, and other partners — founded HörHanse e.V. to bundle competencies in hearing health and advance it nationally and internationally. The collaboration uniquely combines crafts, research, training, and patient care.
• gematik GmbH (Beirat)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2025The Working Group on Health Trades (AG Gesundheitshandwerke) within the ZDH became a full member of the gematik advisory board. Marianne Frickel, former President of biha, represents the health trades' interests in the gematik board, which oversees Germany's digital health infrastructure (Telematikinfrastruktur/TI).
• Advanced Arab Academy of Audiovestibular (AAAA) — Arab Hearing Health ConferenceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2025The Campus Hörakustik Lübeck sent an expert team to the 11th Arab Hearing Health Conference (AHH 2025) in Amman, Jordan, organized by the AAAA. The AHH conference is one of the most important gatherings for hearing acousticians, audiologists, and ENT doctors in the Middle East and North Africa with over 25 member countries.
• BKK24 and vivida bkk (Pilotprojekt eVerordnung für Hilfsmittel)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2025Two additional statutory health insurers joined the pilot project 'eVerordnung für Hilfsmittel' (electronic prescription for medical aids). Previously, the AOK Bundesverband and six AOK regional funds had joined. The project aims to digitize the prescription process for hearing aids and other medical aids.
• Advanced Arab Academy of Audiovestibular (AAAA) — Arab Hearing Health ConferenceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2024The Campus Hörakustik Lübeck participated in the 10th Arab Hearing Health Conference (AHH 2024) in Amman, Jordan, contributing to international exchange on hearing healthcare expertise.
• Handwerkskammer RheinhessencoreOthersbiha operates under the regulatory supervision of Handwerkskammer Rheinhessen, which approves its statutes and oversees compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The chamber also administers the master examinations (Meisterprüfung) for Hörakustiker on behalf of the guild.
• Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks (ZDH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnerbiha is a member of the ZDH, the central association of German crafts and trades. Through this membership, biha participates in cross-trade initiatives such as the Working Group on Health Trades (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Gesundheitshandwerke), which collectively advocates for healthcare crafts professions.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft der Hörbehinderten – Selbsthilfe und Fachverbände e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development Partnerbiha and the German Society for the Hard of Hearing collaborated on the 'Schwerhörigkeit: So hören Millionen Menschen' (Hearing Loss: How Millions Hear) inclusion film, which for the first time makes the hearing experience of hard-of-hearing individuals perceptible for those with normal hearing.
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Gesundheitshandwerke (im ZDH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnerbiha participates in the AG Gesundheitshandwerke, a cross-trade working group within the ZDH comprising five health trades (eye optics, hearing acoustics, orthopaedic shoemaking, orthopaedic technology, dental technology). This group collectively advocates for healthcare crafts at the federal level, organizes events such as the Parliamentary Evening, and recently joined the gematik advisory board.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Bundesinnung Hörakustik Österreich (Biha Österreich equivalent): The Austrian hearing aid acousticians guild and professional body. Comparable in mandate, training oversight, and policy advocacy for the hearing acoustics trade, but operating in a different national jurisdiction.
• Advanced Arab Academy of Audiovestibular (AAAA): The MENA-region academy organizing the Arab Hearing Health Conference. biha's Campus Hörakustik has a recurring participation partnership with AAAA, making it a peer in regional hearing care training and conference convening.

Others

• Handwerkskammer Rheinhessen: The local chamber of crafts that supervises biha, approves its statutes, and administers master examinations. Regulatory counterpart rather than a competitor, but deeply comparable in serving the German Handwerk system.
• European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (EHIMA): The European trade association representing hearing instrument manufacturers. Adjacent to biha's scope: manufacturers and acoustician guilds are interconnected through the hearing aid supply chain, regulation, and standards setting.

Direct peers

• International Hearing Society (IHS): A US-based international association for hearing healthcare professionals. Comparable in mission (training, certification, advocacy) for hearing aid specialists, though operating across multiple countries and a different regulatory environment.
• Bundesinnung für Orthopädie-Technik: The national guild for orthopaedic technology, a sister health trade guild and co-member of the AG Gesundheitshandwerke within ZDH. Comparable in statutory role, training oversight, and policy advocacy for a healthcare craft.
• Bundesinnung der Augenoptiker: The national guild for opticians, a fellow KdöR Bundesinnung under the Handwerksordnung. Direct peer in structure, governance model, regulatory role, and membership-based advocacy for an adjacent sensory healthcare craft.
• Bundesinnung der Zahntechniker: The national guild for dental technicians, another KdöR health trade guild in the AG Gesundheitshandwerke. Shares the same craft-guild structure, training and master examination oversight, and statutory health insurance policy engagement as biha.

Emerging players

• American Academy of Audiology (AAA): A large US-based professional association for audiologists. Comparable in professional advocacy and continuing education for the audiology and hearing care field, with a broader clinical scope than biha but overlapping membership interests.

Broad incumbents

• Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks (ZDH): The umbrella association of all German skilled crafts. biha is a member of ZDH and participates in its Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Gesundheitshandwerke, making ZDH the parent trade body with overlapping representational and policy functions at a broader level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/bihakdoer
• Instagraminstagram.com/biha.kdoer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bundesinnung der Horakustiker