Walnut Live

What Walnut Live does

Walnut Live operates a browser-based digital sales platform for private market funds, serving German financial advisors and the emissions houses (product providers) whose funds they distribute. The platform, developed by Walnut GmbH & Co. KG and headquartered in Oberhaching near Munich, was launched in July 2021 on technology that had been deployed in white-label form at RWB (since 2019) and PROJECT (since late 2020). It combines an integrated CRM, real-time video consultation with mirrored-screen co-browsing, automated completeness and plausibility checks on subscription documents, MiFID-II-compliant ESG preference capture with an open-source data standard, integrated audio/video taping, and digital signature workflows — including an on-site direct-signing mode (Direktzeichnung vor Ort) that bridges face-to-face and remote advisory. All functionality is delivered through a standard web browser with no software installation required.

The platform is free for financial advisors and distribution companies, monetizing instead through fees charged to the connected product providers (emissions houses). As of June 2026, Walnut Live connects approximately 2,500 financial advisors with 21 product partners, enabling a two-sided distribution marketplace that also funnels through liability umbrella organizations (Haftungsdächer) such as FiNet, eFonds AG, and BCA AG. The platform's built-in FinVermV compliance (§16 FinVermV suitability and taping requirements) is a central design pillar, positioning it as compliance infrastructure rather than a generic CRM.

In September 2025, Walnut Live extended its offering into occupational pensions (bAV) via a partnership with Münchner Versorgungsmanagement, and it has progressively added US-focused fund partners (TSO, BVT, Jamestown, Pangaea Life) alongside its core German private-market portfolio. The company is led by Managing Directors Lars Gentz and Norman Lemke, with Clemens Köbler heading sales and onboarding. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and no external venture funding rounds were identified.

Name

Walnut Live

Legal name

Walnut GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://walnut.live

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Walnut Live is a browser-based digital distribution platform that enables German financial advisors to conduct FinVermV-compliant advisory, video consultations, and digital subscription workflows for private market funds offered by 21+ connected emissions houses. The platform is free for advisors and monetizes via fees paid by product providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oberhaching

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Platform fees from product providers (Emissionshäuser): Walnut Live is free for financial advisors and distribution companies. The platform generates revenue through fees charged to the connected product providers (emissions houses / investment fund managers). Product providers pay to have their funds listed and available for digital subscription via the platform, essentially a B2B2B marketplace model where Walnut serves as the distribution infrastructure between fund managers and retail advisors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Walnut Live is a browser-based digital sales platform for private market funds (closed-end AIFs, real estate, venture capital, ESG, and bAV products) that enables German financial advisors to conduct FinVermV-compliant online advisory consultations with co-browsing, generate validated digital subscription documents, perform integrated AML identity verification, capture ESG preferences, and complete electronic signatures. The platform is free for advisors and distribution companies, generating revenue through platform fees from connected product providers (emissions houses).

Product overview

Walnut Live is a unified browser-based digital sales platform for private market funds, developed by the FinTech company Walnut GmbH & Co. KG (based in Oberhaching, Germany). The platform consists of the Walnut Marketplace (for browsing partner product providers and their offerings) and the Walnut-Live-Stack (a suite of modular services including Live Meeting with co-browsing and video, integrated CRM for customer management, a digital consulting file (Digitale Beratungsakte) for compliance documentation, and an end-to-end digital E-Zeichnungsstrecke for generating subscription documents, performing automated completeness and plausibility checks, collecting e-signatures, and completing digital identity verification. The platform supports three consultation modalities: fully digital remote (Fernabsatz), face-to-face with on-site direct subscription (Direktzeichnung vor Ort), and hybrid (generating digital documents for print). A dedicated ESG preference query module enables MiFID-II-compliant capture of customer sustainability preferences with visual product matching. The platform is free for financial advisors and is financed through fees charged to connected product providers (emissionshäuser). The Walnut-Live-Stack also encompasses the Walnut Marketplace, a presentation layer for product providers and their digitized investment products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Walnut Live Platform Browser-based digital sales platform for private market funds enabling German financial advisors to conduct FinVermV-compliant online consultation, generate digital subscription documents with automated validation, and complete fully digital e-signature subscription processes. Free for advisors and distribution companies, with revenue from product provider fees.
• Live Meeting (with Co-Browsing) Real-time video consultation feature with mirrored screen sharing (co-browsing) for advisor and client to jointly navigate the subscription process remotely. Includes integrated e-signature subscription capability.
• Digital Customer Management (CRM) Integrated CRM functionality for managing customer profiles, generating quotes, applications, and forecasts, and documenting the consultation process within the Walnut Live platform.
• Digital Consulting File (Digitale Beratungsakte) Digital consulting file that automatically records and archives all consultation steps, including pre-contractual cost information, suitability declarations, audio/video recordings, and confirmation of right-of-withdrawal instructions, in a compliance-ready format per § 16 FinVermV.
• E-Signature Subscription Pathway (E-Zeichnungsstrecke) End-to-end digital subscription workflow including automated completeness and plausibility checks, digital document generation, electronic signature (mouse, touchscreen, or smartphone), and integrated AML identity verification. Available for both full-digital remote sales and face-to-face consultation.
• Direktzeichnung vor Ort (On-Site Direct Signing) On-site direct subscription feature enabling face-to-face consultation with the digital subscription process shared on a single screen; mandatory customer actions (such as signing the subscription agreement) are completed on the customer's own smartphone.
• ESG Preference Query (ESG-Präferenzabfrage) MiFID-II-compliant ESG preference capture module that guides customers through sustainability preference questions, automatically generates a sustainability profile, and visually matches it against product sustainability profiles using spider charts. Source code for the ESG data structure is published under Creative Commons CC-BY-4.0 on GitHub.
• Walnut Marketplace Platform component providing a presentation layer for product providers and their digitized products, accessible to registered financial advisors within Walnut Live.

Quantifiable outcome

• 546 km saved per digital live meeting on average (2025)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WIDe Wertimmobilien Deutschland FondsmanagementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026The most recent product partner as of the data. WIDe offers German residential real estate investments through the WIDe Fonds 10, focusing on multi-family homes in Bavaria, Saxony, and Berlin (minimum EUR 20,000). The partnership was announced in June 2026.
• Münchner Versorgungsmanagement (MVM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 September 2025MVM is the first partner in the company pension (bAV / betriebliche Altersversorgung) sector, expanding Walnut Live beyond private markets funds into bAV contract digital completion. MVM specializes in contribution-based support funds (pauschaldotierte Unterstützungskasse).
• Pangaea LifecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2025Pangaea Life (joint venture of Versicherungsgruppe die Bayerische and Empira Group) offers sustainable residential real estate investments in the US Sunbelt. Listed product: Pangaea Life Institutional Co-Invest US Residential (minimum USD 10,000).
• EURAMCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2024EURAMCO (founded 1999) manages 180+ closed investment vehicles across Europe. Listed product: EURAMCO Clean Power (Article 9 Impact Fund, minimum EUR 10,000), investing in wind and solar energy in Europe.
• JamestowncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2024The 21st product partner (20th emissions house). Founded in 1983, Jamestown focuses on US real estate investments. Listed product: Jamestown 32 (minimum USD 30,000 / USD 20,000 with US tax number).
• BVT UnternehmensgruppecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2024The twentieth product partner. Munich-based BVT (founded 1976) provides access to international real asset investments. Listed product: BVT Residential USA 19 (minimum USD 30,000).
• inVenture Capital (iVC GmbH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2024The nineteenth product partner. Berlin-based inVenture Capital enables retail investors to access venture capital funds. Listed product: iVC Venture Innovation Fund, investing in at least 10 European VC funds covering 200+ startups.
• hep solarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 August 2024The eighteenth product partner. The family-owned company (Baden-Württemberg) develops, builds, operates, and finances solar parks globally. Listed product: HEP – Solar Green Energy Impact Fund 1 (Article 9, minimum EUR 5,000).
• Dr. Peters GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024The seventeenth product partner. Dr. Peters (founded 1975) structures and manages real asset investments for retail and institutional investors, focusing on food retail and neighborhood shopping center real estate. Listed product: Dr. Peters Immobilienportfolio Deutschland II (minimum EUR 10,000).
• Primus ValorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2024The sixteenth product partner (15th emissions house, as two entries in the same announcement). Primus Valor (17 years in market) invests in German residential and commercial real estate. Listed product: ImmoChance Deutschland 12 Renovation Plus (Article 8, minimum EUR 10,000).
• BVF Early Invest GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 July 2024The fifteenth product partner. BVF Early Invest invests in venture capital funds managed by Earlybird, focusing on AI, robotics, IT/software, medical technology, and infrastructure. Listed product: BVF Early Invest 4 KG (minimum EUR 10,000).
• ÖKORENTA FINANZ GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2024The fourteenth product partner. ÖKORENTA specializes in sustainable real asset investments in renewable energy, with 25 years of market experience. Listed product: ÖKORENTA Erneuerbare Energien 15.
• MyHouse AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2024The thirteenth product partner. Founded in 2023, MyHouse (part of a 15+ year operating group) invests in residential real estate in demographically stable German regions. Listed product: MHREF Wohnen 1 (minimum EUR 10,000).
• HTB Hanseatische FondshauscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2024The twelfth product partner. HTB (Bremen-based) is a specialist for real estate AIFs with over 20 years of market experience. Listed product: HTB - 14. Immobilienfonds.
• Walnut Live Efficiency StudyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2024Walnut published an internal data analysis showing that in 2023, advisors saved 751,036 km of travel, 28,368 hours of travel time, and ~105,000 pages of paper through the platform. This served as both a marketing asset and an industry data contribution.
• Habona Invest GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 2024The eleventh product partner. Habona Invest manages more than 180 properties with a value of ~EUR 850 million, specializing in German food retail and day-care center real estate (Nahversorgungsimmobilien). Listed product: Habona Deutsche Nahversorgungsimmobilien Fonds 08.
• HMW Kapitalanlagen (MIG Fonds)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2023The tenth product partner. HMW brings venture capital products (MIG 17) to the platform, including investments in biotechnology companies like BioNTech. Minimum investment EUR 10,000.
• IMMAC groupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2023The ninth product partner. Hamburg-based IMMAC specializes in healthcare real estate investments across Europe, with over 170 properties invested since 1997. Listed product: IMMAC Immobilien Renditedachfonds (minimum EUR 10,000).
• Verifort CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2023The eighth product partner. Verifort Capital focuses on commercial and healthcare real estate, offering the closed-end AIF Verifort Capital HC2 with a minimum investment of EUR 5,000.
• ESG Open Data Ecosystem (via GitHub)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2023Walnut Live published its ESG preference data structure under CC-BY-4.0 license on GitHub. This open-source initiative aims to establish a branch standard for ESG data exchange between investor preference profiles and product sustainability profiles, involving emissions houses and software providers.
• The Simpson Organization (TSO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 January 2023The seventh product partner and the first to focus on the US market. TSO specializes in commercial real estate in the southeastern United States, bringing geographic diversification to the platform.
• Thamm & PartnerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 August 2022Became the sixth product partner on Walnut Live in July 2022, expanding the platform's product range.
• One GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 February 2022The fifth product partner on Walnut Live, providing real estate project financing products. One Group CEO Malte Thies cited Walnut Live's simplicity and functionality as key decision factors.
• asuco FondscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2021One of the four founding product partners when Walnut Live launched in July 2021. asuco provides closed-end fund products for digital distribution via the Walnut Live platform.
• PROJECT InvestmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2021One of the four founding product partners when Walnut Live launched in July 2021. PROJECT Investment offers real estate investment products for digital subscription.
• RWB PrivateCapital Emissionshaus AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2021One of the four founding product partners. RWB had already been using Walnut's white-label technology since 2019 before the independent Walnut Live launch.
• Solvium CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2021One of the four founding product partners at Walnut Live launch. Solvium offers logistic and transport asset investments.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Trade Republic: Berlin-based European broker offering retail access to stocks, ETFs, savings plans, and private market products including a small subscription to selected private market funds. Operates in the same German retail-investor context and increasingly competes at the private-markets retail distribution edge.
• FNZ: Global wealth management platform serving financial institutions, advisors, and asset managers with custody, platform, and distribution infrastructure. Operates broadly across the wealth stack with much greater scale than Walnut Live, but overlaps on advisor enablement and digital distribution.
• Bitpanda: Vienna-based investment platform offering stocks, ETFs, crypto, and (via Bitpanda Financial Services) regulated securities and funds. Operates in the same DACH regulatory context and increasingly competes for German retail investor attention, but at much broader product scope.
• Scalable Capital: Munich-based digital wealth management platform offering broker and robo-advisor services across Germany and Europe. Comparable as a German fintech serving advisor and retail investor workflows, but with a B2C/D2C model rather than Walnut's B2B advisor focus.
• Addepar: Wealth management technology platform serving advisors and family offices with portfolio analytics, reporting, and increasingly private market and alternatives data. Comparable as an advisor-facing platform with private market capabilities, but at a much broader and larger scale.

Direct peers

• Moonfare: Berlin-based digital platform for private market fund investments, originally B2C and now expanding into advisor-led distribution. Operates in the same German/European private market segment and overlaps with Walnut Live's product partner and advisor ecosystem.
• iCapital Network: US-headquartered platform that connects financial advisors with private market funds from alternative asset managers via a marketplace and subscription infrastructure. Most directly comparable to Walnut Live in terms of marketplace model and target user (financial advisors distributing private market funds).
• Allfunds: European B2B fund distribution platform connecting asset managers with distributors, with a similar marketplace/marketplace-fee business model. Comparable in B2B platform mechanics and structural alignment between product providers and distribution networks.
• finway: German SaaS platform for financial advisors that automates back-office workflows, compliance, and digital advisory processes. Closest peer in the German advisor-SaaS space, with similar buyer persona (independent financial advisors) and compliance-driven feature set.

Emerging players

• YieldStreet: US-based alternative investment platform offering individual investors access to private market products. Comparable in the underlying private market distribution thesis, but operates a direct-to-investor model rather than Walnut Live's advisor-mediated B2B2B approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/walnut-live
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6yHqJElgQB8kl3tNYw14xQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/walnut-live
• Xx.com/walnut_live

Compliance4 records

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 Walnut Live