Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt

What Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt does

Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt Nürtingen-Geislingen (HfWU) is a German public university (Körperschaft des Öffentlichen Rechts) operating under the Ministry of Science, Research and Art of Baden-Württemberg (MWK BW). Founded in 1949, it delivers bachelor, master, MBA, and professional certificate programs across four study directions — Economics, Environment, Design, and Therapies — with an explicit institutional sustainability mission ('Bildung für Verantwortung'). Core customers are 5,118 enrolled students plus working professionals served through HfWU Akademie continuing education, while corporate and public-sector partners engage the university via twelve applied research institutes (including IAF, IAAF, IfA, ISR, ILU, ISI, IKTn, MLab, ZNE, avela) and the Zukunft.Gründen startup campus.

HfWU runs on standard higher-ed technology: a TYPO3 open-source WCMS, the Selma learning management system, the HfWU-neo student portal, Mobility Online for international exchange, and the HfWU-Start career portal. Teaching and research are supported by physical infrastructure including the LVB teaching and research farms and LVG research gardens, plus a network of 150+ international partner universities. Strategic positioning emphasizes interdisciplinary sustainability competence, with applied research feeding back into curriculum and serving employer demand via the Karrieretag career fair, alumni network, and Zukunft.Gründen startup pipeline (EXIST, EXIST-Women, Junge Innovatoren programs; Future.Box coworking space).

The business model is primarily state appropriation from MWK BW, supplemented by regulated semester fees (including a public-transport semester ticket), third-party research funding from federal, state, EU, and industry sources routed through the applied institutes, continuing-education program fees via HfWU Akademie, and pass-through funding from EXIST/BMWK and Junge Innovatoren programs. Tuition pricing for fee-based Berufsbegleitende programs is not publicly disclosed; standard semester fees are regulated under Baden-Württemberg state law. GTM motion combines sales-led national and international recruitment through the Bewerbungsportal and International Office, event-driven demand generation (Karrieretag, Zukunftstag, online info evenings), and a community-led startup formation channel via Zukunft.Gründen.

Name

Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt

Legal name

Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt Nürtingen-Geislingen

Website

https://hfwu.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt Nürtingen-Geislingen (HfWU) is a German public university in Baden-Württemberg delivering bachelor, master, MBA, and continuing education programs in business, environment, design, and therapies to roughly 5,118 students, supported by twelve applied research institutes and a sustainability-focused institutional mission.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nürtingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. State Funding (Öffentliche Finanzierung): As a public university (Körperschaft des Öffentlichen Rechts) in Baden-Württemberg, HfWU receives government funding from the Ministry for Science, Research and Art (MWK Baden-Württemberg). This forms the core operational budget.
2. Tuition and Fees (Studiengebühren): Students pay tuition fees and semester contributions. Continuing education programs (Bachelor, Master, MBA) generate fee revenue for part-time and executive programs.
3. Research Grants and Third-Party Funding (Drittmittelfinanzierung): Research projects funded by federal and state ministries, EU programs, and industry partners through institutes such as IAF, IAAF, IfA, ISR, ILU, ISI, and IKTn.
4. EXIST and Government Startup Funding: Zukunft.Gründen administers government-funded entrepreneurship programs (EXIST-Gründungsstipendium, EXIST-Women, Junge Innovatoren) that support startup formation and generate program-related funding.
5. Continuing Education Programs (Weiterbildung): HfWU Akademie offers professional development seminars, courses, and programs generating revenue from working professionals and companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

HfWU is a public university of applied sciences offering accredited Bachelor and Master degree programs across four study directions (Economics, Environment, Design, and Therapies) with sustainability integrated as a cross-disciplinary theme. Beyond degree programs, the university operates an applied research network (IAF, IAAF, IfA, ISR, ILU, ISI, IKTn), a startup campus (Zukunft.Gründen), and a continuing education academy (HfWU Akademie) serving working professionals. Teaching farms and research gardens (LVB, LVG) support the university's practical-orientation mission across both education and research.

Product overview

HfWU is a university of applied sciences offering a unified portfolio of academic programs and research services. The core offering consists of Bachelor and Master study programs in Economics, Environment, Design, and Therapies, complemented by applied research institutes (IAF network), the Zukunft.Gründen startup campus for entrepreneurship support, and the HfWU Akademie for continuing education. Internal platforms like Selma (LMS), HfWU-neo (student portal), and HfWU Start (career portal) support the academic mission. The university's profile emphasizes sustainability and practical application across all offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor and Master degree programs (HfWU Studienangebot) State-accredited Bachelor and Master degree programs across four study directions: Economics (Wirtschaft), Environment (Umwelt), Design (Gestaltung), and Therapies (Therapien). Programs integrate sustainability as a cross-disciplinary theme and are delivered across the Nürtingen and Geislingen campuses.
• Applied Research and Transfer (IAF research institute network) Applied research delivered through the Institutszentrum für Angewandte Forschung (IAF) and its specialized institutes: IAAF (agriculture), IfA (automotive economics), ILU (landscape and environment), ISI (city and real estate), ISR (sustainable management and renewable energy), IKTn (art therapies), and IfT (technology). Research is funded through federal and state ministries, EU programs, and industry partners.
• Zukunft.Gründen Startup Campus Startup support offering entrepreneurship education, coaching, government-funded startup programs (EXIST-Gründungsstipendium, EXIST-Women, Junge Innovatoren), and access to the Future.Box co-working space in Nürtingen. Targets students, alumni, and founders developing sustainable business models.
• HfWU Akademie (Continuing Education Programs) Fee-based continuing education offerings including berufsbegleitende (part-time) Bachelor, Master, and MBA programs, professional seminars, courses during lecture-free periods, and foreign language / staff mobility programs (Erasmus, DAAD Promos). Designed for working professionals and companies seeking formal credentials and professional development.
• avela — Akademie für Vegetationsplanung und Landschaftsbau Academy for vegetation planning and landscape architecture operating in cooperation with HfWU, hosting professional conferences and continuing education events in vegetation planning and landscape architecture.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked in top tier (Spitzenfeld) of CHE Hochschulranking 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 150+ Partner Universities WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHfWU maintains an international network of over 150 partner universities enabling student and faculty exchanges, joint research projects, and dual degree programs. The network spans multiple continents and supports the international dimension of HfWU's sustainability-oriented education.
• Akademie für Vegetationsplanung und Landschaftsbau (avela)minorStrategic or Co-development Partneravela is an academy for vegetation planning and landscape architecture operating in cooperation with HfWU. It hosts professional conferences and continuing education events in the field.
• Geislinger KonventionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA cooperation framework for academic and professional exchange related to HfWU's Geislingen campus, connecting the university with regional stakeholders.
• Part of the Länd (Regional Innovation Initiative)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHfWU is part of 'Das Länd' initiative, an innovation region in Baden-Württemberg centered around Stuttgart, positioning the university within the regional economic innovation ecosystem.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Leuphana Universität Lüneburg: Lower Saxony university with a major sustainability/sustainability science focus across schools. Closest German peer in terms of whole-institution sustainability branding, competing for thought leadership and similar student demographics.
• Hochschule Esslingen: Bad-Württemberg Hochschule with business and engineering programs, similar scale (~5,000+ students) and applied research focus. Competes for BW resident applicants and industry research contracts in the Stuttgart economic region.
• Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (HNEE): Brandenburg university explicitly branded around sustainable development — overlapping directly with HfWU's 'Bildung für Verantwortung' positioning. Competes for sustainability-oriented students and applied-research funding across Germany.
• Hochschule für Forstwirtschaft Rottenburg: Bad-Württemberg sister Hochschule focused on forestry, landscape architecture, and environmental management. Comparable in size and mission: applied sciences, sustainability focus, similar rural campus setting, government-funded.
• Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences (HS Pforzheim): Bad-Württemberg Hochschule with comparable size profile, focused on business, engineering, and design. Competes with HfWU for BW applicants in Fakultät Wirtschaft und Recht / Gestaltung, with similar state funding mechanics.
• Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf: Bavarian Hochschule specializing in agriculture, horticulture, landscape, and environmental sciences. Closest functional analog to HfWU's Umwelt programs, with similar applied-research institute structure and farm/garden teaching facilities.
• Universität Hohenheim: Stuttgart-area university focused on agriculture, natural sciences, business, and economics. Strong sustainability profile and shares the BW state-university status, competing with HfWU for both students and Drittmittel in overlapping disciplines.
• Hochschule Reutlingen (ESB Business School): Bad-Württemberg Hochschule with ESB Business School and international program emphasis. Similar scale and tuition-driven continuing education, competing for BW-resident and international students across business programs.

Emerging players

• SRH Hochschule Heidelberg: Private, for-profit-style Hochschule offering applied bachelor/master and continuing education. Competes with HfWU Akademie for fee-paying working professionals, particularly via flexible and remote-friendly delivery models.

Broad incumbents

• Hochschule Konstanz (HTWG): Larger Bad-Württemberg Hochschule covering business, engineering, and design. Shares BW state funding mechanism and competes in adjacent programs; broader portfolio dilutes its overlap with HfWU's sustainability niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HfWUimFilm
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/HfWU-N%C3%BCrtingen-Geislingen/186151696034
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hfwu
• Instagraminstagram.com/hfwu.de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries14 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 Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt