What Software Ring eG does

Software Ring eG is a registered cooperative (Genossenschaft) under German law, headquartered in Nürnberg and founded in 1999, that operates as a platform for collaboration among 20+ specialized mid-sized IT companies in the Metropolregion Nürnberg. The cooperative consolidates demand for large-scale IT tenders by acting as a single general contractor, then distributing work across its member companies through a protected internal project exchange (Projektbörse). The pooled technical capacity covers approximately 700+ IT experts across domains including cloud infrastructure (Azure/AWS), embedded systems, IoT/MDE/BDE, Business Intelligence, data platforms, UX, and managed services. Go-to-market is sales-led and exclusively regional; the cooperative emphasizes direct entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur contact, short response times, and on-site availability as competitive differentiators.

The cooperative's revenue mechanics rest on two streams: recurring monthly membership fees from member companies (graduated by employee headcount at €240–€600/month, plus a €500 entry share purchase) and project-based revenue from joint IT engagements delivered to enterprise clients. The service portfolio is structured into five phases — Innovation & Strategy (including AI consulting and design sprints), Data & BI, Engineering & Cloud, Human Centricity, and Security & Operations — packaged as an end-to-end offering for mid-market clients. The cooperative maintains three proprietary sub-brands: SWR Academy (joint training), KI Kollektiv (AI collective), and Award of Innovation (member recognition program). Customers include Allianz, Siemens, BMW Group, Audi, Continental, Deutsche Bahn, DATEV, BNP Paribas, BSH Hausgeräte, Fraunhofer Institut, and 1und1, among others; however, the formal customer of the cooperative is its 20+ member SMEs, who pay membership fees and source shared resources.

Leadership is overseen by two board members (Thomas Oedinger and Roland Kaltenbrunner) and a supervisory board chairman (Markus Schütz), with the cooperative audited by Genossenschaftsverband Bayern e.V. The organization holds the Leuchtturm-Partner (Lighthouse Partner) designation from Metropolregion Nürnberg. There is no external parent company, no funding history, and no M&A activity; the entity is a traditional member-owned cooperative operating on a stable, regionally focused model.

Name

Software Ring eG

Legal name

Software Ring e.G.

Website

https://software-ring.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Software Ring eG is a registered cooperative of 20+ specialized mid-sized IT companies in the Metropolregion Nürnberg, Germany, pooling 700+ IT experts to jointly deliver enterprise IT projects as a single general contractor for regional mid-market clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Consulting and Managed Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Other Computer Related Services (541519)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

AI/ML Solution Integration & MLOps Enablement (BPAEAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Engineering, Integration & ETL/ELT Services (BPAEAHAB), Software Development (Programming, Frameworks, Dev Tools) (EDABAFAA), Integration, API & Middleware Consulting (BPAHAEAJ)

Keywords

• IT cooperative services
• Managed IT services
• Cloud migration services
• Digital transformation consulting
• Software development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nürnberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Monthly subscription fees from member companies, graduated by employee count. Provides core cooperative revenue and funds shared services (Academy, project exchange, marketing).
2. Joint IT Projects: Project-based revenue generated through collaborative delivery of IT services to end clients. Multiple member companies contribute resources under a single contract with the client, with revenue distributed internally. Covers the full lifecycle from strategy and data/BI through engineering, cloud, UX, and managed services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Software Ring eG is a cooperative (Genossenschaft) of more than 20 specialized IT companies in the Nuremberg metropolitan region that jointly deliver software development, cloud migration, business intelligence, digital strategy, and AI/ML projects for mid-market enterprise clients. The cooperative enables its member firms to pool resources, share expertise, and collectively execute IT projects larger than any individual member could deliver alone.

Product overview

Software Ring eG is a cooperative of 20+ specialized IT companies in the Nuremberg metropolitan region with 700+ IT experts. The core offering is the cooperative platform enabling joint project execution, resource pooling, and combined expertise for tenders. The portfolio includes SWR Academy for training, KI Kollektiv for AI consulting, Award of Innovation for recognition, and an internal project exchange. Services span five phases: Phase 1 (Innovation & Strategy with Design Sprints, AI Consulting, Business Development), Phase 2 (Data & BI with Data Lakes and Business Intelligence), Phase 3 (Engineering & Cloud with Shopfloor/IoT and Cloud Migration to Azure/AWS), Phase 4 (Human Centricity with UX and HMI design), and Phase 5 (Security & Operations with Cyber Security, QA, and Managed Services).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SWR Academy: Training and professional development academy for apprentices and young professionals in IT, providing supplementary education beyond standard IHK training.

Products and services

• SWR Academy Training, education, and knowledge-exchange program operated by the cooperative to upskill member teams and share expertise across the consortium.
• KI Kollektiv (AI Collective) A collective initiative within Software Ring eG that aggregates AI and machine learning capabilities across member companies to deliver AI-driven client projects.
• Award of Innovation Innovation award program run by Software Ring eG recognizing innovative projects and contributions by member companies.
• Joint IT Project Execution Core cooperative service through which 20+ member IT companies jointly bid for and deliver bundled IT projects (software development, cloud, BI, digital strategy) for mid-market clients.

Named customers13 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Metropolregion NürnbergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoftware Ring eG holds the status of 'Leuchtturm-Partner' (Lighthouse Partner) of Metropolregion Nürnberg. This partnership provides regional visibility, network access, and a formal badge of partnership within the metropolitan business community. It is the primary regional institutional relationship for the cooperative.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• msg systems ag: German IT consulting and software firm that serves banks, insurance, automotive, and Mittelstand customers with similar multi-domain IT services. Directly comparable in terms of customer profile (German Mittelstand and enterprise), consulting/integration focus, and similar geographic concentration in Germany.
• ORBIS AG: German IT consulting firm focused on SAP and Microsoft solutions for Mittelstand customers. Comparable as a German IT consulting peer targeting mid-market enterprises with business process / digital transformation services.
• Allgeier Group: German IT services holding company organizing multiple specialized IT firms across Germany. Highly comparable: similar Mittelstand and enterprise IT services model, multi-domain approach, and similar scale of operations across multiple regional and domain-focused subsidiaries.
• GFT Technologies SE: German-headquartered IT services and consulting firm specializing in digital transformation for financial services and other verticals. Comparable in Mittelstand/enterprise client focus, German regional presence, and core IT consulting/integration capabilities.
• SIEVERS-GROUP: German IT services and consulting group with focus on Mittelstand and mid-sized enterprises, offering IT strategy, infrastructure, and application services. Comparable regional German IT services peer for similar customer segments.
• Nagarro SE: Global digital engineering and IT services company with significant German operations and Mittelstand focus. Comparable in custom software engineering, cloud, and digital transformation services for mid-market and enterprise clients across multiple industries.
• Devoteam GmbH: European IT consulting and services firm with German operations focusing on cloud, data, and AI transformation for mid-market and enterprise clients. Comparable in the consulting-led, multi-domain digital transformation delivery model with Mittelstand focus.

Broad incumbents

• T-Systems GmbH: Deutsche Telekom's enterprise IT services subsidiary and a major German systems integrator. Competes for the same large enterprise IT tenders in Germany but at considerably larger scale and broader geographic reach; overlaps on cloud, managed services, and digital transformation offerings.
• Capgemini (Germany): Global IT and consulting giant with major German operations serving many of the same enterprise clients (Allianz, BMW, Siemens). Comparable in delivering strategy, engineering, cloud, and managed services, but at vastly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Atos Germany: Major European IT services provider with strong German footprint serving automotive, manufacturing, and financial services enterprises. Overlaps on systems integration, cloud, managed services, and digital transformation for similar German Mittelstand and enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/softwarering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/software-ring

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 Software Ring eG