Bund Der Selbstständigen E.V.

Name

Bund Der Selbstständigen E.V.

Legal name

Bund der Selbständigen Landesverband Hessen e.V.

Website

https://bds-lvhessen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mörfelden-Walldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bund der Selbstständigen E.V. is a registered German business association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1891 that represents self-employed professionals, tradespeople, freelancers, and small business owners. It provides political advocacy, networking events, information services, seminars, consulting, and discounted framework agreements with partner companies in exchange for annual membership dues.

Product overview

Bund der Selbstständigen E.V. is a membership-based business association and network for self-employed professionals, not a technology product company. The organization operates as a unified association offering members access to a nationwide network, political representation, information services, educational events, and commercial benefits through framework contracts. The core offering consists of the member network (Mitgliedernetzwerk), information services including the 'Der Selbständige' E-Paper newsletter, seminars and conferences, personal business consulting, and negotiated framework contracts with partner companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Association Membership Annual membership in Bund der Selbstständigen E.V. providing self-employed professionals, tradespeople, retailers, and freelancers access to association benefits.
• Political Advocacy and Representation Representation of self-employed professional interests in regional political processes in Hessen, Germany.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Telekom Deutschland GmbHminorOthersFramework agreement providing telecommunications services to BDS members with special rates and conditions including fixed-line telephony with number porting and bundled billing.
• ecotelminorOthersTelecommunications provider offering complete packages with attractive rates for voice, data, and value-added services. Provides savings of up to 30% for members with bundled billing.
• eplusminorOthersMobile telecommunications partner offering various special conditions and rates for BDS members.
• Kilowatthandel AGminorOthersEnergy broker partner since 1998 providing electricity and gas procurement services. Has negotiated successfully for over 44,500 customers and offers success-based pricing where partner only benefits when members save.
• D.A.S. (Legal Protection Insurance)minorOthersExistenz-Rechtsschutzversicherung (business legal protection) offering professional debt collection management, cost coverage, and credit checks starting at 21.00 EUR monthly plus 19% tax.
• EuropcarminorOthersVehicle rental partner offering particularly favorable rental conditions for BDS members.
• hotel.de / Arcor HotelsminorOthersHotel booking service providing particularly favorable conditions for BDS members on hotel reservations.
• INCEMAminorOthersFinancial and provision consulting organization specializing in advising SMEs, executives, academics, self-employed, and private individuals on financial planning, risk management, and asset building.
• Alfred Wieder AGminorOthersExclusive distributor of MIG Funds providing private investors opportunities to invest in innovative German companies in energy efficiency, biotechnology, medical technology, and environmental technology sectors.
• Autonomia e.V.minorOthersCare and nursing support organization helping members with topics including advance directives, power of attorney, financial care provisions, and family care leave laws.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK): Statutory chambers of commerce providing SME services including advocacy, networking, training, and information. Mandatory membership makes IHK a partial substitute and dominant broader incumbent against which BDS competes for voluntary members.
• Wirtschaftsrat der CDU e.V. Large, established business association linking entrepreneurs with policymakers but aligned with one political party. Competes with BDS for SME political engagement, particularly on economic-policy advocacy in Hessen and at federal level.
• National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB): US federation serving small and independent businesses with advocacy, member benefits, and policy influence. Functionally the international analogue of BDS's role within Germany's Mittelstand ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): UK's leading advocacy and membership organization for small businesses and the self-employed. Closely analogous mission (lobbying, networking, commercial benefits) — strong international benchmark.
• Liberaler Mittelstand: German SME association aligned with FDP political positioning. Adjacent peer with overlapping self-employed / SMB constituent base but more explicit partisan positioning.
• Verband junger Unternehmer (VJU): German young-entrepreneurs association focused on next-generation founders. Competes in adjacent space around self-employed/SMB advocacy and networking with a younger demographic emphasis.

Others

• Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB): Germany's largest trade-union confederation, representing employees rather than the self-employed. Adjacent in playing a representational/lobbying role at national scale, but addressing a fundamentally different constituency.

Direct peers

• Zentralverband Deutsches Handwerk (ZDH): Federal association of Germany's craft chambers, serving tradespeople and craftsmen — a segment BDS explicitly courts in Hessen. Regional Handwerkskammern are mandatory for tradespeople and compete directly with BDS for this constituency.
• BDS Bund der Selbstständigen (Bundesverband): Federal parent organization of which the Hessen chapter is a state association. Operates the same voluntary membership, lobbying, and partner-benefit model at national scope — directly comparable in offerings and governance.
• Bundesverband mittelständische Wirtschaft (BVMW): Largest German association specifically representing SMEs and the Mittelstand with very similar mechanics — voluntary membership, political advocacy, framework agreements, and regional structures. Operates the same model in adjacent and overlapping geographies, making it BDS's primary competitive peer.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bund-der-selbstst%C3%A4ndigen-e-v-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bund Der Selbstständigen E.V.