ADAN e.V. | Afro Diasporisches Akademisches Netzwerk (Afro-Diasporic Academics Network)

What ADAN e.V. | Afro Diasporisches Akademisches Netzwerk (Afro-Diasporic Academics Network) does

ADAN e.V. (Afro Diasporisches Akademisches Netzwerk, or Afro-Diasporic Academics Network) is a Frankfurt-based non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2014 to support Black and People of Color (BPoC) students, professionals, and entrepreneurs in Germany and the broader German-speaking region. Its primary function is community building and professional development: it operates a member network of more than 600 individuals across ten German cities, delivered through regional GetTogether meetups, a Slack/WhatsApp community layer, and a portfolio of programmes including the annual ADAN Career Day virtual career fair, a five-month ADAN Mentoring programme pairing young people aged 16-21 with professional members, the ADAN Science Club for Black STEM professionals, the ADAN Buchclub (Book Club), and the ADAN Entrepreneurship Academy.

The organisation's core technology is a community and event platform stitched together from off-the-shelf tooling: a WordPress website (ada-netzwerk.com) with an integrated job board, a Slack workspace with dedicated channels for regional groups, Science Club, and Book Club, plus WhatsApp groups, an Instagram presence, and event infrastructure running on Hopin, Ubivent, Zoom, and Google Meet. A separate commercial entity, ADAN Impact GmbH, sits alongside the non-profit. Business model is hybrid and non-commercial: revenue is generated through corporate partnerships and event sponsorships (Zalando, Accenture, Google, Oracle Solicitors), institutional grants (notably a €45,000 grant from Goldman Sachs Gives via the Fund for Racial Equity in April 2021), undisclosed membership fees, and in-kind support, while many programmes are offered free to participants.

ADAN serves two primary customer segments in parallel: (1) BPoC individuals in the DACH region seeking networking, mentorship, career access, and visibility, and (2) German and European corporate employers seeking access to a curated BPoC talent pipeline and authentic diversity branding. Leadership is provided by Chairman Cornelius Steele, founder and board member Alhaji Allie Bangura, and co-founder Jonas Tesfai, with a small core team supplemented by volunteer regional community managers.

Name

ADAN e.V. | Afro Diasporisches Akademisches Netzwerk (Afro-Diasporic Academics Network)

Legal name

Afro Diasporisches Akademisches Netzwerk (ADAN e.V.)

Website

https://ada-netzwerk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ADAN e.V. is a Frankfurt-based non-profit running the largest Afro-diasporic academic and professional network in the German-speaking region, serving 600+ BPoC students, professionals, and entrepreneurs across ten cities through career fairs, mentorship, clubs, and corporate partnership programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Diversity and Inclusion Network

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Access & EdTech for Equity (Low-cost Learning, Skills Platforms) (BPAGALAH)

Keywords

• Professional diversity network
• Career development services
• Mentorship programs
• Community association services
• Talent recruitment partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt am Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: ADAN enters structured partnership agreements with corporations (Zalando, Accenture, Google, Oracle) seeking to recruit BPoC talent and promote diversity. Companies sponsor ADAN events, career days, and award programmes in exchange for access to the BPoC talent pipeline and diversity branding.
2. Donations and Grants: ADAN receives financial contributions from institutional donors. Goldman Sachs Gives donated €45,000 via the Goldman Sachs Fund for Racial Equity in April 2021 to support professionalisation of structures and the ADAN Entrepreneurship Academy. The organisation operates as a non-profit (e.V.), making it eligible for charitable donations.
3. Membership Contributions: ADAN collects membership fees from its members. The website mentions a membership tier and the ability to 'become a member' (Mitglied werden), suggesting a membership fee structure, although the specific amount is not publicly disclosed on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ADAN e.V. operates a member-based professional and academic network platform for Afro-Germans, Africans, and Africa-interested students and professionals in Germany, offering career development services (annual virtual Career Day, structured Mentoring program), specialised community sub-groups (Science Club, Book Club, Entrepreneurship Academy), and recurring regional GetTogether networking events across ten German cities. The organisation also facilitates structured corporate partnerships (Zalando, Accenture, Goldman Sachs, Google, Oracle) under which partner companies gain access to the BPoC talent pipeline, sponsor events, and post vacancies via ADAN communications.

Product overview

ADAN (Afro Diasporisches Akademisches Netzwerk) is a non-profit association offering a network platform for Afro-Germans, Africans, and Africa-interested students and professionals. The organization operates a multi-product portfolio including core career development programs (ADAN Career Day), specialized clubs (ADAN Science Club, ADAN Book Club), mentorship initiatives (ADAN Mentoring), entrepreneurship support (ADAN Entrepreneurship Academy), and community building events (GetTogether). The aXd platform extends reach to African diaspora entrepreneurship through virtual conferences and fellowship programs. These products work together to make diversity visible, strengthen BPoC in personal and professional development, and contribute to reducing structural disadvantages of BPoC in Germany and Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ADAN Career Day: Annual career day event focused on diversity and connecting BPoC young professionals, students, and companies
• ADAN Science Club
• ADAN Buchclub (Book Club)
• ADAN Mentoring
• aXd (ADAN for Africa)
• ADAN Entrepreneurship Academy
• ADAN Role Model Award
• Rising Star Award

Products and services

• ADAN Career Day Annual virtual career fair connecting BPoC students, young professionals, and entrepreneurs with corporate recruiters through company exhibitions, panel discussions, CV coaching, and a job board. Targeted at BPoC talent and corporate employers seeking diverse candidates in Germany.
• ADAN Mentoring Five-month structured mentorship program pairing young people aged 16-21 with African migration backgrounds with ADAN members established in professional life, providing guidance on studies, training, and career pathways. Over 140 mentor-mentee pairs have participated in a single programme cycle.
• ADAN Science Club Networking platform for Black people in STEM (MINT) fields that organises discussions on Black scientists in history, scientific breakthroughs from Africa and the diaspora, and the impact of eurocentrism and post-colonial structures in academia. Operates via a dedicated Slack channel and in-person formats across Germany.
• ADAN Buchclub (Book Club) Book discussion group focused on literature by Black, African, and Afro-diasporic authors, with BookTalks held three times yearly in Munich, Frankfurt, and Berlin covering themes of identity, empowerment, historical processing, philosophy, and social change.
• aXd (ADAN for Africa) Platform Platform promoting Africa as a continent of opportunity and building sustainable bridges between Africa and Europe through the aXd LiVE virtual conference, the aXd Fellow Programme placing fellows with African start-ups, and related entrepreneurship activities.
• ADAN Entrepreneurship Academy Programme equipping founders and founding teams with at least one BPoC member with the knowledge, network, and prerequisites required for a successful company start-up. Supported by a 45,000 EUR grant from Goldman Sachs Gives via the Goldman Sachs Fund for Racial Equity.
• GetTogether Events Regular in-person community gatherings organised in regional groups across ten German cities (Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Berlin, Frankfurt, and others) that provide informal networking opportunities for ADAN members through afterwork events, picnics, and themed meetups.
• ADAN Corporate Partnership Programme Structured partnership programme through which corporations (Zalando, Accenture, Goldman Sachs, Google, Oracle) recruit BPoC talent, sponsor ADAN events and award programmes, and promote diversity within their organisations in exchange for access to ADAN's BPoC talent pipeline. Includes integration of partner vacancies into ADAN newsletters and dedicated webinar series.

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ members in ten cities across Germany and the German-speaking region
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ADAN Impact GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 August 2024The ADAN Impact GmbH is referenced as part of the ADAN ecosystem alongside the ADAN e.V. non-profit association, suggesting a commercial spin-off or subsidiary focused on impact-driven activities. It appears alongside the ADAN board and Oracle Solicitors team in gala photographs.
• AccenturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2021ADAN and Accenture entered a partnership for the professional promotion of Black and People of Color (BPoC) in Germany. The partnership includes a joint webinar for career starters and panel discussions with BPoC Accenture employees, with open vacancies integrated into the ADAN newsletter. The goal is to increase Accenture's visibility as an attractive employer within the BPoC community in Germany.
• German-American Institute Saxony (DAIS) and German-American Center (DAZ), StuttgartminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 September 2021DAIS and DAZ co-hosted 'The Black Experience: BPoC in Corporate Germany' virtual event on 14 September 2021, which explored the experience of BPoC individuals working in German companies.
• GoogleminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 September 2021ADAN hosted a virtual 'ADAN meets Google' event on 29 September 2021 via Google Meet, providing an overview of entry-level opportunities and the application process at Google. The event included a panel discussion with Google employees and a Q&A session.
• Business Insider AfricaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 March 2021Business Insider Africa served as the strategic media partner for the aXd LiVE virtual conference on 26 March 2021, promoting the event on the African continent and enabling global participation from Africa-interested audiences.
• ZalandocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2021ADAN and Zalando entered a strategic partnership to promote more young BPoC talents in Germany and offer them career opportunities at Europe's leading online fashion platform. The successful 2021 start with 12 internship positions filled by the ADAN community led to an expanded 2022 partnership offering 25 positions including senior and experienced roles.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• ReachOut e.V. Berlin: Berlin-based NGO addressing racial discrimination and supporting affected individuals through counselling and education. Comparable in target demographic and Germany-based civil society structure, but focuses more on anti-discrimination support than professional development.
• Minor – Projektkontor für Bildung und Forschung e.V. Berlin-based non-profit supporting migrant and post-migrant children, youth, and families through education and community programmes. Comparable as a German non-profit serving diaspora and migrant communities with a mix of education and community programmes, though broader in target demographic than ADAN.

Broad incumbents

• Charta der Vielfalt e.V. German employer-led diversity initiative with hundreds of corporate signatories focused on promoting DEI in workplaces. Comparable as a Germany-based DEI infrastructure player engaging corporates, though it operates from the employer side rather than the talent/community side and is broader than BPoC-specific work.
• Neue Deutsche Organisationen (NeMO) e.V. Umbrella network of post-migrant organisations in Germany, including several Black and Afro-diasporic member groups. Comparable as a meta-network serving a similar demographic and policy/DEI mission, but operates at a broader aggregate level rather than as a direct member-driven organisation.
• JOBLINGE gGmbH: Large German non-profit tackling youth unemployment through mentoring and employer partnerships, founded by the Eberhard von Kuenheim Foundation and Boston Consulting Group. Comparable in mentoring-plus-employer-partnership model, but at significantly larger scale and with a broader (not BPoC-specific) target population.

Others

• Stiftung Neue Verantwortung (SNV): Berlin-based think tank working on technology and public policy, including diversity and inclusion in the German tech workforce. Comparable as a Germany-based organisation engaging corporates on DEI and structural inclusion, but operates as a policy/research entity rather than a community network.

Direct peers

• Each One Teach One (EOTO) e.V. Berlin-based association run by and for Black, African, and Afro-diasporic people in Germany, focused on empowerment, education, and community organising. Directly comparable to ADAN in target community, German geographic focus, and membership-driven non-profit structure, though more arts/culture-oriented.
• Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland (ISD) e.V. ISD is a nationwide network of Black people in Germany advocating against racism and for visibility of Black history and contributions. Comparable to ADAN in mission (Black empowerment in Germany), association structure, and focus on structural representation, though more policy/advocacy oriented.
• Adefra – Schwarze Deutsche Frauen und Frauen of Color: Berlin-based Black German women of colour association founded in 1986, focused on empowerment, networking, and visibility. Directly comparable to ADAN in diaspora community mission and German association structure, with a more historical and explicitly gendered framing.

Emerging players

• Tandemploy GmbH: Berlin-based corporate mentoring platform enabling companies to run internal mentoring and reverse mentoring programmes. Comparable in mentoring-as-a-service mechanics for diversity and integration use cases, but operates as a SaaS product rather than a membership community organisation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adanetzwerk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ADAN e.V. | Afro Diasporisches Akademisches Netzwerk (Afro-Diasporic Academics Network)