AVE Institut gGmbH

What AVE Institut gGmbH does

AVE Institut für Achtsamkeit, Verbundenheit und Engagement gGmbH is a Darmstadt-headquartered nonprofit (gemeinnützige GmbH) that delivers mindfulness-based education programs to educators and educational institutions across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Its core offering is the one-year AVE-Weiterbildung, a train-the-trainer program aligned with MBSR, MSC, and OECD Learning Compass 2030 frameworks, designed to certify educators as multipliers who then implement mindfulness programs in their own schools and institutions. The product portfolio is delivered via the WordPress-based website (ave-institut.de) and the Moodle-powered AVE-Lernplattform (lernen.ave-institut.de), supplemented by Zoom for live sessions, HubSpot for CRM, and Matomo for privacy-friendly analytics.

Revenue is generated across four streams: (1) fee-based professional services through the AVE-Weiterbildung cohorts, (2) subscription/micro-payment online self-paced courses on the Lernplattform (e.g., Achtsame 8 Wochen, Beziehungen aktiv gestalten), (3) one-time retreat fees (€450 seminar fee plus separately booked accommodation/meals, with Bildungsurlaub recognition in NRW via Punktgenau), and (4) freemium public-engagement programs (Mittwochspraxis, FeelGoodZoom for youth, Initiative Zuversicht) that drive community building and feed the funnel into paid offerings. Distribution combines self-serve digital enrollment, direct sales for institutional clients, university and state teacher-training institute embedding (Universität Leipzig ABiK, LIS Bremen, ZfsL Duisburg, PH Burgenland, KPH Wien), and a decentralized alumni network of 50+ multipliers.

The organization is led by three Managing Directors — Dr. Nina Bürklin, Dieter Paulmann, and Christof Spitz — and operates without external investors, parent company, or profit orientation. It has no disclosed funding rounds and no disclosed headcount. Recent strategic activity includes the launch of FeelGoodZoom (September 2025) with WAVES OF ACTION, the upcoming 2nd national 'Achtsamkeit in der Bildung' conference at Universität Leipzig (September 2026), the partnership with MeTAzeit for the 'Aktionswoche gegen Einsamkeit' (June 2026), and the scheduled Frühjahr 2027 retreat — all signaling programmatic expansion within a narrow nonprofit mission rather than commercial scaling.

Name

AVE Institut gGmbH

Legal name

AVE Institut für Achtsamkeit, Verbundenheit und Engagement gGmbH

Website

https://ave-institut.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AVE Institut gGmbH is a Darmstadt-based nonprofit delivering mindfulness-based education programs to educators and educational institutions across the DACH region via a one-year train-the-trainer Weiterbildung, a Moodle LMS, residential retreats, and community initiatives including a youth program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mindfulness Education Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAGAEAA

K–12 Digital Curriculum & Interactive Lessons

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Digital Learning Content & eLearning Modules

SECONDARYMPACALAD

Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Digital Media & Content Platforms (Online Video, Podcasts, Creators)/Online Learning Content Platforms (Creator-Led Courses)

Keywords

• Mindfulness education training
• Online learning platform
• Train-the-trainer programs
• Teacher professional development
• Mindfulness retreats

Headquarters

HQ city

Darmstadt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. AVE-Weiterbildung (Train-the-Trainer Programs): One-year professional development programs for educators to become multipliers for mindfulness-based education. Fee-based enrollment with in-person and blended formats (retreat + online components). Revenue is recurring per cohort.
2. AVE Online Learning Platform (Lernplattform): Self-paced online courses (e.g., Achtsame 8 Wochen, Achtsamkeit Selbstmitgefühl und Kreativität, Beziehungen aktiv gestalten) and the Teachers for Life film with companion materials, available for individual purchase or team/school licensing.
3. AVE Retreats: Five-day residential retreats for educators combining mindfulness, self-compassion, and pedagogical practice. Revenue comes from seminar fees (€450 per person) plus separately booked accommodation and meals. Annual events drive significant per-event revenue.
4. Initiative Zuversicht / Public Engagement Programs: Free community-facing programs (Mittwochspraxis, FeelGoodZoom for youth, Aktionswoche against loneliness) that serve community-building and brand awareness rather than direct monetization, supporting recruitment into fee-based programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AVE Institut gGmbH operates a nonprofit educational platform that trains educators and multipliers in mindfulness-based education through a one-year AVE-Weiterbildung (train-the-trainer program) and the AVE-Lernplattform, a Moodle-based online learning hub offering self-paced courses (e.g., Achtsame 8 Wochen), the Teachers for Life documentary with companion materials, and community formats. It complements these with five-day residential AVE-Retreats at Loheland and public engagement programs such as Initiative Zuversicht and FeelGoodZoom for youth across the DACH region.

Product overview

AVE Institut is a nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive educational platform focused on mindfulness-based education for educators. The core offering is the AVE-Lernplattform (online learning platform) combined with the AVE-Weiterbildung (one-year train-the-trainer program). The platform provides structured courses including Achtsame 8 Wochen, Beziehungen aktiv gestalten, Achtsamkeit Selbstmitgefühl und Kreativität, and Mittwochspraxis, along with the documentary film TEACHERS FOR LIFE and accompanying materials. Additional offerings include the FeelGoodZoom online community for youth, residential AVE-Retreat programs, the Initiative Zuversicht for Active Hope, and the Wache Schule training program. The portfolio is distributed through the main website and the dedicated lernen.ave-institut.de learning platform, serving individuals and groups throughout the DACH region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Initiative Zuversicht: A growing network focused on Active Hope, inspiring, connecting, and activating people in response to societal crises.
• FeelGoodZoom

Products and services

• AVE-Lernplattform (Online Learning Platform)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ trained multipliers (AVE-Weiterbildung graduates) actively implementing mindfulness programs in schools and institutions across the DACH region
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WAVES OF ACTION (Jugendinitiative der Okeanos Stiftung für das Meer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAVE Institut co-developed the FeelGoodZoom online community for youth aged 15–20 with WAVES OF ACTION, the youth initiative of the Okeanos Foundation for the Sea. The program provides a free monthly online safe space where youth can experience openness, appreciation, and peer support. This partnership directly addresses youth mental health challenges, especially post-pandemic and climate anxiety. Three mentors (Sandra Gumpinger, Selina Leitz, Nictié Kalthoff) from WAVES OF ACTION hold the space for monthly sessions.
• MeTAzeitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAVE Institut partnered with MeTAzeit and other cooperation partners for the 'Aktionswoche gegen Einsamkeit' (Action Week Against Loneliness, June 22–28, 2026). This aligns with AVE's mission of connection and engagement, translating the 'Verbundenheit' (connectedness) in its name into community action.
• Punktgenau – Forum für politische BildungminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPunktgenau – Forum für politische Bildung is AVE's partner organization for obtaining Bildungsurlaub (educational leave) recognition for the AVE-Retreat in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). This enables employees in NRW to attend the retreat with up to 5 days of paid educational leave per year under § 5 Abs. 1 AWbG NRW.
• Tagungshaus Wiesenhaus im LohelandcoreOthersThe Wiesenhaus im Loheland, located in the Rhön biosphere reserve near Fulda, serves as the venue for AVE's five-day retreats. AVE books retreat participants into the facility; accommodation and meals are arranged directly with Loheland as part of the retreat package. Loheland is a dedicated seminar and education center with its own Demeter farm, café, and woodworking workshop.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Calm: Calm is a US-based mainstream mindfulness and meditation app with a B2B education offering (Calm Health and Calm Schools). It is a broad incumbent serving consumer and corporate mindfulness, with its school programs overlapping AVE Institut's educator and youth mindfulness focus.
• Headspace: Headspace is a US-based mainstream mindfulness and meditation platform with a B2B education vertical (Headspace for Education). It serves a much broader audience than AVE and is a scaled incumbent, but its 'education' offering competes with AVE Institut for institutional mindfulness training budgets.

Direct peers

• Mindful Schools: Mindful Schools is a US-based nonprofit that provides mindfulness training and curriculum for K-12 educators and students. It shares AVE's mission of training teachers to integrate mindfulness into classrooms, with a similar train-the-trainer philosophy and digital course offerings, but operates primarily in the US market.
• Smiling Mind: Smiling Mind is an Australian nonprofit that provides mindfulness programs for schools, families, and workplaces via a mobile app and educator resources. It is comparable to AVE in offering structured mindfulness curricula for educators and youth, with a similar nonprofit structure and broad community mission.
• Mindfulness in Schools Project (.b): The Mindfulness in Schools Project is a UK-based charity that developed the widely adopted .b curriculum for secondary schools and Paws b for primary schools. It is a direct peer to AVE as it provides structured mindfulness curricula, teacher training, and school-embedded programs, but serves the UK education sector.
• Inner Explorer: Inner Explorer is a US-based nonprofit that delivers daily mindfulness practices to schools through a sequenced, evidence-based curriculum. It is comparable to AVE in training educators and providing audio-guided mindfulness content for the K-12 classroom, but focuses on US school districts rather than the DACH region.
• 7Mind: 7Mind is Germany's leading mindfulness and meditation app, offering corporate training, online courses, and meditation content for individuals and businesses. Like AVE, it targets the German-speaking market and offers structured mindfulness programs, but focuses on consumer-facing app subscriptions rather than educator train-the-trainer models.
• MBSR-MBCT Verband: Der MBSR-MBCT Verband is the German professional association for certified MBSR and MBCT mindfulness teachers, providing teacher certification and standards. AVE Institut's MBSR-aligned curriculum and teacher training compete for the same pool of certified mindfulness educators in the German-speaking market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AVEInstitut
• Facebookfacebook.com/AVE.Institut
• Instagraminstagram.com/ave_institut
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ave-institut

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

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AVE Institut gGmbH